勅修百丈清規 4.16

4.16

知客

for the scripture cases corresponding to those titles assigned by the practice hall office, and hands them to the practitioners. When the texts are returned, they must be referred to the record book again to be replaced in the proper stack in order to prevent texts from being misplaced or lost.

Reflecting upon the origins of our Zen tradition, its essence was long since declared as having been transmitted outside verbal or written teachings. So why are some practitioners assigned to be in charge of the scriptural library? The answer is that whatever the Buddha said to his disciples and whatever he prescribed for their conduct became the teachings (sāśana; jiao) and regulations (vinaya; lü). Is any reason whatsoever for us, the members of the Zen community, not to follow his teaching and regulations? Especially because our tradition claims that the ultimate experience, the supreme insight, cannot be trapped by the constraints of language but transcends forms of speech and action. Since such is the mystery of ultimate self-nature handed down [from the Buddha himself], isn’t it quite proper for us to comply with the insight he verbally taught and the conduct he prescribed? Again, this has been the patriarchal intention, wishing for us to seek the ultimate insight (theoretical and ethical) in all Buddhist text collections as well as in all non-Buddhist literature and expecting us to be able to face heretic insults and respond to them with greater expediency. This is called the “principle of neither adherence

nor rejection” (buji buli). In later periods, as the number of practitioners greatly increased, two Tripiṭaka buildings were required to be built [to serve] as the eastern and western libraries.

5. The Guest Reception Official

This official deals with the reception of high-ranking guests. In general, he initially meets with government officials, patron donors, established senior practitioners, and renowned virtuous personalities who happen to visit the temple, receiving them with the propriety of incense and a serving of tea. He then sends his novice attendant to inform the abbot about such visitors. He escorts each visitor to see the abbot, and when the meeting is over he determines the subsequent schedule for the visitor and escorts him to wherever he is to stay. If a visitor is of lower-ranking status than his own, he meets the visitor at his office, and if the latter wishes to see the abbot or the administrative head as well as various other quarters, he sends an attendant to accompany him to the respective destination.

The transient guest quarters (danguoliao), which come under [the jurisdiction of] this office, must be kept neat as to the bed curtains, furnishings, lamp oil, and charcoal for burning. New arrivals (xindao) must be treated well so that their stay is comfortable. If the director of practitioners’ affairs is temporarily absent, the guest reception official executes some of his duties, checking to see if the morning rice gruel and the noon rice meal are properly set for them in the outer practice hall and ensuring that they are served [without fail]. If he encounters the situation of a death among the guest practitioners, he must take charge of the funeral account with the help of his practitioner assistant. If one of the new arrivals dies, he assumes the role of the director of the funeral rite for the deceased. When Shüehbao stayed at Mount Dayang and when Chanyue stayed at Mount Shishuang, they held this position. It is therefore not to be slighted.

6. The Bath Hall Official

In general, on the day designated for bathing, a signboard should be posted before the noon meal to inform the practitioners. In winter months, bathing should be scheduled once every five days, while during the hot season it

should be scheduled every day to wash away sweat. The official of this office oversees the tasks of preparing the bathing room, hanging towels on the racks, setting out trays for washing the face, providing wooden shoes to wear inside the tub and cloths to spread on the wooden floor. He assigns the novice attendant of the ceremonial leader (cantouhangzhe) to be in charge of the day. After the noon meal, the bath hall master (yutou) notifies the director of practitioners’ affairs, the primary seat official, and the abbot of the bathing room’s readiness and after striking the drum three times, he bathes the image of the guardian bodhisattva in the practice hall. He should be mindful of inviting the guardian bodhisattva to take a bath while preparing the special wooden bucket for bathing the image of the guardian bodhisattva, pouring a small quantity of bath water, and offering incense and prostrations.

After the wooden sounding blocks are struck three times in succession in various parts of the corridors throughout the temple, a series of drumrolls follows, indicating that the time for the practitioners to bathe has arrived. Next, a second series of drumrolls signals the time for the training faculty officials to bathe. The third series of drumrolls signals the time for the novice attendants to bathe. The abbot may take his bath at this time and, if he so wishes, a screen should be set up in the bathing room to separate the sections. The fourth series of drumrolls signals the time for the lay workers to bathe, and the very last members to bathe are the attendants who supervise the workers ( jianzuohangzhe) and the administrative officials. As to the boiler, after the bathing has been completed the fire must be suppressed by sprinkling water carefully over the flames and coals, and the hearth cleaned and dried. Leftover embers should be stored at a safe distance.

The order of bathing must be specified on the signboard outside the bathroom.

(Nowadays, it is believed that the abbot is supposed to bathe after the members of the training faculty have all finished, and that the administrative officials are supposed to bathe after the novice attendants have all finished. This is wrong. If the abbot wishes for some reason to take his bath at the same time as the training faculty members, no separating screen is required between them. He does not go into a private room but disrobes at the front section of the dressing room.)

A small wooden sounding board should be hung inside the room, with