勅修百丈清規 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Recompiled by imperial order by the subject monk Dehui, abbot of Dazhi Shousheng Chan Monastery

2.2

Collated by imperial order by the subject monk Dasu, abbot of Dalongxiang Jiqing Monastery

Nature is the great origin of human beings. Stirring heaven and earth, none know its beginning; exhausting myriad generations, none know its end. Both the Buddha and sentient beings equally possess this nature. Awakened to it, one ascends to wondrous enlightenment; deluded about it, one wanders in birth and death. From kalpa to kalpa in the different destinies of the six paths, karmic retribution turns and revolves without end. What we rely upon is the vastness of the sacred teachings, which can serve as a refuge. We disciples humbly take up the form and robes and join the Dharma lineage: following its practices is the vinaya, proclaiming its words is the teachings, and transmitting its mind is Chan. By following what we call the great origin, to harmonize with the Buddha's total substance and wondrous functioning, only then can we be called children of the Buddha and continue the wisdom life. How could memorializing on the anniversary of his demise be mere worldly etiquette?

2.5

The Buddha's Descent and Birth

2.6

In advance, the hall office collects funds from the assembly and delivers them to the storehouse office to prepare the offerings, requesting the drafting and joint signing of the memorial (the etiquette is the same as for an imperial festival). When the day arrives, the storehouse office solemnly arrays a floral pavilion, placing within it the statue of the Buddha's descent and birth inside a basin of scented water, with two small ladles set before the Buddha. After the offerings are arranged in rows, the abbot ascends the hall, offers incense, and says: "On this auspicious day of the Buddha's birthday, I, Bhikṣu [name], the abbot of [name] Monastery and a distant grandson of the bequeathed teachings, reverently burn precious incense in offering to our original teacher, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Upādhyāya, to repay from above his compassionate shelter, hoping that all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu will, thought after thought, see all Buddhas appear in the world." Next, he sits cross-legged and says: "On the eighth day of the fourth month, reverently meeting the auspicious occasion of the descent and birth of our original teacher, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Upādhyāya, leading the assembly of bhikṣus, I solemnly prepare incense, flowers, lamps, candles, tea, fruit, and rare delicacies to extend these offerings. I, Bhikṣu [name], the abbot and a distant grandson of the bequeathed teachings, ascend to this seat to expound the sectarian tradition. May the extraordinary merit gathered repay above his compassionate shelter, and below, extend together with all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu this rare celebration." When he finishes preaching the Dharma, he announces: "Stepping down from the seat, let each assume full dignified deportment and proceed to the Great Buddha Hall to bathe the Buddha and chant sūtras. Respectfully announced." He steps down from the seat, leads the assembly to the hall, and they stand lined up facing the Buddha. The abbot offers incense and makes three bows without stowing his niṣīdana. Stepping forward, the soup and food are presented: the guest-inviting attendant passes them up, and the incense-burning attendant holds them and places them on the table. Returning to his position, [the abbot] makes three bows, offers incense again, distributes the cash donation, and makes the tea offering. After another three bows, he stows his niṣīdana. The karmadāna bows to the ranks and offers incense, and the great assembly spreads their mats and bows. The abbot kneels before the incense burner, and the karmadāna addresses the Buddha, saying: "One moon in the sky reflects its form in myriad waters; one Buddha appears in the world, each seated on a flower. The white ūrṇā stretches forth, and the three realms are illumined; the sweet dew is sprinkled, and the four modes of birth are moistened." When the proclamation of the memorial is finished, he leads the chanting of the verse for bathing the Buddha: "I now bathe all Tathāgatas, / An accumulation of merit adorned with pure wisdom. / May sentient beings of the five turbidities be freed from defilement, / And together realize the Tathāgata's pure dharma-body." As circumambulating and bathing the Buddha is about to conclude, they raise the Śūraṅgama Mantra and perform the dedication of merit: "The merit of chanting sūtras above is dedicated to the True Suchness and the Ultimate Reality, adorning the unsurpassed fruit of Buddhahood and bodhi. May the four kindnesses be equally repaid, and the three realms of existence together be aided. May sentient beings of the dharmadhātu together achieve all-inclusive wisdom. All Buddhas of the ten directions and three periods of time..." and so forth.

2.7

Words of the memorial: "The great sea is serene, yet solitary we hear the surge of the tide-sound shaking all; the great void is vast and open, yet we gaze only upon the starry weave arrayed across it. Because the fundamental is great, the traces are manifest; when the time arrived, responsiveness met the capacity. To cause all sentient spirits to achieve right awakening, you manifested descent and birth from amid the five turbidities; shedding precious robes and donning soiled clothing, you bent your body to follow their course, abandoning the phantom city to ascend to the treasure place, clasping hands to return together. As your natal day comes round once more, your great kindness cannot be repaid. We humbly pray: Fan the true wind in the degenerate age; raise high the wisdom-sun in the midday sky. With neither Buddha nor Māra, dharma upon dharma proclaims the jade verses; neither defiled nor pure, dust-speck upon dust-speck bathes the golden body."

