佛祖統紀 51.39

51.39

宋太祖。詔沙門殿試經律論義十條。全中者賜紫衣○太宗雍熙詔天下係帳童行並與剃度。今後讀經及三百紙。方許係帳○至道詔兩浙福建路。每寺三百人。歲度一人。尼百人度一人。誦經百紙。讀經五百紙。為合格○真宗詔釋道歲度十人。特放一人不試經業○詔天下童行。試經業剃度○仁宗詔試天下童行誦法華經。中選者得度。參政宋綬夏竦監試。

Taizu of the Song decreed a palace examination for śramaṇas on ten points of doctrine across sūtras, vinaya, and śāstras; those who passed all ten were granted purple robes. In the Yongxi era, Taizong decreed that all registered postulants across the empire be tonsured; henceforth, only those who read up to three hundred pages of scriptures were permitted to be registered. In the Zhidao era, an edict for the Liangzhe and Fujian circuits ruled that for every three hundred monks in a monastery, one could be ordained annually, and for every one hundred nuns, one could be ordained; reciting one hundred pages and reading five hundred pages constituted passing. Zhenzong decreed that out of every ten people ordained annually in Buddhism and Daoism, one person would be granted special ordination without testing scriptural studies. He decreed that postulants across the empire be examined in scriptural studies for tonsure. Renzong decreed that postulants across the realm be tested on reciting the Lotus Sūtra, with those selected receiving ordination; Assistant Grand Councilors Song Shou and Xia Song supervised the exams.