勅修百丈清規 8

The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations 8

Language: English

8.1

Fascicle Eight

The Monastic Sound Instruments

1. Preface to the Chapter

In ancient times, conversion [to Buddhism] was spontaneous and there was no need of [external] teaching. Only when conversion became less than perfect did the discipline of interpersonal propriety and of musical harmony become necessary. Even a peasant’s spontaneous singing accompanied by rhythmic striking of the ground is better than the most skilled performance of musical instruments, and better also is the taste of a wine fermented in a simple cask than those of wine products fermented in five different stages. Hence, a word born of spontaneous inner conversion is most valuable, because it has derived from that essential conversion.

The founding father of our religion in India initially revealed such spontaneous conversion in which, insofar as it is concerned with the wondrous enlightenment originally within each person, there is no difference whether one is saintly or worldly. Since actual things that are equally real rather have purity and defilement, the insight of nondifference does not depend on [the depth or shallowness of an individual’s] practice and realization, nor does it refer to [the superiority or inferiority of his] effcacy and usage. And yet those who have no insight are dazed and stupefied like someone who is deaf and dumb. Because of this, the Buddha set forth his teaching in compliance with the different capacities of individual disciples and introduced various sound signals to assemble them. His teaching became the literature of the three baskets (i.e., the Tripiṭaka: Sutra-piṭaka, Vinaya-piṭaka, and Abhidharma-piṭaka),

and his [principal] practice was meditation and concentration (dhyāna and samādhi). His career promoting the method of conversion continued for forty-nine years before [his parinirvāṇa).

The Sanskrit term ghaṇṭā ( jianzhu) means a bell, [an object,] whether made of clay, wood, copper, or iron, that when struck creates a sound—a metallic bell, a stone bell, a cymbal, a drum, a wooden post and mallet, a wooden sounding block, or a conch shell. Following the practice of the sound instruments used in Indian monastic temples, the Zen institution has continued to use various sound instruments after their fashion even today for the purpose of warning against confusion and idleness, encouraging compliance with the teachings and regulations, giving guidance for those who abide in dark subhuman states, and pleasing gods and humans.

If great concentration (dading) is always maintained and if transcendent function (dayong) always remains quiescent, while hearing one does not hear, and while being aware one has no awareness. Thinking thus, one strikes a sound object and the mysterious wind [of religion] should suddenly arise (i.e., spontaneous transformation). There is neither thinking (wusi), nor is there any orientation toward achieving a goal (wuwei), the Buddha’s spontaneous conversion in itself shines forth forever, and the world of his benevolent longevity opens limitlessly. Is this not the veritable capital city of purity and peace?

2. The Large Bell

The large bell (dazhong) has its origin in assisting commands in monastic temples. When tolled in the early morning, it breaks the long night and warns those who linger in sleep. When tolled in the evening, it creates awareness of dark ignorance and reveals the state of delusion. It is better to draw its wooden striker leisurely rather than hurriedly, because the longer the sound lasts the more desirable it is. When [the large bell is] tolled, there should be three cycles, each consisting of thirty-six tolls, altogether making one hundred and eight. In addition, there should be three rather rapid tolls to signal the beginning and ending.

When a novice attendant tolls the bell, he should mentally intone the following verse:

May the sound of this bell reach beyond the Dharma world, so that

it may be heard by all those who suffer, imprisoned in gloomy

darkness.

May their hearing and the sound be purified and may they realize

total comprehension.

May all sentient beings thus realize perfect enlightenment.

After chanting this, he should call the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva (Avalokiteśvara). If he calls the name before each time he tolls the bell, the benefit will be very great.

The large bell should be tolled eighteen times on other occasions: 1) on the day of the imperial birthday festivity, sutra chanting, and assembly at the Buddha hall and recess from it; 2) on the three days of each month ending in eight (the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty-eighth) to conduct the prayer chanting (sanbaniansong); 3) on the commemorative days of the Buddha’s birth-

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day, enlightenment, and nirvana; 4) on the inauguration and fulfillment days of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs prayer session and chanting; 5) during the proceeding of the morning rice gruel and noon meal at the practice hall and also during evening zazen practice before opening the bedding; and 6) on the day the temple will receive government officials, [a new] abbot, or renowned guest officials, and also when these people depart the temple and are seen off. In the last case, however, the tolling of the bell is not confined to the specific number cited above; the administrative official is in charge of this matter.

3. The Practice Hall Bell

Whenever the practitioners are to assemble [at the practice hall], the practice hall bell (sengtangzhong) is tolled. This bell is tolled seven times to signal the abbot’s entrance into the practice hall to meet with practitioners. The following occasions are signaled by tolling the bell three times: the abbot’s departure from the hall after the breakfast and the noon meal; to announce the cancelation of the evening session; when the abbot makes a round through the hall on the first day of the month and the mid-month day; and when the abbot leaves the hall after drinking tea. (If the abbot does not leave the hall, or if he is away from the temple at the time, there is no tolling of the practice hall bell.)

