釋氏稽古略 4.10

4.10

In spring, on the sixteenth day of the second month, the Imperial Birthday, the debates and lectures on the three teachings were discontinued. Beginning after Kaibao, monks of the three learnings were summoned to the palace courtyard to be tested on the doctrinal meanings. Whenever the Imperial Birthday arrived, whether in the capital or throughout the world, monks were ordered to ascend the rostrum, expound the Dharma, and pray for the Emperor. The reality of this enduring practice through successive generations indeed originated from these doctrinal examinations (Song seng shi lüe, Rongzhai sanbi).