[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [勅修百丈清規](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025) › [The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk) › 8.16 # 勅修百丈清規 8.16 The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations 8.16 - **Language:** English ### [8.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.8.16) 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 - [Previous: 8.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.8.9) - [Next: 8.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.8.37) - [Up: 8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.8) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-mt.8.16) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [勅修百丈清規](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025.8.16) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.8.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2025~en-bdk.8.16) · Pramāṇa