2.8

The Buddha's Attainment of the Way and Nirvāṇa

2.9

In advance, the hall office collects funds from the assembly and delivers them to the storehouse office to prepare the offerings, requesting the drafting and joint signing of the memorial (the etiquette is the same as for the descent and birth). The abbot ascends the hall, offers incense, and says: "On this day of the Buddha's attainment of the Way, I, Bhikṣu [name], the abbot of [name] Monastery and a distant grandson of the bequeathed teachings, on behalf of all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu, reverently burn precious incense in offering to our original teacher, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Upādhyāya, to repay from above his compassionate shelter, and next, hoping that all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu together achieve right awakening." Next, he sits cross-legged and says: "On the eighth day of the twelfth month, reverently meeting the occasion of the attainment of the Way of our original teacher, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Upādhyāya, leading the assembly of bhikṣus, I solemnly prepare incense, flowers, lamps, candles, tea, fruit, and rare delicacies to extend these offerings. I, Bhikṣu [name], the abbot and a distant grandson of the bequeathed teachings, ascend to this seat to expound the sectarian tradition. May the extraordinary merit gathered repay above his compassionate shelter, and we universally pray that all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu will discover their own wisdom and enter fine dust-mote lands to turn the great wheel of the Dharma." When he finishes preaching the Dharma, he announces: "Stepping down from the seat, let each assume full dignified deportment and proceed to the Great Buddha Hall to chant sūtras. Respectfully announced." He steps down from the seat, leads the assembly in the hall to spread their mats and bow, and kneels before the incense burner. The karmadāna addresses the Buddha, saying: "Before the Mountain of Right Awakening, he gazed upon the morning star and was enlightened to the Way; within the great trichiliocosm, he raised high the wisdom-sun to spread its radiance." When the proclamation of the memorial is finished, they chant sūtras and dedicate the merit. On the day of Nirvāṇa, the abbot first offers incense in the Buddha Hall to pray for the Emperor and chants sūtras; then, following in order, he ascends the hall, offers incense, and says: "On this day of the Buddha's Nirvāṇa, I, Bhikṣu [name], the abbot of [name] Monastery and a distant grandson of the bequeathed teachings, reverently burn precious incense in offering to our original teacher, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Upādhyāya, to repay above his compassionate shelter, and below, extend together with all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu our yearning devotion, hoping that the dharma-body will abide forever, the wheel of the Dharma will turn again, and all sentient beings will awaken to the tolerance of non-arising." Next, he sits cross-legged and says: "On the fifteenth day of the second month, reverently meeting the occasion of the parinirvāṇa of our original teacher, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Upādhyāya, leading the assembly of bhikṣus, I solemnly prepare incense, flowers, lamps, candles, tea, fruit, and rare delicacies to extend these offerings. I, Bhikṣu [name], the abbot and a distant grandson of the bequeathed teachings, ascend to this seat to extol the wondrous mind of Nirvāṇa. May the extraordinary merit gathered repay above his compassionate shelter, and we universally pray that all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu together achieve all-inclusive wisdom." When he finishes preaching the Dharma, he announces: "Stepping down from the seat, let each assume full dignified deportment and proceed to the Great Buddha Hall to chant sūtras. Respectfully announced." He steps down from the seat, leads the assembly in the hall to spread their mats and bow, and kneels before the incense burner. The karmadāna addresses the Buddha, saying: "The body of the pure dharmadhātu fundamentally neither appears nor disappears; by the power of his great compassionate vows, he manifested going and coming." The proclamation of the memorial is finished, and the chanting of sūtras and dedication of merit are both the same as before.

2.10

Words of the memorial for the Attainment of the Way: "Achieving Buddhahood throughout immeasurable kalpas, how could he depend on gradual cultivation? Sentient beings use it daily without knowing, so he manifested prior awakening to awaken oneself and awaken others, thus achieving the Way of awakening; in the mundane and supramundane worlds, he is called the World-Honoured One. He expounded the teaching models of a whole generation, following the bequeathed pathways of previous Buddhas. Sitting under the bodhi tree, the demon palace was overshadowed and lost its light; appearing as an udumbara flower, the wheel of the Dharma turned blazing and constant. Therefore, he began with the simile of the early sun shining first, and concluded with the demonstration of holding up the flower in direct transmission. In perfect lucidity and true constancy, both emptiness and existence perish, and the noble and the ordinary are dreams and phantoms. Molding the myriad transformations, past and present are a single instant, heaven and earth a fine hair-tip. Considering what little we descendants know, we recite his bequeathed words with trepidation. We humbly pray: Form and emptiness, brightness and darkness, all proclaim the subtle and wondrous Dharma-sound; squirming and crawling sentient beings together realize the wisdom and virtuous marks."
For Nirvāṇa: "Each responding to various capacities: the Lotus Sūtra's entrustment and bestowal of prophecies; vigorously checking later students: the Bequeathed Teachings Sūtra's support of the vinaya and discussion of constancy. Moreover, in holding up the flower he attained the principle and directly transmitted the Dharma; when fallen leaves return to the root, my task is complete. Confined within nature's transformations, all ends in extinction; conforming to the world's impermanence, he lodged within all illusions and returned to all truth—this is called cessation. Yet the spiritual pearl constantly illumines amid the turbid defilement, and the precious moon does not shun the foul stream. Great samādhi has no fixed locus, constantly abiding through kalpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges; perfect responsiveness universally answers, manifesting hundreds of billions of bodies. Considering that mundane appearances are hard to forget, as the memorial day arrives our yearning deepens. We humbly pray: Demolish the heterodox views of the latter-day streams; reverse the thin decadence of this declining age. Cultivating both concentration and wisdom, may it forever be like the True Dharma abiding in the world; with celestial demons led to transformation, let them all serve as outer protectors of the ancestral net."