During the time of prayer chanting in the outer practice hall, a gentle tolling of the bell is required for each instance of calling the sacred names of the Buddhas; at the last calling of the name, another toll is added to signal the end. The practice hall official is in charge of this.

4. The Buddha Hall Bell

The Buddha hall bell (dianzhong) is tolled when the abbot comes to offer incense at the morning and evening service. The bell is tolled seven times to call the practitioners to assemble at the Buddha hall, but the tolling of this bell must be coordinated with the tolling of the practice hall bell without fail. The hall master is in charge of this matter.

According to the Records on All Things Concerned (Gantongchuan, by Vinaya Master Daoxuan), it is said that the Buddha Krakucchanda made a bell out of a granite rock at the Temple of Sutras in India. At sunrise, many Buddhas manifested themselves along with it and esoterically exhorted and revealed the twelve categories of sutras. Thus, it was impossible to count the number of those who had realized arhatship after listening to the teachings of those Buddhas [that were revealed through the sound of the bell]. The Ekottara Āgama (i.e., Aṅguttara Nikāya) has the following passage: “Whenever a bell is tolled, all evil paths and all suffering ceased to be.” Again, in the Chronicle of Jinling (Jinlingzhi) [written in the Yuan period (in the southern capital city of Jinling), it is said that there was a man who died a sudden, violent death and went down to the place of the underworld ruler. There he saw a man totally imprisoned and fettered by a wooden [torture] rack. This man told him that he was formerly the ruler of the Southern Tang but because Song Jiqiu mistakenly killed those of Hezhou who had surrendered, this suffering had been imposed upon him. When he listened to the sound of bells, his suffering ceased temporarily. Therefore, he requested the man to convey to the present ruler who had succeeded him his desire that a large bell be put up on behalf of his well-being. The man, thus instructed, returned to this world and reported the matter to the ruler. Thus the grand bell was built and dedicated to Qingliangsi. Engraved on this bell was the phrase: “This is presented to the eminent ancestor ruler, Emperor Xiaogao, so as to help him be liberated from darkness and suffering.”

5. The Large Metal Gong

The large metal gong (daban) is struck for three long rounds on two occasions during the day, as part of the breakfast and noon meal proceedings. After the fish-shaped wooden gong (muyu) is sounded, the metal gong is struck three times to signal the beginning of the meal and then struck continuously in diminishing intervals. This is called “the long metal gong” (changban). On occasions of prayer chanting and the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇī prayer session, the metal gong should be sounded three times for each occasion, to warn against fire and candle flames. When used to announce night watches, it is to be struck according to their respective numbers.

6. The Small [Wooden] Blocks

The abbot’s office, the administrative office, the quarters of the primary seat official, and the other quarters each keep their own small wooden sounding blocks (xiaoban), and at the time of the release from silence in the early morning, all these blocks are struck simultaneously for one long round. When used to signal an event to a small group of people, each block is struck three times. The practitioners’ quarters have small wooden sounding blocks in both the inner and outer areas. The wooden sounding block located outside should be struck three times at the time of the practitioners’ greeting each day, and at the time of regular zazen practice as well as zazen practice prior to the evening session. It is also sounded before the practitioners’ return to their quarters. On the occasions of servings of tea and sweet hot water, the small wooden sounding blocks are also struck for a long round [at diminishing intervals]. The block located inside the quarters is struck three times on the occasion of the establishment of residency, two times when cups are delivered to the hall for tea or sweet hot water, once when the cups are retrieved, and three times when the practitioners leave the practice hall. In case of the minor propriety of serving sweet hot water, it is sounded for one longer round.

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7. The Fish-shaped Wooden Gong

On the occasions of breakfast and the noon meal, the fish-shaped wooden gong (muyu) is struck for two long rounds with diminishing intervals. For

all-out mobilization of the practitioners to perform a task requiring physical labor, it is struck for a single long round; for a similar mobilization of the novice attendants, it is struck for two long rounds.

Tradition holds that the fish is always awake, day and night, and therefore carving a fish form out of wood and striking it every day is intended to warn against human ignorance and indolence.

8. The Mallet [and Octagonal Wooden Post]

During the two occasions of breakfast and the noon meal at the practice hall, prior to opening the almsbowl sets, the mallet is used to make a [sharp] sound by striking it against [the octagonal wooden post], which signals the prayer of intoning the names of the Buddhas. It is also used to signal the intoning of the almsgiving verse and the completion of the first serving, as well as to signal the occasion of almsgiving [by lay donors], and for any public announcement. The director of practitioners’ affairs is responsible for executing these signals. The assistant of the the guardian bodhisattva signals the practitioners to leave the practice hall by making a single sound [with the mallet and post]. This [instrument] is also used by the head administrative official to announce his resignation from office as well as to announce a new official’s appointment. [Finally,] it is used by the representative official of the neighboring temples before announcing the new abbot’s inauguration preaching. This is called “the mallet signal for public announcement.”

