勅修百丈清規 5.66

5.66

Take leave of one's master, yearn for places with virtuous venerable elders, and rely upon them to seek hospitality. (According to the vinaya: "A bhikṣu should dwell where there is both Dharma and food; he should also dwell where there is Dharma but no food; he should not dwell where there is food but no Dharma.") According to the ancient rules, one first went to the guest department for an audience; next, one went to the hall office to seek hospitality; then, after having one's unit place and sutra desk assigned, one went to the attendant office to announce one's visit, and proceeded to the abbot's quarters to pay homage. Nowadays, when traveling and seeking hospitality, upon first arriving at the transit quarters, [the newcomers] select one person well-versed in the monastery's affairs to be the travel leader. He leads the group to the guest department in dignified deportment, stands in line to the right of the doorway, and announces, "[We] newly arrived [monks] have come for an audience." The guest master receives them and says, "On this day, I respectfully hope that the honored elder Chan master's health and daily life are blessed with abundant fortune. I have long admired your reputation and now am fortunate to behold you; my humble feelings cannot bear the height of gratitude." [The leader] responds, "The mountain gate is exceedingly fortunate to receive your arrival from afar." He bows to seat them, burns incense, serves tea, and briefly inquires about their origins. They then rise, express thanks for the tea, and return to the transit quarters. Soon the guest master goes to return the courtesy. The travel leader receives him, and all greet him with folded hands together. The guest master speaks: "A moment later, I respectfully hope that the health and daily life of all honored elder Chan masters are blessed with abundant fortune. Having just received your gracious visit, I have specially come to pay my thanks; my humble feelings cannot bear the height of gratitude." [The leader] responds, "By etiquette, we ought to pay our respects; why trouble yourself to visit?" The travel leader sees him out the gate personally. If they wish to pay homage to the abbot, then after the evening talk they proceed to the attendant office for an audience following the previous etiquette. They rise and announce, "We have come especially to pay homage to the upādhyāya; we dare trouble the attendant to convey our request." The attendant bows to seat them again and inquires in detail about their origins, whether they are fellow countrymen, Dharma relatives, or clear in managing affairs. The attendant says, "Please return to your lodgings for now, and allow me to convey your request." He then goes up to the abbot's quarters to consult and report. If granted, when the bell rings the next morning, the attendant orders the guest prefect to announce the audience. If [the abbot] is not yet at leisure, the attendant takes a lamp, goes to their lodgings to announce the greeting, and consoles them with kind words. For the audience ceremony, after congee is finished, the travel leader leads the assembly to the sleeping hall to await the abbot's appearance. The attendant receives them. The travel leader steps forward and says, "We invite the upādhyāya to sit cross-legged." He turns around and inserts incense with his left hand, steps back together with the assembly, and at the first unfolding [of the mat] says, "We have long heard of your style of the Way; today we are fortunate to behold your venerable face, and our humble feelings cannot bear the height of joy." At the second unfolding [of the mat] he says, "At this current season and time, we respectfully hope that the health and daily life of the hall head great upādhyāya are blessed with abundant fortune." They make three prostrations touching the mat. If there are entry-chamber disciples or Dharma relatives, they say, "Having long received your compassionate shade...", insert incense separately, perform the ceremony, and take their seats. The attendant burns incense and serves tea. The abbot asks for their home commanderies, names, and where they spent the summer retreat. Each must answer truthfully and not speak at length. They rise before the brazier and express thanks: "Having repeatedly received your gracious reception, we specially offer this prostration in gratitude." The abbot sees them out. The travel leader says, "May the upādhyāya take care." They then proceed to the attendant office to express thanks, saying, "We have troubled your spiritual efforts, and specially offer this prostration in gratitude." They return outside the transit quarters and stand in line on the lower side, waiting for the abbot to return. Greeting with folded hands in the same manner, they receive him inside. They say, "A moment later, we respectfully hope that the hall head great upādhyāya's health and daily life are blessed with abundant fortune. Just now it was our duty to pay homage, yet we have excessively received your gracious condescension; our humble feelings cannot bear the height of gratitude." The abbot