2.11

The Buddha was born in Central India, of the kṣatriya clan and the Gautama family. 'Gautama' in Sanskrit means 'sugarcane' in Chinese. His original ancestor, the Royal Ṛṣi, was shot to death by a hunter; his blood entered the earth and produced two stalks of sugarcane. Baked by the sun, they opened: one gave birth to a male named the Sugarcane King, and one gave birth to a female. Consort Shanxian bore a son who became a wheel-turning king. Because of being baked by the sun, they were also named the Solar Dynasty (Sūryavaṃśa). It was handed down for seven hundred generations until King Śuddhodana. Having perfected his merits and practices over countless kalpas, the Buddha descended in spirit from the Tuṣita Heaven into the womb of Queen Māyā in the royal palace. He was born on the eighth day of the fourth month in the jiayin year, the twenty-sixth year of King Zhao of the Zhou dynasty, and was named Sarvārthasiddha. Seven days later his mother passed away; he relied on his maternal aunt Mahāprajāpatī for nursing and upbringing. At the age of twenty-five, he leaped over the city wall and went into the forest of the ṛṣi Bhārgava, took a sword to cut his hair, took off his body's precious garments, and exchanged them with a hunter for a kāṣāya to become a monk. He then crossed the Ganges northward to Mount Gaya and sat quietly in meditation. For six years he practiced austerities, eating one hemp seed and one grain of rice daily to sustain his vital essence. He then considered to himself: 'If I were to attain the Way with an emaciated body, those non-Buddhists would claim that starving oneself is the cause of nirvāṇa.' Thereupon he bathed in the Nairañjanā River and received the milk-rice from the cowherd girl. Śakra Devānām-Indra spread out auspicious grass (kuśa grass) for a seat, and he sat cross-legged upon it. The Demon King led an army intending to persecute him, but through a hundred stratagems could not perturb him in the least; he then bowed, repented of his offense, and departed. On the eighth day of the second month, when the morning star appeared, he had an open, great awakening, attaining the unsurpassed Way and accomplishing supreme, perfect enlightenment. (Worldly tradition hands down that it was on the eighth day of the twelfth month; some say that the Zhou calendar established the start of the year in the zi month, or there may be other evidence.) He was then thirty years of age. In the wilderness of the bodhimaṇḍa in the kingdom of Magadha, he expounded the Avataṃsaka; those of lesser faculties could not enter it, being as if deaf and mute. For thrice seven days he gazed at the tree and contemplated: 'Better to enter nirvāṇa.' Brahmā and Śakra earnestly besought him thrice, whereupon he went to the Deer Park and turned the great wheel of Dharma with the teaching of the three vehicles. First for the five men including Ājñātakauṇḍinya, he expounded teachings such as the four truths, the twelve links of dependent origination, and the six perfections. Twelve years passed, by which time the Buddha was forty-two years old. Coming to the Vaipulya assemblies, he weeded out and disciplined the disciples, whose minds gradually expanded; thereupon he criticized the partial and struck at the small, praised the great and commended the perfect, preaching Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Vimalakīrti, Laṅkāvatāra, Śūraṅgama, and Prajñāpāramitā. Another thirty years passed, by which time the Buddha was seventy-two years old, and he preached the Lotus Sūtra; because all disciples could undertake great responsibility, he bestowed on them prophecies of making buddhahood, thereby completely fulfilling his original intent. Another eight years passed, being the renshen year, the fifty-third year of King Mu; the Buddha was then seventy-nine years old. The Buddha first went to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother. King Udayana, yearning for him, cast gold into an image; hearing that the Buddha was descending, the gold image came to welcome the Buddha. His maternal aunt Mahāprajāpatī, together with five hundred bhikṣuṇīs, and Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and seventy thousand arhats, could not bear to witness the Buddha's nirvāṇa, and simultaneously entered extinction. Bodhisattvas, the fourfold assembly, heavenly and human beings, the eight classes of beings, birds, beasts, and all kings gathered together. He received only the final offering of Cunda, and expounded impermanence, suffering, and emptiness for the monks. He further said: 'The unsurpassed true Dharma has all been entrusted to Mahākāśyapa; he shall serve as your great refuge, just like the Tathāgata.' Furthermore, because Ānanda was outside the Śāla Grove being disturbed by demons, he commanded Mañjuśrī, saying: 'Ānanda is my younger brother. He has served me for over twenty years and has heard the Dharma completely, like water poured into a vessel. I wish to command him to receive and hold this Nirvāṇa Sūtra.' Mañjuśrī received the order and summoned Ānanda to return. The Buddha said: 'There is a brāhmaṇa named Subhadra, one hundred and twenty years old, who has not yet abandoned arrogance. You may tell him: "The Tathāgata will enter parinirvāṇa in the middle of the night." He arrived together with him, heard the Buddha preach the Dharma, and attained arhathood. [The Buddha] then addressed the great assembly: 'From my attainment of the Way when I liberated Kauṇḍinya, to the very end when I liberated Subhadra, my work is complete.' In the middle of the night on the fifteenth day of the second month, he again delivered admonitions: 'You monks, after my extinction, should revere the Prātimokṣa; it is your great master, no different from when I abode in the world.' Lying on his right side upon a bed of seven treasures, he serenely and silently entered parinirvāṇa. Aniruddha ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to inform Queen Māyā. She descended from heaven, and the World-Honoured One rose to preach the Dharma to soothe and comfort her. He again addressed Ānanda: 'You should know that for the sake of unfilial sentient beings of later ages, I come out of the golden coffin to greet my mother.' At that time, Kāśyapa and five hundred disciples rushed from Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, weeping and sobbing as they bowed. [The Buddha] again manifested his two feet with the signs of thousand-spoked wheels. Heavenly and human beings each held fragrant firewood and went to the cremation site; transformed flames burned spontaneously for seven days before subsiding. The assembly collected relics that filled eight golden urns. King Ajātaśatru, together with the kings of eight kingdoms, Śakra, the devas, and the dragon kings, contested over the relics. The minister Upālin admonished and stopped them: 'It is proper to divide them together.' They were immediately divided into three portions: one for the devas, one for the dragon kings, and one portion for the eight kings. King Ajātaśatru received eighty-four thousand portions; placing them in purple gold caskets, he built stūpas to enshrine them along the five Ganges rivers.

