勅修百丈清規 6.20

6.20

佛日長明。壯祖域之光輝。補

put in charge of such an authoritative position, one must always treat with respect those who wear the same robe, and must not indiscriminately behave arrogantly [toward anyone]. If again, one insists on his superior ego, makes his private interests a public affair, and is inconsistent in all his dealings, how could such a person hold his position for long? Once he returns to the status of a practitioner, how could he then face his fellow practitioners as their colleague? There is no exception in the law of cause and effect, from which no one can escape.

[6. The Way and Principles of Practitioners]

Practitioners are the sons of the Buddha and [fundamentally] no different from the saintly being, the Arhat (i.e., Śākyamuni), hence they are worthy of reverence from heavenly as well as human beings. The morning rice gruel and the noon meal of rice must be prepared to meet all dietary needs. The four kinds of alms and requisites [of a monk] (i.e., food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicine) must always be provided without a shortage ever occurring. From the time of Śākyamuni, after two thousand years, the inherited shade [of refuge] still covers all his descendants. Of the world-illuminating light emitted from his forehead, not even a portion of its merit is ever exhausted despite

all of our usages. You must simply learn how to serve your fellow prac-

titioners and not worry about poverty. There is no difference between

holiness and worldliness in the status of a Buddhist practitioner, which

is universally accepted in all regions. We already have the term “four

regions” (caturdeiśaḥ) indicating the same meaning. It is true that this

world is made up of all kinds of divisions, and yet how could it be right

to discriminate against practitioners from different regions or treat them

with disdain on account of such differences? The transient quarters are

supposed to receive [guest practitioners] and be open to any traveling

practitioner for three days. Serve them with due propriety. If someone

requests a noon meal temporarily in front of the practice hall, serve him

the meal with equanimity. We receive lay visitors after examining their

background, so how could we not receive other practitioners like our-

selves? If one can transcend the mind of limitedness, there will be no

limit to the reward of merit. Within the Zen school, the high and low

harmonize their minds and try to put aside mutual deficiencies, if any.

One must not expose family scandals. Even though their exposure may

not harm anyone, such conduct reduces people’s trust and respect in the

end. Such an action is comparable to parasitic worms infesting the body

of a lion and consuming its flesh from within. Indeed, neither non-human

devils nor non-Buddhists could accomplish such destructiveness.

If one wishes to prevent the decline of the [Buddhist] path, to hold

up the Buddhist sun for a long time, to increase the majestic luster of

the tradition left to us by the patriarchs, and to assist the sacred tasks of

the imperial court, one must make the foregoing rules of conduct one’s

normative principles.

IX. The Prayer for Ailing Practitioners

Should a practitioner become [seriously] ill, those from the same native province and his religious colleagues gather at his bedside, set up incense, candles, and a Buddha image, and conduct a prayer of veneration for the Buddha with the following invocation:

When [the surface of the] water becomes [still and] transparent,

there appears the autumnal moon.

When an earnest prayer is applied, the meritorious field of fortune

manifests itself.

Indeed, the true foundation of our refuge is the Buddha and his

enlightenment.

This morning, we have gathered for the sake of Venerable Bhikṣu

So-and-so

To clear up the wrongs he has suffered through many past lives

And repent for the transgressions accumulated through innumerable

transmigrations.

Devoting our utmost sincerity to this end, we now request the holy

assembly

To venerate the Buddhas by calling the sacred names and thereby

accomplish a thorough purification.

May the honorable assembly recite the ten supreme names:

The Luminous Pure Dharma Body Vairocana Buddha, and so on.

The following invocation of merit transference is then said:

We earnestly wish that the primordial mind may be purified,

That the four material principles may become light and easy,

Extending natural life as well as wisdom,

That the physical body may become as firm as that of the Dharma

body.

Once again, may the honorable assembly conduct a prayer:

Veneration to the Buddhas in the ten directions and the three times,

and so on.

If the illness is very serious, a prayer directed toward Amitābha Buddha should be recited ten times. Before this prayer, however, one is obliged to speak the following word of adoration:

The Buddha Amitābha shines in golden luster,

The sublimity of his features is beyond comparison.

The white ūrṇa, curly hair sweetly rolling, appears on his forehead

like Mount Sumeru,

His blue eyes are transparent and clear like the four surrounding

great oceans.

In the illumination shed from his ūrṇa appear immeasurable myriads

of Buddhas,

And innumerable bodhisattvas also appear within this illumination

everywhere.

With his forty-eight vows, Amitābha Buddha helps all beings

toward salvation,

Enabling all, regardless of their nine different endowments, to reach

the other shore.

This morning, we have gathered for the sake of Venerable Bhikṣu

So-and-so,

To clear up the wrongs he has suffered through many past lives

And to repent the transgressions accumulated through innumerable

transmigrations.

Devoting our utmost sincerity to this end, we now request the holy

assembly

To venerate the Buddhas by calling the sacred names and thereby

accomplish a thorough purification.

May the honorable assembly call the name of Amitābha one hundred

times,

The names of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and Bodhisattva

Mahāsthāma[prapta] each ten times

As well as the innumerable bodhisattvas abiding in the great ocean

of purity.

The invocation of merit transference is:

It is earnestly wished that Venerable So-and-so regain his health, as

he has not lost the various supporting causes for his existence. If, how-

ever, it is unavoidable for him to come to the end of his life, may he

swiftly realize the goal of rebirth in the Pure Land. Veneration to the

Buddhas in the ten directions and the three times.

While chanting this prayer and the sacred names, practitioners must maintain their minds in purity and refrain from becoming entangled in worldly thoughts.

The Word of the Will