[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [勅修百丈清規](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025) › 5.84 # 勅修百丈清規 5.84 勅修百丈清規 5.84 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [5.84](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.5.84) 法眷辦事掛搭 > Regardless of the time of year, someone who is related in the abbot’s Dharma > > lineage or someone who formerly served as a subfunctionary under the abbot \[at another temple\] can come directly to the office of the assistant official, explain the purpose of his visit, and request the official to convey his intent to the abbot. The person burns incense and performs prostrations with opened sitting cloth. If he is of lower rank than the abbot, if he formerly attended him as his assistant, and so on, he is obliged to receive the propriety prescribed for such relations. The procedure of assigning residential quarters, however, is the same as before, namely, in accordance with the person’s previous rank and position. > > 6. Establishing Residency > > through an Interview Requested > > by Casting Incense > > When a new arrival is unable to present himself at the proper time, either because of certain unavoidable conditions or due to not having received a message to forego his intended visit, he is allowed to approach the abbot whenever possible. Upon seeing the abbot, he casts an incense case to the floor and says: > > Allow this new arrival to pay veneration to you, sir. > > He then performs a prostration with unopened sitting cloth. Picking up the incense case, he requests permission for residency. If the abbot grants permission, the assistant official sends the document of approval to the practice hall office. The following procedure is identical as before. If the residency chart (tuzhang) is already finalized, he is obliged to request the practice hall office to place his name in the chart. Or if there are numerous residents, he is to be placed at the end of the ordination order. > > 7. The Propriety of Giving Thanks > > for the Granting of Residency > > In the Ancient Regulations, those who were permitted to join the practice hall were obliged to conduct the propriety of giving thanks at once for the residency granted to them. \[Otherwise,\] they would have to wait till either > > one of three later occasions to do so, namely, before the winter solstice, before the new year, and before the summer retreat. > > \[An episode relates:\] Zen Master Fozhao (ca. twelfth century) moved from Yuwang (Ayuwangsi) to Jingshan (Xingshengwanshousi), accompanied by Quanguyun as his assistant at his inauguration as abbot. At that time, the master was troubled by so much bowing in thanks for granting permission for residency, he instituted a rule that the propriety of giving thanks had to be accomplished altogether and at once before the summer retreat. There was a tendency at the time, however, for the new practitioners who had just joined, before staying long enough in the seats assigned upon their arrival, to move to other seats in the eastern and western sections of the hall, and thus many of them neglected the propriety of giving thanks for receving permission for residency through the winter or even the following summer. Fozhao, therefore, settled the case by ruling that the propriety of giving thanks for permission for residency should be accomplished before either the summer or winter season of each year. > > Prior to the time of the propriety, the assistant official examines the “Record of the Ordination Year” of the practice hall office, and assigns one of the eldest in ordination seniority among the new arrivals to be the ceremonial leader and another as co-leader. > > (In earlier days, a person who was once the assistant to the abbot of a major temple was customarily chosen as the ceremonial leader. Often, however, the sense of harmony was disturbed by competition and disputing which temple was of higher or lower status. According to the original regulations, even an assistant official of the abbot, having returned to the practitioners’ quarters, was obliged to follow the rules of the quarters as one of its residents. Therefore, it is proper to assign ceremonial leadership on the basis of ordination seniority. Since reliance on ordination seniority was the norm set forth by the Buddha, how and why could the order of various charts of seats or positions or ordination tablets in the practitioners’ quarters be determined in terms of temple status? Such determination must be made to comply with seniority based on ordination dates, because, first, it was the Buddha’s own ruling in his Vinaya rules and discipline; second, it eliminates the possibility of competition and dispute; and third, it brings harmony to the members > > so as to encourage sharing residency. It is probably best for the abbot to endeavor to follow the system of ordination seniority.) > > The ceremonial leader must learn various proprieties by obtaining the small chart. Grouping the practitioners in several subgroups consisting of three members, and assigning one in each group as the sub-leader, he instructs them in detail to memorize set statements and to learn the manner of conduct to precisely execute their movements foward and backward, turning and bending, so that no embarrassing gap would result in the actual performance \[of these movements\]. The attendant of the practice hall office makes a copy of the name list of the new residents and draws up an announcement (format below) as a small notice that says: > > Those newly approved residents are each requested to contribute money > > for the purchase of incense and to be ready for the performance of the > > propriety of giving thanks for the approval of their residency. > > Reported by So-and-so Attendant > > Practice Hall Office > > The practice hall attendant posts this notice in front of the practitioners’ quarters, collects the incense money, and delivers it to the abbot’s office through his assistant. The assistant official consults with the abbot to determine the date of the occasion. This is to be reported by posting a notice on a bulletin board: > > Those newly returned brethren (seniors and juniors) are requested > > tomorrow after breakfast to visit the abbot’s office to express thanks > > for the granting of their request for residency. > > Reported by So-and-so > > Office of the Assistants > > On the appointed day, the abbot’s seat should be placed either in the reception hall or in the Dharma hall, together with tables, incense burners, flower vases, and candle stands. The assistant official hands over a pack of large-grain incense to the ceremonial leader, who in turn hands it to his co-leader to hold. The ceremonial leader leads the new residents to their positions as indicated > > by the chart. He accompanies the assistant official to escort the abbot into the hall and, returning to his position, bows in unison with the others. Thereupon, he steps forward and says to the abbot: > — Shohei Ichimura 2006, The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations - [Previous: 5.83](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.5.83) - [Next: 5.85](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.5.85) - [Up: 5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.5) ## Translations (2) - [The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.5.84) — Shohei Ichimura 2006, English - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-mt.5.84) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.5.84](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.5.84) · Pramāṇa