2.12

Nirvāṇa of the Imperial Preceptor

2.13

When the day arrives, the spirit tablet is respectfully set up on the Dharma seat and arranged according to the rules, with fragrant flowers, lamps, candles, tea, fruits, and delicacies properly prepared for offering. The karmadāna requests the composing and signing of the address (as in the ceremony for the Buddha's nirvāṇa). On the preceding evening, the hall administrator commands the postulant to notify the assembly and hang the board for sūtra chanting. On the proper day, the bell is struck to assemble the congregation, who stand like a flight of wild geese facing the seat. Awaiting the abbot's arrival, they offer incense, hot decoction, and food, and distribute the offerings. After tea is offered and bows are made, the incense is burned with Dharma words. The karmadāna bows to the ranks and offers incense, and the entire assembly bows together. The abbot kneels before the brazier, reads the address, and chants the dhāraṇī, dedicating the merit as follows: 'May the merit of the sūtra chanting performed above be offered to him who is under August Heaven and above the One Man: Founder of the Teaching, Propagator of Letters, Assistant to Governance, Great Sage, Utmost Virtue, Universally Awakened, True Wisdom, Protector of the State, Wish-Fulfilling, Great Treasure Dharma King, Son of the Buddha from the Western Realm, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan; in gratitude above for his benevolent shade, and to all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and so forth.'

2.14

Text of the address: Heaven initiated the Yuan dynasty, giving birth specifically to the Great Sage who assisted in governance. His Way was revered as unsurpassed, truly serving as the Dharma King who propagated letters. In secret he supported the foundations of civilization; in shadow he assisted the royal measures. His uttered words became scriptures; his raised footsteps became rules. His position was set amidst the Thousand Buddhas; his vast depth matched Earth, his high brightness matched Heaven, his supreme honor standing above the One Man. On this holy memorial day, we gaze upward ever more at his gracious light. We humbly pray that he will again ride the wheel of vows, assisting the governing transformation of all four seas under one script; looking back upon the Semblance and Final ages, that he will revive the ancestral framework of the true Dharma through a thousand ages.

2.15

The Imperial Preceptor 'Phags-pa had the Dharma name Huichuang Xianjixiang (Mati-dhvaja Śrī-bhadra); he was a native of the kingdom of Tubo. He was born on the thirteenth day of the fourth month in the yihai year. His father was named Bsod-nams-rgyal-mtshan. Formerly in Tubo there was the National Preceptor Candra-rakṣita, who attained correct knowledge and vision and was endowed with great supernatural power; passed down through successive generations, his practice of the Way was extraordinary, and the kings of that country honored him generation after generation as master. After seventeen generations it reached Sa-skya-pa, who was the Master's paternal uncle. The Master was naturally gifted from early on, and also bowed to his uncle as his master. Esoteric gāthās and subtle verses of one or two thousand words he could recite upon a single glance. At seven years of age, he expounded the Dharma with wide-ranging and unrestrained eloquence. When he was fifteen years of age, in the guichou year,

2.16

Emperor Shizu's dragon virtues were submerged in the deep. The Master clearly knew that the Mandate of Heaven had found its resting place, and rode swiftly on horseback directly to the Prince's residence.

2.17

His Majesty, together with the Empress and the Crown Prince, all received the precept transmission from him and accorded him extraordinary honor and courtesy. After six years had passed, in the gengshen year, Shizu ascended the throne and established the Zhongtong reign era, whereupon he revered him as National Preceptor, conferred upon him a jade seal, and appointed him Dharma Lord of the Central Plains to superintend the Buddhist teachings of all under heaven, beginning the division of offices between monastic and secular administrations. In the fourth year, he took leave of the Emperor to return west, but before a full month had passed, he was urgently recalled to return. In the seventh year of Zhiyuan, the gengwu year, an imperial decree commanded the creation of the national script of the Great Yuan. The Master alone designed and drafted it, completing it within days. It deeply satisfied the imperial intention, and an edict was issued to promulgate and implement it, so that court ministries, prefectures, and counties all complied and used it, remaining a standard institution for the dynasty. He was elevated to the title of Imperial Preceptor and Great Treasure Dharma King, and was additionally bestowed a jade seal. Soon afterward he returned west again. In the eleventh year, His Majesty again sent a special envoy to summon him, but soon after, he firmly begged to return to the mountains; His Majesty steadfastly urged him to stay, but could not prevail. On the twenty-second day of the eleventh month in the seventeenth year, he entered extinction. When His Majesty heard of it, he was overwhelmed with shock, grief, and nostalgic mourning; he consecutively erected a great stūpa in the capital to treasure and enshrine his true-body relics, whose golden and emerald magnificence was matchless throughout past and present. (See the stele composed by Imperial Order by Hanlin Academician Wang Pan and others.) Later his title was elevated to: 'Under August Heaven and Above the One Man: Founder of the Teaching, Propagator of Letters, Assistant to Governance, Great Sage, Utmost Virtue, Universally Awakened, True Wisdom, Protector of the State, Wish-Fulfilling, Great Treasure Dharma King, Son of the Buddha from the Western Realm, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan.'

