勅修百丈清規 2.23

2.23

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

The prayer concludes with the director intoning the following invocation of merit transference:

We respectfully dedicate the merit accrued from the foregoing prayer

to the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, perfectly enlightened Great Mas-

ter. We wish to discharge our indebtedness to the compassion bestowed

upon us as our refuge. Veneration to the Buddhas of the ten directions

and the three times, and so on.

After the practice hall bell tolls three times, the practitioners leave the hall, or they may be invited to take their seats for an evening meal.

While the evening bell tolls, the practice hall bell signals the practitioners to assemble and proceed toward the Dharma hall once again. The abbot offers incense, and the director of practitioners’ affairs leads the chanting of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs and concludes by intoning the following invocation of merit transference:

The pure Dharma body has essentially neither phenomenal appearance

nor disappearance, but because of the great compassion and power of

its vow, it shows, as it were, phenomenal appearance as well as dis-

appearance. We implore: May compassion shine its bright mirror reflec-

tion upon us. On the fifth day of this month, the memorial day has

arrived on which the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, the perfectly enlight-

ened Great Master and Great Priest, entered absolute quiescence.

Assembling all the disciples and offering incense and provisions, we

thereby express our care and devotion for the master. We humbly ded-

icate the merit accrued from chanting the [dhāraṇīs of the] Śūraṃgama-

sūtra for the sake of discharging our indebtedness to the compassion

which has bestowed refuge upon us. We humbly pray: May unerring

practitioners endeavor to promulgate the tradition of Bodhidharma and

thereby realize the wondrous insight that is limitless, and become a

worthy receptacle of Mahayana Buddhism. Veneration to the Buddhas

of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

Next, the ceremonial leader leads the novice attendants to line up before the [image of the] patriarch, and in unison they say, “We are here, sir,” perform prostrations, and chant the sutras. Lastly, lay devotees line up to worship the patriarch.

Early the next morning, the abbot burns incense, performs prostrations, offers sweet hot water and rice gruel, and participates in the rice gruel breakfast, sitting to the side of the [image of the] patriarch. After breakfast, he once again burns incense and offers tea, while the director of practitioners’ affairs leads the chanting of the Mahākāruṇikacitta-dhāraṇīs, concluding with the following invocation of merit transference:

The merit accrued by the foregoing chanting shall be respectfully ded-

icated for the sake of the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, perfectly enlight-

ened Great Master and Great Priest. May this help us discharge our

indebtedness to the compassionate refuge he bestowed on us. Venera-

tion to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

Between breakfast and the noon meal, the practice hall bell is rung to assemble the practitioners at the Dharma hall, where they line up facing the altar. The abbot offers incense, performs three prostrations with opened sitting cloth, and proceeds toward the incense burner, leaving his sitting cloth open, to offer sweet hot water and food. He is aided by the guest reception assistant, who hands the offerings [one by one] from the abbot to the incense offering assistant, who respectfully sets them on the table beside the patriarch’s tablet. When this is completed, the abbot returns to his position and performs three prostrations as before, then once again immediately goes forward to burn incense and offer a monetary gift. Upon returning [to his position, the abbot]

peforms another three prostrations, then stands, folding his sitting cloth. Thereupon, drumbeats signal the special serving of tea. (This procedure is identical to that of the special serving of sweet hot water.)

After the special serving of tea, the abbot offers incense with prayer and utters a word of tribute. When his address is over, the attendants play cymbals to create musical sounds; simultaneously, the director of practitioners’ affairs steps forward from the east- order column and, bowing with palms together, invites the abbot to offer incense. The latter’s assistant, carrying a portable incense case, hands him incense before the burner. Next, the director invites the ranking practitioners of the east and west halls, followed by the dual order officials, to proceed in pairs to offer incense at the incense burner. When this is over, the entire assembly performs in unison three prostrations with opened sitting cloth, and facing the altar the director says:

The pure Dharma body has in essence neither phenomenal appearance

nor disappearance. Only because of great compassion and the power

of its vow, it manifests, as it were, phenomenal appearance as well as

nonappearance.

The director continues to read the word of tribute as the abbot kneels to burn incense at a portable incense burner. Next, the director calls for the chanting of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs and concludes with the following invocation of merit transference:

The merit accrued by the foregoing chanting shall be respectfully ded-

icated for the sake of the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, perfectly enlight-

ened Great Master and Great Priest. May this help us discharge our

indebtedness to the compassionate refuge he bestowed upon us. Vener-

ation to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

Next follows sutra chanting by the novice attendants.

2. The Word of Tribute

How great was the authentic transmission of the Dharma to China by

the distinguished descendant of the enlightened spiritual ruler. His

insight, “vast, limitless openness and nothing especially holy,” indeed

broke the vital point of the pedantic scholasticism then prevalent. When

hundreds of rivers reach the vast ocean they all lose their singularity.

When the bright sun shines in mid-sky there is no shadow to follow

anything on the ground. Pointing to the mind of humans, he enabled us

to see that “to become a Buddha” means to become mind itself. Expe-

riencing the wondrous path, one forgets words; while, having lost words,

one [directly] sees the path. As this is a greatly beneficial teaching in

the world, it should widely flourish in terms of its tradition. Making a

rare appearance in this turbid world by becoming the First Patriarch,

he found a Mahayana receptacle [in Huike, the Second Patriarch] in

the country of China and totally immersed him in the grain.

Today, we honor the day when he left the single sandal behind

(i.e., the memorial day) and we have prepared in our best manner an

exquisite vegetarian dish. The robe of faith symbolizes the weighti-

ness of the Buddhas and patriarchs and the strength capable of bear-

ing a thousand weights. May a single flower once again bloom in the

spring of heaven and earth, so that its fragrance may be transmitted

through tens of thousands of generations.

3. A Brief Biography of Bodhidharma

The patriarch was born the third son of the king of Xiangshi in South India.