says, "Your lodgings are inconvenient; I earnestly hope to detain you for a while." The assembly sees him out. The travel leader moves to the upper side to receive the attendant, and together with the assembly greets him with folded hands, saying, "A moment later, we respectfully hope that the eminent attendant Chan master's bodily health and daily life are blessed with abundant fortune. By etiquette we ought to visit your dormitory to pay respects, yet instead we have humbled you with your gracious visit; our humble feelings cannot bear the height of gratitude." The attendant says, "The mountain gate is exceedingly fortunate to receive your arrival from afar. My return of thanks has been delayed, for which my humble feelings are deeply ashamed." Nowadays, many who travel itinerantly do not enter the transit quarters, but wherever they go, they immediately seek out the dormitories of prefects who are fellow townsmen to lodge, and the ancient etiquette has gradually fallen into oblivion. When an abbot receives renowned worthies, he returns the courtesy at the guest quarters; when receiving elder monks, they welcome and wait at the lower bay of the dharma hall for the abbot to return the courtesy, thereby sparing him the trouble of coming in person; whereas at the great monasteries of the Five Mountains, no courtesy is returned. At mid-morning, refreshments are offered. That evening, special hospitality hot water is offered; [the monks] wear their robes to attend. The abbot receives them inside. Before the brazier, they exchange pleasantries about the cold and warm. Taking their seats, the attendant burns incense and invites them to drink hot water. When the hot water is finished, they rise before the brazier to express thanks for the hot water, requiring two unfoldings [of the mat] and three prostrations; they then remove their robes and take their seats for the evening medicine-meal. If the abbot is not at leisure, he invites prefects to accompany them on his behalf; at that time, they should rise personally to burn incense. Only when the abbot accompanies the hot water personally is the etiquette complete. The next day, after congee is finished, tea is offered. The travel leader leads the assembly to stand in line before the sleeping hall. Awaiting the abbot's arrival, he steps forward and greets with folded hands, saying, "Having passed the night, we respectfully hope that the hall head upādhyāya's health and daily life are blessed with abundant fortune. Having repeatedly received your gracious summons, our humble feelings cannot bear the height of gratitude." Entering their seats, the attendant burns incense and serves tea. They rise and go before the brazier to unfold [the mat] twice and make three prostrations to thank for the tea. At the first unfolding, they say, "Having repeatedly received your decoction and refreshments, we specially offer this prostration in gratitude; our humble feelings cannot bear the height of gratitude." At the second unfolding, they say, "At this current season and time, we respectfully hope that the hall head upādhyāya's health and daily life are blessed with abundant fortune." Stepping back, they make three prostrations touching the mat. The abbot sees them out two or three paces. If they are seeking hospitality, the travel leader leads the assembly to turn around, steps before the abbot, and announces, "The matter of life and death is great, and impermanence is swift. Having long heard of your style of the Way, we have come specially to rely upon you; we humbly pray that in your compassion you will admit and register us." After announcing this, without waiting for permission or refusal, all together make one prostration touching the mat and say, "We thank the upādhyāya for granting hospitality." The travel leader should be granted hospitality first. The rest, regardless of whether early or late, without choosing place, each knowing when to advance and retreat, wait on the abbot to seek residence. The attendants close to the abbot must not reprove or forbid them. If granted, they still make one prostration touching the mat, and request a placard. They go to the attendant office to register their names, saying, "We have just received the compassionate directive of the abbot's quarters, instructing us to register our names in the upper dormitory." The attendant issues the notice by rank down to the hall office. The karmadāna orders the postulant to invite the newly arrived monks. After finishing tea, they produce their ordination certificates, which are recorded in the platform register (detailed in "Major Hospitality and Entering the Hall"), and await being escorted into the hall. If there is a reason to go out or enter, they must observe the hall decorum. Only after half a month may they request leave. An ancient [saying] states: "Those who request leave to travel the mountains should usually take a half-month period; if they exceed the period, they must seek hospitality anew, and observe the hall decorum as before." If pressed by illness or funeral rites of their masters or parents, they are not bound by this limit.