2.18

End of Chapter on Repaying the Root.

2.19

Chapter 4: Honoring the Ancestors

2.20

Each person sacrifices to their ancestors, honoring the origin of their physical birth. Physical birth originates from emotional attachment; yet form dissolves in time, and attachment ends in time. Only the spiritual and unobscured nature does not rely on birth to exist, nor does it perish along with death. Therefore the Buddha taught people that they must understand their nature. Yet later scholars again clung to textual words and failed to grasp their essential aim, just like a physician skilled in recipe books who dispenses with medicines and needles—what benefit is there? When our ancestor Bodhidharma arrived, he revealed the way of direct pointing, and people then began to see clearly the wonder of their own nature, not seeking in written words nor relying on speech or silence, but attaining it beyond coughs, gestures, sounds, and forms. Thus, for those of our school who transmit the ancestral Way and succeed to the ancestral seat, like fire to firewood or water to a vessel, there is not the slightest difference between past and present. Is this not even more important than the origin of physical birth? Later, Chan Master Baizhang Dazhi created pure rules to house our fellows, and the Chan grove began from this. Venerable Haihui Duan remarked that it is proper to sacrifice to Bodhidharma in the center, with Baizhang accompanying on the right, and the founding ancestors of the respective monasteries flanking them, as seen in the preface to the Ancestral Hall Regulations.

2.21

Bodhidharma's Memorial Day

2.22

In advance, the hall office collects communal funds to prepare the offerings, requests the composition of the statement, and has it signed (as on the day of the Buddha's nirvāṇa). The night before, they arrange the dharma hall in accordance with the rules. The portrait is hung above the seat. In the center they solemnly set out the offering banquet with incense burners, vases, and incense. In the upper bay they place a Chan chair, fly-whisk, clothes rack, and dharma robes (to place a bed or couch is incorrect). In the lower bay they place chairs, a sūtra desk, incense burners, vases, incense, candles, and sūtra scrolls. The postulants of the hall office inform the community and hang the notice board for chanting sūtras. That evening, there is chanting of sūtras, and notice is given that at the half-meal the next day all must possess full decorum. Chanting sūtras for concluding the memorial service: before the evening consultation, the Sangha hall bell is struck, assembling the community to await the arrival of the abbot. The drum is struck, and special hospitality hot water is offered. The abbot offers incense and bows three times without retrieving his niṣīdana. He offers the hot water, steps back, bows three times, and advances again. He greets with folded hands, bows to offer the hot water, returns to his position, bows twice, and retrieves his niṣīdana. The drum is struck three times. A postulant strikes the hand-bell. The karmadāna steps out of the rank and recites the invocation: "Humbly considering that the lineage transmits the direct pointing, we presumptuously partake of the moisture of its remaining waves; the Great Way is difficult to name, and we are ashamed to join its radiance as its late descendants. We look up to and rely upon the great assembly to recite the ten titles of the Pure Dharma-body Vairocana Buddha, and so forth." He performs the transfer of merit: "The merit of the recitation above is dedicated to the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, Great Master of Perfect Enlightenment, the Great Upādhyāya, to repay from above his compassionate shelter. All [Buddhas of the ten directions and three times], and so forth." When finished, the Sangha hall bell is struck three times, the assembly disperses, or they are invited to sit for the medicine-stone. When the dusk bell sounds, the Sangha hall bell is struck again to assemble the community. The abbot offers incense. The karmadāna leads the recitation of the Śūraṅgama Mantra. When finished, he performs the transfer of merit: "The body of the pure Dharma-realm fundamentally neither appears nor disappears; by the power of great compassionate vows, it manifests coming and going. Looking upward, we hope your compassionate kindness will look down and clearly witness: on this fifth day of the present month, humbly meeting the anniversary of the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, Great Master of Perfect Enlightenment, the Great Upādhyāya, entering tranquility, we lead the assembly of monks in preparing fragrant delicacies to extend our offerings, and recite the Divine Mantra of the Śūraṅgama of the Great Buddha's Uṣṇīṣa and the Ten Thousand Practices. May the extraordinary merit accumulated thereby repay from above your compassionate shelter. We humbly pray that all capacities may rely upon you to propagate the ancestral style of Shaoshi; may your wondrous wisdom be inexhaustible, bringing to completion the capacities of the Great Vehicle. All [Buddhas of the ten directions and three times], and so forth." Next, the head of the postulants leads the postulants in lining up; they announce their attendance, bow, and chant sūtras. The servants line up to attend and bow. The next morning, the abbot offers incense and bows; he offers hot water and gruel, sitting to the side below the seat to accompany the meal. When the gruel is finished, the abbot offers incense and tea. The karmadāna leads the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī. When finished, he performs the transfer of merit: "The merit of chanting sūtras above is dedicated to the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, Great Master of Perfect Enlightenment, the Great Upādhyāya, to repay from above his compassionate shelter. All [Buddhas of the ten directions and three times], and so forth." At the half-meal, the Sangha hall bell is struck to assemble the community. They line up facing the Patriarch. The abbot offers incense and bows three times without retrieving his niṣīdana. He advances before the burner. When the hot water and food are offered, the guest-inviting attendant passes them along; he waits for the incense-burning attendant to take them beside the Patriarch's seat and place them upon the table. He steps back to his position and bows three times. He advances again to burn incense and distribute offerings. When finished, he bows three times and retrieves his niṣīdana. The drum is struck for offering special hospitality tea (following the protocol for hot water). When finished, the abbot raises incense and gives a dharma word. A postulant strikes the cymbals. The karmadāna steps out of the rank and bows to the abbot to offer incense. An attendant holds the incense box. Next, the eastern hall, western hall, and the two ranks step out of the ranks to offer incense. The great assembly spreads their mats together and bows three times. The karmadāna declares: "The body of the pure Dharma-realm fundamentally neither appears nor disappears; by the power of great compassionate vows, it manifests coming and going." The statement is read aloud while the abbot kneels before the burner. Next, the Śūraṅgama Mantra is led. When finished, the transfer of merit is performed: "The merit of chanting sūtras above is dedicated to the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, Great Master of Perfect Enlightenment, the Great Upādhyāya, to repay from above his compassionate shelter. All [Buddhas of the ten directions and three times], and so forth." Next, the postulants chant sūtras.