Śākyamuni Buddha one day ascended the rostrum seat before an assembly of all his disciples. Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī signaled an announcement with a mallet, saying: “We have clearly understood the Dharma of the Dharma King. That Dharma of the Dharma King is indeed like this.” Śākyamuni Buddha then descended the rostrum seat. [This shows another use of this instrument.]

9. The [Stand-set] Bell and Small Hand Bell

The stand-set bell (qing) is used during the morning and evening incense offering at the Buddha hall by the abbot or the head administrative official, as well as during the practitioners’ religious service of chanting the sacred scriptures or intoning esoteric prayers. [Sounding this instrument] is the responsibility of those who are in charge of the Buddha’s shrine hall. It is

also used by the director of practitioners’ affairs during the auction of the possessions of a deceased practitioner, and by the master of ceremonial chanting when the novice attendants undergo the rite of head-shaving. The small hand bell (xiaoshouqing) is always carried by the practice hall office attendant and is used to punctuate the beginning and ending of chanting or intoning by the practitioners.

10. The Cymbals

The cymbals (maobo) are played by the novice attendant when the director of practitioners’ affairs requests the abbot and the dual order officials to conduct the ceremonial rite of successive offering of incense by the abbot and both dual order officials; and at the first day and mid-month day prayer celebrations held at the Tripiṭaka hall as well as during the ceremonial rite of circumambulation of the hall. They are also played at the welcome reception for guests, at the time of sending the dead to the funeral site, at the time of the novice attendants’ head-shaving, at the time of the ceremonial circumambulation, and at the reception for the new abbot on the day of his inauguration at the temple.

11. The Drum

In general, the drum (gu) is played to signal the abbot’s ascent to the Dharma hall, his supplementary session, his general exhortation, and his individual instruction for a visitor to his office. For the ascent to the Dharma hall, the drum should be sounded for three consecutive rounds.

(First, three light beats are made to signal the beginning; next, with a stick in each hand, beat the drum so as to gradually shorten the intervals between strikes, reciprocating heavy and light beats, so that the sound is harmoniously lengthened, arising and receding repeatedly, tremulous and reverberant like the resounding of spring thunder. The first round consists of striking with a long interval and lengthened reverberation; the second round is begun with a short and halting stroke, a little faster but with a level continuity in its sounding; the third round is a somewhat muffled sounding throughout and ends at the moment the abbot ascends the rostrum seat. The end signal is three beats made with both sticks simultaneously.)

One round of drumbeats signals the supplementary session, a series of

five beats signals the general exhortation, and three beats signals the prac-

tioners’ visit for individual instruction; these drumrolls are done with some-

what longer intervals between strikes.

The tea reception is signaled by a long round of drumming; the assis-

tant official is in charge of this. The noon meal is signaled by three rounds

of drumbeats identical to the manner of announcing the abbot’s ascent to the

Dharma hall, but this can be shortened and abruptly ended [by a single round].

A long roll of drumbeats [with increasingly shorter intervals] signals the

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mobilization of all members for a task of labor. The drum signal for night

watches is three equal beats in the early evening, the number increasing

according to the number of the hour. Timekeeping is the responsibility of

the administrative official. The drum signal for bathing is communicated by

four different rounds, reflecting the different groups of bathers, and each

round gradually culminates in accordance with the number of practitioners

who have already bathed. The bath hall official is in charge of this matter.

(For details, see chapter VI, part II, section 6.) The foregoing methods of

drumming must be maintained consistently regarding the forms and occa-

sions. One should never let these [viable] methods of communication lapse.

At the time when a new abbot inaugurates his appointment at the temple, all

the instruments should be played together.

It is said in the Sutra of Golden Splendor that Bodhisattva Ruciraketu

(Xinxiangpusa) dreamed of a golden drum during the night. Its form was ele-

gant and great, and it emitted brightness in all directions like the sun. Within

this illumination, he saw all the Buddhas of the ten directions, on seats of

lapis lazuli under a tree bearing numerous jewels, surrounded by hundreds of

thousands of disciples listening to their preaching. A man who looked like a

brahman struck the drum with a piece of aspen wood and uttered in a loud

voice some verses that conveyed the meaning of repentance. When Bodhi-

sattva Ruciraketu awakened from the dream, he went to the Tathāgata and

told of the golden drum and the verses of repentance of which he had dreamed.

Also, in the Śūraṃgama-sūtra, the Buddha is said to have asked Ānanda,

“Ānanda, moreover, do you hear in this Jetavana Monastery the sound of the

drum that conveys the time of meals, and the sound of the bells that call the

monks to assemble? As the drums and bells resound from one preceding

moment to another subsequent moment in continuity, what do you understand [with these sounds]? Do the sounds come to your ears, or do your ears go to the origin of the sounds?”

End of Chapter IX: The Monastic Sound Instruments

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English (machine translation) — English, machine translation

Linked texts (1)

勅修百丈清規 — Classical Chinese