勅修百丈清規 1.28

1.28

1. Inauguration of the Rite

of the Imperial Birthday

When the day of celebrating the imperial birthday arrives, the first step is to

set up the place for the rite of prayer for the Adamantine Immeasurable Life

Buddha (Vajrāmitāyus; Jingangwuliangshou). For the sake of proper expres-

sion of reverence, no one should be allowed to be absent for the duration of

the entire month [in which the imperial birthday occurs]. One day before the

inauguration of the rite, the practice hall official (this position is also referred

to as director of the practice hall and director of practitioners’ affairs) pre-

pares the signboards, writes the announcement of the rite on two separate

sheets of paper, and attaches one sheet to the board to be posted on the right

side of the temple’s main gate and the other to the tablet of sutra titles, which

is hung higher in the Buddha hall. (Format given below.) The announcement

is written on yellow paper. [The director of the practice hall] is obliged to

prepare the name list for rotating shifts according to ordination seniority.

Each name must be listed together with the status [as regards the schedule].

Five days in advance, the director of the practice hall, accompanied by

a novice attendant, visits the official of the scribes’ quarters, carrying a sheet

of paper in his sleeve. (Having been notified beforehand, the head scribe

awaits the director’s arrival. The director greets the scribe with an informal

prostration with unopened sitting cloth.) After a single prostration, the direc-

tor of the practice hall says:

May I request you to compose the word of tribute for the inauguration

of the rite of the imperial birthday.

(If the official is not available at the time, the scribe’s assistant performs

this role, and if neither is available, any previous composition may be sub-

stituted. Format of the word of tribute given below.)

Upon completing the composition, the scribe official presents it to the

abbot for inspection and then takes it to the practice hall director himself in

order to pay a return courtesy visit. After an informal prostration, he thanks

the director for his prior visit. The latter copies the composition onto two

sheets of yellow paper, and proceeds to the abbot’s office accompanied by his novice attendant, who carries a crepe-wrapped tray, equipped with candles and an incense burner. After burning incense and performing an informal prostration, the director asks the abbot for his approval:

This is the word of tribute prepared for the inauguration of the rite for

the imperial birthday, sir. Your inspection is requested.

Upon approval [of the tribute by the abbot], the novice attendant notifies the abbot by announcing:

The sutra chanting to inaugurate the rite of the imperial birthday is

scheduled for tomorrow morning at the Buddha hall, sir.

The [practitioners in the] various quarters are immediately notified, and the wooden tablet announcing the sutra chanting is hung at the entrance to the practice hall. The abbot’s incense offering assistant notifies the abbot: “The ascent to the Dharma hall is scheduled for tomorrow, sir.”

2. The Ascent to the Dharma Hall

At 3:00 A.M. (i.e., the fifth watch of the night), when the abbot makes his rounds, burning incense through the aisles of the practice hall, the incense offering assistant reminds the abbot of the scheduled event once again, saying:

Following the breakfast of rice gruel (shuifan), the ascent to the Dharma

hall is scheduled, sir.

The assistant instructs the guest master to post in the practice hall a wooden tablet inscribed with [the words] “Ascent to the Dharma hall.” At breakfast, the practice hall director strikes the octagonal wooden post with its mallet to signal the moment when the first serving of rice gruel is completed, then immediately strikes it again and makes the following announcement:

I announce to you, fellow practitioners, that when we hear the bell ring

after breakfast, each of us, properly attired, will proceed to the Buddha

hall and inaugurate the prayer rite for the imperial birthday. Respect-

fully announced.

After striking [the octagonal wooden post again] to signal the end of the announcement, the director goes and stands before the abbot, bows with palms together, and then makes a single round through the aisles of the hall, starting from the raised sitting platform of the primary seat official, going out to the lower outer hall, then to the upper outer hall, and finally returning to the center of the inner hall to bow before the altar of the guardian bodhisattva (usually Mañjuśrī) before leaving the hall.

After a short recess after breakfast, the practice hall novice attendant reports to the abbot’s guest master when the Buddha hall is ready, [that is, when] incense, candles, tea and sweet hot water, the cymbals, and a portable incense burner [have been prepared]. The guest master in turn conveys this message to the abbot, then to his chief assistant. The abbot’s attendant strikes the wooden sounding board at the abbot’s office and begins a series of drumbeats to signal [commencement of the rite]. Before all this takes place, the wooden sounding board at the practitioners’ quarters is struck three times to call them to return to the practice hall, where they wait in their places in sitting meditation (zazen), facing the wall as usual. At the sound of the drum, the practitioners turn to face each other across the aisles. Also upon hearing the drum, the training faculty officials, who have previously assembled outside, enter the hall and take their respective places. The primary seat official follows. The west hall official, the retired officials and retired subfunctionary officials of the temple, and the functionaries of various offices take their seats in the outer hall.

As the drumming begins, the abbot comes to his reception hall, and when he takes his seat, his chief assistant greets him with a bow and stands on the east side of the hall, while the novice attendants salute him likewise and stand on the west side. When the drumming changes pitch, the chief assistant proceeds to the Dharma hall, stands by the left side of the main rostrum seat, and waits for the practitioners to assemble. At the practice hall the training faculty officials descend to the floor, bow before the altar of the guardian bodhisattva, and lead the practitioners toward the Dharma hall. Approaching the rostrum seat, they line up facing it and bow, then move back to form the west-order column, slightly away from the center, and stand facing east. The practitioners take parallel positions behind their column. It is inappropriate for practitioners to go to their places before the officials arrive and take their places.