2.23

The text of the statement: Great is the authentic transmission, inheriting the lineage of the Awakened Sovereign! Utterly empty, without holiness, breaking through the incurable illness of doctrinal study. A hundred streams reach the sea, leaving disparate currents far behind; the bright sun shines in the heavens, leaving no angled shadows behind. Pointing directly to the human mind to become a Buddha—becoming a Buddha is of the same mind; tallying with the wondrous Way through forgetting words—in forgetting words, one sees the Way. Having great merit for worldly teachings, it is fitting to widely invigorate the ancestral style. Appearing in the defiled world as the udumbara blossom, truly he is the founding progenitor; seizing the Great Vehicle vessels of the Divine Continent, all have entered within the range. Duly arriving at the anniversary of the burial of the shoe, we thereupon follow the offering of picked white southernwood. We humbly pray: The robe of faith symbolizes the weight of Buddhas and patriarchs, bearing a weight of a thousand piculs; when a single flower blooms into the spring of heaven and earth, its fragrance shall endure through ten thousand generations.

2.24

The ancestral master was the third son of King Sugandha of South India, of the kṣatriya clan. His original name was Bodhitara. Later, he met the twenty-seventh patriarch, the Venerable Prajñātāra, who recognized the master's hidden capacity. Therefore, testing him, he had him debate with his two elder brothers on the precious pearl that had been bestowed, thereby elucidating the essential point of mind. Shortly thereafter, the Venerable said to him: "You have already attained comprehensive capacity regarding all dharmas. 'Dharma' means comprehensive and great; it is proper that you be named Dharma." Because of this, he changed his name to Bodhidharma. The master then told the Venerable: "Now that I have attained the Dharma, to which country should I go to perform the Buddha's work? I pray you deign to give me instruction." The Venerable said: "Although you have attained the Dharma, you must not travel far yet. Stay for now in South India. Wait for sixty-seven years after my passing, and then you should go to Cīnasthāna to dispense the great medicine of the Dharma and directly receive those of superior capacity. Take care not to travel hastily and decline in the imperial sun." In the eighth year of the Putong era of Liang, a dingwei year, on the twenty-first day of the ninth month, he arrived in Nanhai. Xiao Ang, the governor of Guangzhou, submitted a memorial informing Emperor Wu. The emperor dispatched an envoy with an imperial decree to welcome him. On the first day of the tenth month, he arrived in Jinling and conversed with the emperor, but they did not accord. On the nineteenth day of that month, he crossed the river to the north; on the twenty-third day of the eleventh month, he arrived in Luoyang, which corresponded to the tenth year of the Taihe era of Xiaoming of the Wei. He stayed at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song, sitting facing the wall, silent all day long. People could not fathom him and called him the "Wall-Gazing Brahman". On the fifth day of the tenth month in the nineteenth year of the Taihe era, a bingchen year, he passed away sitting upright. On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month of that year, he was buried on Mount Xiong'er, and a stūpa was erected at Dinglin Monastery. In the Tang, he was posthumously granted the title Great Master of Perfect Enlightenment, and the stūpa was named Empty Contemplation.

2.25

Baizhang's Memorial Day

2.26

In advance, the hall office collects communal funds to prepare the offerings. When the day comes, the night before, they arrange the dharma hall in accordance with the rules. The portrait is hung above the seat. In the center they solemnly set out the offering banquet, and in the upper and lower bays the tables and offering implements. That evening sūtras are chanted, and on the main day the memorial service is concluded with special hospitality tea and hot water, burning incense, reciting the statement, stepping out of the ranks to offer incense, and the assembly bowing with mats spread (all identical to the protocol for Bodhidharma's Memorial Day), except that there is no invocation recitation. The transfer of merit in the initial night watch says: "The body of the pure Dharma-realm fundamentally neither appears nor disappears; by the power of great compassionate vows, it manifests coming and going. Looking upward, we hope your compassionate kindness will look down and clearly witness: on this seventeenth day of the first month, humbly meeting the anniversary of Chan Master Baizhang Dazhi Juezhao Hongzong Miaoxing, the Great Upādhyāya, entering tranquility, we lead the assembly of monks in preparing fragrant delicacies to extend our offerings, and recite the Divine Mantra of the Śūraṅgama of the Great Buddha's Uṣṇīṣa and the Ten Thousand Practices. May the extraordinary merit accumulated thereby repay from above your compassionate shelter. We humbly pray: may the udumbara flower reappear, reopening the spring of awakened flowers; may the sun of wisdom shine perpetually, forever illuminating the night of the dark paths. All [Buddhas of the ten directions and three times], and so forth."

