勅修百丈清規 2.52

2.52

“Entering the room” is when the master examines students, spurs on those who have not yet attained, crushes their false pretensions, and attacks their biased attachments—just as in a gold-smelting furnace neither lead nor mercury remains, or as a lapidary carves jade discarding all worthless stone. It is not limited to dusk or dawn, nor does it select a particular place; it is performed at any time. Therefore in ancient times, patch-robed monks always kept a small incense box on their persons: as soon as they heard three strikes of the drum, they would hasten to enter the room. (In modern times, entering the room on the “three and eight” days is merely maintaining an established precedent.) When the room is to be opened, before breakfast porridge the attendant instructs the guest prefect postulant to hang the “Entering the Room” board before the Sangha hall and all dormitories. An image of Bodhidharma is set up in the bed chamber, with incense, candles, and prostration mats arrayed before it. The inside of the room is prepared, candles are lit, and incense is loaded, with a prostration mat set on the left side. After breakfast porridge, upon leaving the hall, the guest prefect slowly strikes the drum three times. The abbot comes before Bodhidharma, burns incense, and makes three prostrations together with the attendants; he then enters the room and takes his seat. The attendants greet with folded hands and stand on the left of the line; the postulants greet with folded hands and stand on the right of the line. The prefects lead the assembly, and before Bodhidharma each burns incense and makes three prostrations, proceeding continuously to the front of the room. Those arriving later burn incense, make prostrations, and line up behind them in order, advancing in succession without being allowed to push ahead or disrupt the order. The incense-burning attendant burns incense, greets with folded hands, goes outside, and bows the head seat in. In entering, one steps first with the left foot and still offers incense with the left hand, advances, greets with folded hands, and goes to the right side of the Chan chair, standing to listen to the citation of a case; [the abbot] may make a remark or make no remark. According to the occasion, [the student] passes to the left of the Chan chair, greets with folded hands, steps back, makes one prostration touching the mat, raises the left foot, goes out, and bows the next person in. One coming out and one going in face each other and greet with folded hands, continuing without interruption. If the head seat is a senior west hall elder of great renown or an eminent virtue who enters to burn incense, the abbot should descend from his seat, bow in deference, and see him out. When ascending the hall, he announces to the assembly that [such seniors] are specially exempted. (This is also a practice adopted in recent generations. If an ancient virtue were facing the dynamic encounter, he would defer neither to buddhas nor patriarchs—how could he attend to worldly etiquette? It simply depends on what kind of master he is.) Only the rear hall leads the assembly; temporary residents must all enter the room. The attendants enter the room after the entire assembly; when finished, they burn incense and make three full prostrations. The postulants insert incense and make three prostrations. The abbot comes out again before Bodhidharma, burns incense, makes three full prostrations, and withdraws.