When the drumming commences, an official at the novice attendant’s hall also strikes the wooden sounding board three times, and the ceremonial

leader leads the group of novice attendants toward the kitchen hall. They line up in two columns in front of the hall, facing each other, and wait for the change of drum pitch. The administrative officials come out of the hall at the moment the drum changes pitch; the novices greet them with a bow and then follow them to the Dharma hall. When the training faculty officials take their positions in the west-order column, the administrative officials proceed to line up in front of the rostrum, and, after a bow, move back to take their positions in the east-order column, led by the head administrative official, where they stand facing west. The novice attendants then take parallel positions behind the administrative officials at a slight distance from them.

The chief assistant returns to the abbot and escorts him to the main rostrum seat. All novice attendants salute the abbot with a bow. When the abbot reaches the rostrum, the novice attendants close in behind the administrative officials. During the winter months, everyone is required at this moment to take off his cap to bow. With a gesture of greeting, the abbot ascends the rostrum seat, followed by his chief assistant, and receives from him [powdered] incense proffered on the lid of an incense case. The abbot reverently raises it with a word of blessing, and completes the word of tribute for imperial longevity. Thereupon, receiving the [blessed] incense back, the chief assistant pours it into the burner with his left hand, simultaneously placing next to it a stick of incense with his right hand while giving a word of prayer. After a slight bow, the chief assistant descends the rostrum and returns to his place.

After the abbot sits down cross-legged and adjusts his robe, the incense offering assistant and colleagues go before of the rostrum, turn toward the abbot, bow in unison, and return to their places, led by the chief assistant. Next, the primary seat official leads the west-order members in similar manner. They bow toward the abbot in unison, in tandem with the practitioners [behind the west-order column]. Third, the administrative officials bow in the same manner toward the abbot, in tandem with the novice attendants [behind the east-order column]. The ranking west hall resident and east hall resident likewise go before the rostrum and bow. Thereupon, the chief assistant ascends the rostrum, offers incense with his left hand, turns to the abbot, and bows toward him with a gesture of offering his unopened sitting cloth. (This is

called “the request for a Dharma session on behalf of the practitioners.”)

Thereupon the chief assistant descends the rostrum and stands to the side. When the question-and-answer session is over, the abbot explains the meaning of the assembly:

On such-and-such day, we respectfully perform the commemoration of the

imperial birthday. On this day in such-and-such month, this temple shall

inaugurate the continual session of prayer for the Adamantine Immeas-

urable Life Tathāgata for the duration of an entire month. From today,

practitioners of this temple shall continuously recite the sacred scriptures

at the Buddha hall in rotating shifts. Your subject So-and-so, abbot of this

temple, has ascended this high seat this morning and has expounded the

sublime truth and primary meaning of the Dharma. We dedicate the great

merit thereby accrued toward everlasting imperial well-being.

When the abbot has finished preaching, he addresses the assembly:

Now, descending from this hall, let us proceed, with proper attire and

dignity, to the hall of the great Buddha and inaugurate the commem-

orative rite of the imperial birthday. Respectfully stated.

On this day, if government officials are present at the morning session it is customary not to give any words of appreciation for their participation, in regard to the primary respect [being shown] the imperial throne.

3. The Rite of the Imperial Birthday

When the large bell begins to toll, preceded by three strikes of the practice hall bell, the practitioners assemble at the Buddha hall and take their positions facing the altar. The abbot commences offering tea and sweet hot water before the Buddha image. As the head administrative official hands over these offering items to the abbot one by one, the abbot censes each offering and hands it to his chief assistant who, standing near the pedestal of the image, places each item before the Buddha image. When this is done, the abbot returns and stands at his position. As the novice attendants begin to play the cymbals, the practice hall director steps forward toward the central incense burner and, with a salutation to the abbot, offers incense, assisted by the abbot’s assistant who carries an incense case. Next, the ranking east

and west hall residents simultaneously step forward in pairs to offer incense. (If any abbots of other temples happen to be present, the chief assistant of the host temple invites them to the altar to offer incense in a similar manner, prior to the offering of incense by the host temple’s dual order officials, i.e., of the east and west orders.)

Next, a pair of officials from the dual orders proceed together to the incense burner, bow toward the Buddha image with palms together, and, after offering incense, turn toward the abbot, salute him in unison, and return to their respective positions. The whole assembly of practitioners performs three prostrations with half-opened sitting cloth.

Thereupon, the dual order officials turn to face each other, and the abbot kneels in the center before the altar. The guest reception official approaches on his knees, carrying a portable incense burner; simultaneously the abbot’s incense offering assistant also approaches on his knees, carrying an incense case. In the meantime, the director of practitioners’ affairs reads the word of tribute addressing the Buddha, and the guest reception official pours incense into the burner. Thereupon, the abbot stands and folds his sitting cloth. The director then leads the entire assembly in a recitation of the Śūraṃgamadhāraṇīs and, when the recitation is completed, he proclaims the following invocation of merit transference:

We solemnly dedicate the great merit accrued from reciting the sacred

chapter of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs to the present imperial highness

for this day of festivity, well-being, and longevity. Veneration to Adaman-

tine Immeasurable Life Tathāgata, Benevolent King (Kāruṇikārāja; Ren-

wangpusa) Bodhisattva Mahāsattva (mohesa; “great being”), and Mahā-

prajñāpāramitā (Mohebanruoboluomi; Great Perfection of Wisdom).

Thereupon, all leave the hall.

4. Sutra Chanting in Rotating Shifts

Each day, the novice attendants of the director of the practice hall are required to present a list of the names for the rotating shifts to the abbot, the training faculty officials, and the other practitioners and obtain their approval, at least one day before the date of [the shift] assignment. The list consists of the