2.27

The text of the statement: A single word serves as the standard for all under heaven, hitting the mark of compass and square; through ten thousand generations all know the honor of the teacher's Way, possessing order and discipline. By this we may compare the magnificence of the monastic grove's rites and music, and behold the multitude of dragons and elephants at the dharma feast. Chinese and Sanskrit share the same writing, rich as the fame of Tianlu Library; sūtras and vinaya complement one another, strict as the golden code and jade statutes. Possessing the decorum of orderly paces in the hall, it is no mere makeshift rite in the wilderness. Immediate to this function, detached from this function, his words escape the twofold mystery; emerging from the dynamic, entering into the dynamic, his principle fathoms all wonders. It is fitting to pair him with the Chan Patriarch to share the sacrifice; how could we not follow the day of mourning and prepare the feast? We humbly pray: May Śakra's banner of energetic victory subdue all Māras and heterodoxies; may the great shaded tree of Jibei cast its cool canopy across all of Jambudvīpa.

2.28

The master was a son of the Wang family of Changle in Fuzhou. In his youth he left the dust of the world, thoroughly mastering the three trainings. When Mazu propagated the transformation in Jiangxi, his dharma seats were magnificent; while Dazhu, Nanquan, and Guizong were hailed as the dragons and elephants of the Dharma, the master was their foremost. When the Patriarch entered tranquility at Letan, the master succeeded him. Because the crowd gathered so densely that there was no room, he wished to take his leave and departed. Passing through Xinxin, he rested beneath Chelun Peak. There, Gan Zhen and You Chang wished to donate land and invite him to reside. Soon the assembly arrived again, and so he constructed a monastery as a great saṅghārāma. On the seventeenth day of the first month in the ninth year of the Yuanhe era, the master returned to tranquility. The fragrant trees blazed without being ignited; the numinous creek dried up just as spring arrived. The fourfold assembly grieved bitterly, and buried him at Daxiong Peak. Previously, there had been an extraordinary man named Ascetic Sima, who had selected the burial site, saying: "Flanked by three connected peaks, its wondrous qualities are inexhaustible. If the King of the Dharma resides here, he will be an exemplar for the world." Contemporaries regarded this as truly verified. In the first year of the Changqing era of the Tang, an imperial decree conferred the posthumous title Chan Master Dazhi, and his stūpa was named Great Jewel Victorious Wheel.

2.29

In the first year of the Daguan era of the Song, the title was supplemented to Juezhao, and the stūpa was called Wisdom Gathering.

2.30

In the third year of the Yuantong era of the Great Yuan, the title was supplemented to Chan Master Hongzong Miaoxing.

2.31

Memorial Days for the Mountain-Founding and Successive Patriarchs

2.32

On the memorial day of the mountain founder, or of one whose practice of the Way was lofty and revered, and whose achievements benefited the mountain monastery, the night before, the dharma hall is arranged. The ceremonial protocol follows that of Baizhang, or there may be no statement; the monastery storehouse prepares the offerings. For the memorial days of successive generations, no statement is prepared, nor is special hospitality tea or hot water offered. When the time arrives, the hall office notifies the monastery storehouse in advance to prepare offerings and invite the spirit tablet, arranging it to the west of the dharma seat. When the gruel is finished, the community is assembled. The abbot and the two ranks line up in a single row. The karmadāna steps out to bow to the rank, burns incense, and when finished returns to his position. Together, they spread mats and bow three times. The attendants bow at the end of the rank (the Great Pure Rules says: in some places they place the food in the Patriarch Hall and chant sūtras at a single seat; this is contrary to ritual). The Great Compassion Dhāraṇī is led, followed by the transfer of merit: "The jewel-bright ocean of emptiness stills the churning waves of birth and death; the gate of great quiescent samādhi dissolves the forms of past and present, coming and going. Looking upward, we hope your pure compassion will look down and clearly witness: at this mountain monastery on a certain day of the present month, humbly meeting the anniversary of the former abbot of this mountain, the such-and-such generation, Chan Master of such title, entering tranquility, we prepare precious delicacies to extend our offerings. The assembly of monks recites the Great Compassion Divine Mantra, dedicating the extraordinary merit gathered thereby to elevate his rank. We humbly pray: may the sun of wisdom shine again, illuminating the bright seed of the patriarchal house; may the numinous root sprout anew, returning the spring of flowers and trees to Shaolin, and so forth." If an invocation is led by a fellow townsman or one of the rivers and lakes, the transfer of merit says: "The merit of chanting sūtras above is dedicated to the Great Upādhyāya of such title, to elevate his rank. All [Buddhas of the ten directions and three times], and so forth." If there is a distribution of donations, the Śūraṅgama Mantra is led, and the transfer of merit is the same as before.

