勅修百丈清規 5.73

5.73

the practice hall official sends his novice attendant to invite the new arrivals for a tea reception. Each invited person carries with him his ordination certificate, and the ceremonial leader carries a small incense case to perform his ceremonial role for establishing residency. Led by the ceremonial leader, all the invited new arrivals meet the official, perform a prostration with unopened sitting cloth, and greet him with an enquiry about the weather and his well-being. They are then invited to take their seats and finish drinking tea. Rising from his seat along with the rest, the ceremonial leader speaks to the director of practitioners’ affairs, saying:

I, So-and-so, and the others have received approval from the abbot.

All of us have brought our certificates and we earnestly request the

venerable to examine and record them.

The director of practitioners’ affairs replies:

It is fortunate and a pleasure for us to secure the path of quiescence

and solitude together with the venerables as residents.

The ceremonial leader collects all the certificates from the members and gives them to the director. After performing a prostration with unopened sitting cloth, [the director of practitioners’ affairs] copies the necessary information [from each certificate] into the “Record of Practice Hall Residency.” When this is completed he returns the members’ certificates to them but keeps the ceremonial leader’s certificate.

The attendant of the practice hall office announces:

May the venerables request your leader to head the ceremony to return

to the practice hall.

Thereupon, the ceremonial leader leads the group of practitioners into the practice hall from the right side of the front entrance, where they line up

in front of the altar of the guardian bodhisattva. [The ceremonial leader] burns incense and, in unison with the group, performs three prostrations with fully opened sitting cloth. He makes a round through the hall from the higher section through the lower section of the hall, returns to the front of the altar, and bows [together with the others]. They then move back, making the member at the end of the line lead as far as the board edge of the altar. The director of practitioners’ affairs enters the hall and, after burning incense, proceeds to take a position in the higher section of the hall. An attendant carries the [ceremonial leader’s] certificate on a crepe-wrapped board, and the director instructs the attendant to return the certificate [to the ceremonial leader]. Having received it, the ceremonial leader performs together with his group members a prostration with unopened sitting cloth toward the director of practitioners’ affairs and sees him off as he leaves the hall. (If it is before the noon meal, the director leaves from the rear entrance; if after the noon meal, he departs from the front entrance.)

The ceremonial leader does not go beyond the threshold of the hall. The director of practitioners’ affairs distributes the document of residency confirmation to the various quarters of the temple (format given below). The same attendant ushers the new residents to the practitioners’ quarters and strikes the wooden sounding block located within the quarters three times. The master of the quarters receives them as they enter the quarters and exchanges a prostration with unopened sitting cloth and an enquiry about the weather and their well-being. When this is over, the ceremonial leader takes his seat at the side of the master of the quarters and offers an empty bowl to him. Thereupon, the ceremonial leader stands, burns incense, and with a bow, expresses his thanks [on behalf of the new residents], saying:

I, So-and-so, and the others have been directed by the director of prac-

titioners’ affairs to request you to assign our space units in this quar-

ters, of which you are in charge. May you in your compassion help us

in this matter.

The master of the quarters replies:

Welcome to the venerables who have arrived here. It is a pleasure,

moreover, to secure the path of quiescence and solitude together with

the venerables.

Immediately the new residents perform a prostration with unopened sitting cloth and move toward the east [side of the quarters] while the master of the quarters moves toward the west [side]. Once again they exchange a prostration with unopened sitting cloth. The master of the quarters leads the new residents to line up before the altar of Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva) to bow. He then makes a round through the aisles of the quarters, returns to before the altar, and, after a bow, withdraws. The attendant of the practice hall office escorts the new members to meet the head official of the practitioners’ quarters. They exchange a prostration with unopened sitting cloth with the head official, and the ceremonial leader then says:

On this day, we respectfully wish that the venerable Zen master of the

quarters enjoys every blessing in daily life. By the abbot’s compassion,

I, So-and-so, and the others have been directed to be close to the various

offices and we earnestly request your assistance. We are most grateful.

Next, they visit the quarters of various training officials [of the west order] and the administrative offices [of the east order] and, at each quarters, they exchange a prostration with unopened sitting cloth and an enquiry into the weather and the others’ wellbeing. The officials are obliged to see them off. Nowadays, in many cases this kind of meeting does not occur and only a message is sent, or it is said that the propriety of prostration should only be conducted at the quarters of the primary seat official. However, all this is wrong; the dual order officials should pay a return visit to the new residents when they express thanks to them by performing a prostration in return.

Format for Reporting a New Residency

Residency has been established for the following:

1. Senior Monk So-and-so, Surname and Province, and

Ordination

2. Senior Monk So-and-so, Surname and Province, and

Ordination

3. And so on.

Reported by So-and-so,

Practice Hall Official

(The report sent to the assistant’s office is in actuality the same report

received by the abbot’s office; the abbot’s name is omitted to show reverence.

The report sent to the offices of the front hall primary seat official, the office

of the abbot’s assistants, and the practitioners’ quarters should provide infor-

mation concerning the year of ordination and the native province [of each

new member], but this is not the case with the report that is sent to the other

offices.)

2. Simplified Procedure for

Establishing Residency

As soon as the abbot has granted residency, the assistant official sends the

document of approval to the practice hall office. The director of practition-

ers’ affairs invites the new arrivals to a tea reception, records their ordina-

tion certificates in the “Record of Practice Hall Residency,” and directs them

to the practitioners’ quarters. The director of practitioners’ affairs first stands