勅修百丈清規 6.32

6.32

Whenever a monk is critically ill, the one attending the sick monk immediately reports to the master of the Longevity Hall, who notifies the karmadāna to request the sealing of his luggage. The postulants of the hall administration inform the head seat, prefects, administrators, and attendants to go together before the sick monk to transcribe his oral statement. The one attending the sick monk, together with the duty officer, gathers the scripture chests, boxes, and clothing, and prepares a detailed inventory. Aside from sealing and locking away each item according to the actual count, they must set aside the clothing needed to shroud the deceased (such as the straight-seamed robe, outer robe, inner and outer clothing, prayer beads, incense box, leggings, straw sandals, hair-cleaning cloth, and cotton wool for gathering the bones) and other requisite items, packing them together in one bundle. The master of the Longevity Hall and the one attending the sick monk keep custody of it. If the sick monk is unable to give instructions, the karmadāna and the head seat must take responsibility to carry them out. For one who has no luggage, the funeral sending-off must also be carried out with complete decorum. The inventory and the keys, bearing the sealed endorsements, are delivered to the head seat's quarters; the sealed luggage is carried back to the hall administration by manual workers from the four dormitories of the head seat, karmadāna, guest master, and attendants. If a retired officer in an individual dormitory has abundant luggage, it is sealed up, and personnel dispatched by the monastery storehouse are left solely to watch over his room. Unless heard in advance during his lifetime by the abbot, two ranks, and retired officers, and without a handwritten document from his own hand, no deceased monk may make unauthorized bequests of his robes and belongings (when Upādhyāya Dachuan resided at Jingci Monastery, the head seat and karmadāna forged a deceased monk's bequest of his robes and belongings, and were once expelled). If the sick monk closes his eyes in death, the master of the Longevity Hall immediately reports to the karmadāna, who orders the hall administration postulant to call for hot water to be boiled, and notifies the head seat, guest master, attendants, and monastery storehouse to dispatch people to carry the casket and bathing tub and arrange the bathing of the deceased. When the bathing is finished, they shave his head and dry his body; the deceased's clothing and bedding are distributed as appropriate to those who bathed him, and a towel is given to the person who shaved his head. The karmadāna supervises his dressing and placement into the casket. It is placed in the center of the Longevity Hall, and chairs, tables, and a spirit tablet are arranged. On the tablet is written: "The awakened spirit of the newly deceased Senior Monk So-and-so" (or, if from the west hall, write "The spirit of Chan Master So-and-so, former abbot of Such-and-such Monastery, styled So-and-so"; other ranks are inscribed according to their titles). Incense and lamps are prepared for offering. The assembly of monks present chants the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī and dedicates the merit to settle the spirit tablet in place. At night, an everlasting lamp is lit. The hall administration postulants prepare willow streamers and paper flowers in advance. The postulant attending the spirit serves congee and rice daily, and the administrators offer tea and soup at the three times of the day. When incense burning, noon meal congee, hall chanting, and dismissal from evening meditation are concluded, the hall administration postulant rings a hand bell to lead the way; the head seat leads the assembly to the front of the casket; after the abbot burns incense, the karmadāna leads the chanting of the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī and dedicates the merit, saying: "The merit of the chanting just performed is dedicated on behalf of the newly deceased Senior Monk So-and-so, to adorn his realm of reward; to the ten directions and the three times, etc." Next, his townsmen chant the dhāraṇī, and the town elder comes forward to burn incense. The ritual is the same for the three times each day. Except that in the public dedication of merit a two-character monastic name is spoken, in other cases only a single-character name is spoken, with the dedication of merit as before. If it coincides with the new moon, full moon, or an imperial anniversary day, chanting is excused, and the funeral procession may not set out.