2.33

Memorial Day for the Dharma-Transmitting Teacher

2.34

The worthies of the past only invigorated the ancestral vehicle and made clear their own nature, guiding later students to recognize that there is transmission and reception, so as to repay kindness. Thus Baling's 'three turning phrases' served as a memorial service for Yunmen; the men of prior generations were profound in their intention. Nevertheless, honoring one's master and revering the Way requires that ritual decorum not be neglected. In advance of the date, the abbot produces his own funds and delivers them to the monastery storehouse to arrange the sacrificial offerings. The evening before, they are properly arranged in the dharma hall. The hall postulant announces it to the assembly and hangs the scripture-chanting notice. That evening they chant the Śūraṅgama Dhāraṇī; compatriots and fellow Dharma relatives recite the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī, followed by the postulants, whose chanting and dedications of merit are all the same. The next morning, the abbot offers morning congee; when the congee is finished, the assembly chants the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī, and compatriots and fellow Dharma relatives raise the recitation. At mid-day, concluding the memorial chanting, the abbot offers food, and sets forth special hospitality tea and offers incense (the Bodhidharma memorial is the same). The two ranks offer incense, and the assembly bows together (for from the head seat on down, all are called fellow students). At mealtime, the abbot enters the hall, burns incense, unfolds his niṣīdana and bows, then returns to his place; the robes-and-bowl attendant distributes the offerings (to distribute the offerings during the scripture-chanting in the dharma hall is contrary to propriety). When the meal is finished, they take their seats and tea is offered; the incense-burning attendant conducts the ritual. If special hospitality broth to accompany the portrait is set forth (after the meal, the abbot's guest prefect invites the west hall and the two ranks to keep company before the portrait in the evening and partake of broth; the seats are arranged facing the spirit tablet to the right of the seat; the abbot salutes them to take their seats, burns incense, and serves broth, as well as serving broth to those keeping company; he steps back, burns incense, unfolds his niṣīdana and bows, rises, greets them with folded hands to thank them for their company; the drum is struck three times, and they leave their seats; if there are three to five persons in the west hall, it is divided into two seatings: in the first seating, the west hall drinks broth and the abbot performs the ceremony; in the second seating, the two ranks drink broth and the attendant performs the ceremony; or if there is no west hall, it is omitted. After the scripture-chanting is over, broth and fruit are prepared, and the two ranks and retired officers are invited beforehand; if there are Dharma relatives, seniors, or fellow disciples, all should be invited; junior disciples and disciple-grandsons must not share the same mat; once seated, the abbot rises, offers incense, and presents the broth; after this, the attendant burns incense and serves broth and fruit).

2.35

End of Chapter on Honoring the Ancestors

2.36

Chapter 5: The Abbot

2.37

Four hundred years after Buddhism entered China, Bodhidharma arrived. After another eight transmissions it reached Baizhang. They transmitted and received only by means of the Way: whether dwelling in crags and caverns, or lodging in vinaya monasteries, there was as yet no designation of 'abbot.' Because the Chan school was flourishing ever more, and from above, sovereigns, ministers, princes, and dukes, down to Confucians, Daoists, and the hundred schools, all were drawn to its style and inquired into the Way, the disciples were truly numerous. Without exalting his position, the master's teachings would lack gravity. Thus they first honored their master as abbot, revering him as 'elder,' just as in India Śāriputra and Subhūti were designated, being revered equally for age and virtue. He built a spacious hall to house the assembly, and established the two ranks to divide the duties, whereby the institutional system shone brilliantly. As for manual labor, he still shared the toil equally with the assembly, often saying: 'A day without work is a day without food.' How could there be the wealth of overflowing granaries or the ease of carriage servants? Therefore, at first, he was chosen by common acclamation of the assembly; later, appointments were made by the government, yet there were still those who declined appointments and refused to go. Later, offices were purchased for high prices or seized by brute force, viewed as rare commodities. If it is not the right person, an entire monastery falls into ruin, leaving factional cliques behind for decades that become an entanglement impossible to manage; and often the severity of their unseen retributions is spoken of, which one can hardly bear to hear. How could one not take warning and be fearful?

2.38

The Abbot's Daily Life

2.39

Ascending the Hall

2.40

On the new and full moon days, the attendant informs the abbot the evening before, saying: 'Tomorrow morning, ascend the hall to offer prayers for the Emperor.' The next morning he informs him again, instructing the guest prefect postulant to hang the ascending-the-hall notice to inform the assembly. When morning congee is finished, the bell for leaving the hall is not struck three times. Waiting until the dharma seat is arranged, the hall postulant reports to the head seat and strikes the wooden board before the communal dormitory. The assembly sits in the hall. The abbot's postulant reports to the abbot, and then informs the attendant to strike the drum. The two ranks lead the monastics and postulants to the front of the seat, make a greeting with folded hands, and line up facing each other in their ranks. The attendant invites the abbot to come out, ascend the seat, and pinch incense to pray for imperial longevity (detailed in the Chapter on Praying for Blessings). Sitting cross-legged, he inspires the students and invigorates this Way. If there are guests, he also addresses and thanks them; if there are many, a list is prepared lest any be forgotten, and the attendant prompts him. If there are abbots of other mountains or eminent worthies of the west hall, seats are set to the right of the dharma seat; for official guests, seats are set facing the dharma seat (those who know propriety and revere the Dharma do not sit). For the five-and-ten ascends to the hall, the two ranks come before the seat and go straight to their ranks to stand; the abbot ascends the seat without pinching incense (the rest as in the previous format). If a venerable elder visits, an ascending of the hall is specially arranged for hospitality or to introduce the seat and expound; if a donor requests ascending the seat, it is not restricted to set times.

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Translations (1)

The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations — Shohei Ichimura 2006, English

Linked texts (1)

勅修百丈清規 — Classical Chinese