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practitioners who acquired their current residency for the sake of the

return propriety after the morning rice gruel.

Message upon instruction

So-and-so, Attendant of the

Guest Reception Master

The Venerable Primary Seat Official and the Administrative Official

will visit the leader of those practitioners who acquired their current res-

idency for the sake of the return propriety after the morning rice gruel.

Message delivered

So-and-so, Attendant of the

Practice Hall Office

8. The Abbot’s Special Tea Reception

for New Residents

(See also the similar reception given by the dual order officials, chapter VI, part VII, section 1.)

The guest reception assistant prepares the invitation for the tea reception by copying the list of the ordination dates, ranking, and names of the new residents (format given below). On the appointed day, as early as the time of morning bathing, a table, brushes, and an inkslab should be set up in the sky-lit hall (zhaotang), [the room adjacent to the practice hall]. The new residents are requested to line up and inscribe under their respective names, “So-and-so has respectfully received the invitation.”

As to those renowned senior practitioners who once held positions in other temples, the day before the guest reception master must deliver to them letters of invitation prepared according to their ordination dates and request them to place their signatures on the sheets with their names.

The assistant official instructs the guest reception master to draw up copies of the name tablets marked “special serving” for each guest, according to their ordination seniority, either in terms of the quadruple seating arrangement (sichu) or that of the sextuple seating arrangement (liuchu). The primary seat official is invited as an honorable participant, while a renowned practitioner from a major monastic temple must necessarily be requested to take a seat directly facing the abbot. If there is any disagreement, the eldest in ordination age among the renowned practitioners from a major temple must be recommended to take that seat. The ceremonial leader should be seated directly facing the main participant. In general, even though some members have already been escorted to their individual quarters and performed the return propriety of thanks to the abbot for their residency, they are, without exception, also obliged to attend this reception.

On the appointed day, after the noon meal, the new residents are called to assemble by the signal of drumming. The assistant official, escorting them

in, enters the reception hall with a bow, and the abbot receives them with a bow. Next the abbot exchanges a bow with the main guest, while the other guests, finding their positions according to the name tablets indicating their respective seats, stand before their assigned seats. The incense offering and guest reception assistants conduct the proceedings of the reception for the left- and right-side sections of the seated guests, respectively, greeting the guests one by one and bidding them to take their seats. Incense is burned to signal the invitation for the guests to offer incense, to signal the drinking of tea, and to signal the presence of the main guest. Then both assistant officials perform drumming and withdraw from the hall. This is identical with the propriety of the small reception to serve sweet hot water held on the four annual celebration days. The main guest of the reception leads his colleagues in expressing thanks for the reception [by performing the formal propriety of two prostrations with opened sitting cloth and three prostrations with unopened sitting cloth]. On the first opening [of the sitting cloth], he says:

We, So-and-so, and the others, are obliged to express our thanks for

today’s reception especially served for us. We are most grateful, sir.

On the second opening [of the sitting cloth], he says:

On this day at this respectful moment, may the venerable master of

the temple enjoy every blessing in daily life.

Returning to the line of his colleagues, he performs three prostrations with unopened sitting cloth in unison with the others and withdraws.

The next day, the administrative official instructs the attendant of the guest reception master to prepare the letters of invitation for tea, according to the ordination dates and names but without titles or ranks, and waits for the invitees in front of the practitioners’ quarters to obtain their signatures indicating acceptance of the invitation, “So-and-so has respectfully accepted the invitation.”

The invitees assemble at the administrative reception hall, where the primary seat official is the main participant. The wooden sounding block located in the hall is struck to signal commencement of the reception. The proceedings are conducted by the head administrative official and the director of practitioners’ affairs.

Again, on the following day, the primary seat official and the other train-

ing faculty officials obtain the signatures of the invitees in the same manner

as before. The new residents assemble at the skylit hall where the head admin-

istrative official is the main participant. The wooden sounding block located

in the skylit hall is struck to signal commencement of the reception. All mem-

bers of the training faculty conduct the proceedings. In the case of four or

six training officials, divided into two groups, they conduct the proceedings

in making rounds to bow; in the case of three or five training officials, the

primary seat official burns incense and takes a position in the center, stand-

ing. In the Ancient Regulations, this propriety continued for three days, but

today it is completed within a day in most Zen temples. The seating tablets

and the drum may be borrowed from the abbot’s office. The training faculty

and administrative head, keeping a seat vacant for the abbot, mutually serve

as the main participants. The seating position and the proceedings are the

same as before. (The only difference is that when the invitees express their

thanks, they are, without fail, obliged to move away from their seats, turn

toward the host and bow, and then offer the word of thanks. Nowadays, it is

customary to [speak the word of thanks] while remaining seated, but this is

not a proper observance of the propriety.)

Format for the Letter of Invitation for the

Tea Reception

Invitation by the abbot:

The new residents, So-and-so senior practitioner, and the other senior

practitioners whose names are listed below.

[Names listed here]

The abbot, master of the temple, invites the above venerables to a tea

reception to be held today after the noon meal at the reception hall. It