勅修百丈清規 5.67

5.67

凡寢堂中必設參椅示尊師道也。新到相看。住持當居中位。令其插香展禮。側坐受茶於禮無損。今北方猶行之所。時新學沙彌才方入眾。便與大方宿德分坐抗禮視為故常。循習成弊。至於獵等犯分以啟外侮。師道蕩然。能尊師則尊法。尊法則叢林紀綱振矣。若西域諸師其徒奉之。猶君父之尊。惟恐不及可為法也。

to obtain his permission, approaching him at any time or place, morning or

evening, wherever he might be. Those accompanying the abbot should not

block them from doing so. When their request is granted, they perform a

prostration with unopened sitting cloth and obtain from [the abbot] a note

of his approval. The practitioner then takes the document to the office of the

abbot’s assistants to register his name, saying:

Just now, I have received the abbot’s compassionate approval and

would like to register my name at the office of your quarters.

The assistant official in due order dispatches a note marked with the guest’s

name to the practice hall office. The director of practitioners’ affairs sends his

attendant to invite the new arrival for tea and, after serving tea, examines the

new practitioner’s ordination certificate in order to register it in the “Record of

Practice Hall Residency.” (This is explained in detail below, part V, section 1.)

The new resident, however, must wait to be escorted to the practice hall.

If, for some reason, he has to go in and out of the hall beforehand, he must

follow the rules of the practice hall.

To obtain a permit for temporary absence from the monastery, one must wait until half a month has passed. In the Ancient Regulations, the duration of the application for a temporary travel permit was always limited to a period of half a month, and beyond this period one had to follow the same procedure again to reestablish one’s residency and [was obliged] to abide by the rules of the practice hall. In case of the sickness or death of one’s parents or religious teachers, the duration of a practitioner’s absence is not bound by the above rule.

In general, it is customary to show one’s reverence for the path of his teacher to place a chair [for the teacher] in the reception hall. When interviewing new arrivals, the abbot must take his seat in a mid-position and request them to burn incense and perform prostrations with opened sitting cloth [toward the chair]. While sitting near the chair, he bids the new arrivals to drink tea. This is not against propriety. Even today, this is still practiced in the northern regions (i.e., north of the Yangtze River).

In recent times, some newly ordained novices, soon after obtaining residency, dare to share seats of the same ranking as those of senior monks who held residency in major monasteries, and dare to exchange mutual veneration with them as equals. Mistaking certain wrong examples as standard, they regard them as ancient tradition and perpetuate them, thus creating the wrong effect. If one tries to usurp a rank equal [to that of his superior] by surpassing his own rank, he likely invites ridicule by outsiders. The path of reverence toward one’s teacher has been in total jeopardy. Being respectful toward one’s teacher is identical to being respectful to the Dharma. When the Dharma is respected, the standard of the monastic institution improves. In the western countries (i.e., Central Asia, Tibet, and India), the way students attend their teachers is comparable to the way they respect their rulers and parents. I am simply afraid that our [manners] are no match for this standard, and we must learn from them.

3. The Group Interview

In the major monastic temples, where numerous practitioners reside and where senior practitioners are strict and rigorous [about the rules of practice], there is no form of propriety for frequent and continual interviews.

New arrivals are obliged to wait for more new arrivals, while each visits the assistant’s office to register his name, until a group of twenty or thirty new arrivals has formed, so that a group interview may be held. The assistant official counts the number of the group and notifies the abbot. Either at the beginning of the ninth month, before the winter months, or in the new year season, the group of new members choose someone known for administrative skill or well experienced in monastic affairs as their ceremonial leader. On the scheduled day, with the appointed member as their leader, they go to the reception hall and line up in front of it. The assistant official notifies the abbot and escorts him into the hall. The ceremonial leader steps forward and says:

May we request your venerable to take a seat cross-legged.

The abbot utters an instructive word, and the ceremonial leader replies. Next, the ceremonial leader steps back to perform a bow in unison with the others, offers incense, and expresses thanks. Next they thank the assistant official. The following morning they attend a tea reception at the abbot’s office and thereafter formally request his permission for residency. Waiting while the document of approval (format given below) is sent to the practice hall office, they will be escorted to join the members of the practice hall. The procedure of joining or returning to the hall is as mentioned above, and the abbot returns his propriety when they come to thank him for granting their residency.

(iv) Format for the Approval Document

The following are the names of those who have established residency

as approved by the abbot’s compassion:

Senior practitioner So-and-so

Senior practitioner So-and-so

[and so on]

Date

Reported by So-and-so

Office of the Assistants

V. Establishment of Monastic Residency

1. The Full Procedure for Establishing

Group Residency in the Practice Hall

Upon receiving the document of approval from the abbot’s assistant’s office,