大宋僧史略 3.12

3.12

德號之興其來遠矣。魏晉之世。翻譯律本羯磨文中。皆曰大德僧。經云。為大德天生。論云。諸大德有神通者。及諸傳紀私呼僧中賢彥。多云大德。非國朝所補也。至唐代宗。內出香一合。送西明寺故上座大德道宣掌內。始見史傳。又代宗大曆二年。安國寺律大德乘如奏亡僧物色。乞依律斷輕重。宜依觀此文。似勅補也。然或詔勅中云。長老僧某。豈是補署邪。蓋一期之推飾耳。大德道宣律大德乘如亦同此也。大曆六年辛亥歲四月五日。勅京城僧尼。臨壇大德各置十人。以為常式。有闕即填。此帶臨壇。而有大德二字。乃官補德號之始也。憲宗朝。端甫為引駕大德。此帶引駕為目。宣宗大中四年六月降誕日。內殿禪大德辯肇二人。此帶禪學得名。又大中中。勅補聖壽寺臨壇大德賜紫。慧靈為總持寺上座。崇福寺講論大德賜紫。叡川充寺主。福壽寺臨壇大德賜紫。玄暢充都維那。大中十年。玄暢遷上座大德。玄則為寺主大德。堅信為悅眾。並從勅補。勅補號益分明矣。懿宗咸通六年。西涼府僧法信。稟本道節度使張義朝。差進乘恩法師所撰百法論疏抄。兩街詳定可以行。用勅宜依。其法信賜紫衣。充本道大德。又昭宗文德初生辰號嘉會節。詔兩街僧道講論至暮。各賜分物銀器。僧道賜師號者。右街兩人。紫衣各四人。德號各十人。朱梁後唐晉漢周。或行或不行。今大宋朝廷罕行德號。開寶中。左右街僧錄準舊勅得簡署三學雜科僧名題。或曰禪大德。或講經律論。表白聲讚。醫術諸科。宜與大德二字。近僧錄道深不循科目。多妄張懿美文字為題。至于四字六字。唯納賂而後行。江南兩浙之地。至有十寺院。中無長行可以充僧役也。

The rise of titles of worthiness has a distant origin. In the Wei and Jin periods, in the translations of the vinaya texts and karmavācanā liturgies, they were all called 'Bhadanta monks' (dade seng). Sūtras say, 'Born for the sake of the devas of great virtue (bhadanta)'; treatises say, 'All bhadantas endowed with spiritual penetrations...'; and various biographies privately referred to the virtuous and eminent among the monastic assembly mostly as 'Bhadanta'. These were not official appointments by the state dynasty. Coming to Emperor Daizong of the Tang, the inner palace issued a box of incense sent into the hands of the late Sthavira, Bhadanta Daoxuan of Ximing Monastery; this is where it first appears in historical records. Furthermore, in the second year of the Dali era of Emperor Daizong, Vinaya Bhadanta Chengru of Anguo Monastery submitted a memorial regarding the estate of a deceased monk, requesting that light and heavy penalties be judged in accordance with the vinaya; an imperial decree ordered that it be granted. Looking at this text, it resembles an imperial appointment. Yet sometimes imperial edicts say 'Elder monk So-and-so'—how could that be an official appointment? It was merely a temporary deferential embellishment. 'Bhadanta Daoxuan' and 'Vinaya Bhadanta Chengru' were likewise of this sort. On the fifth day of the fourth month in the sixth year of the Dali era, an imperial edict decreed that among the monks and nuns of the capital, ten Bhadantas of the Ordination Platform each be established as a permanent regulation, filling vacancies whenever they arose. This combined 'Ordination Platform' with the two characters 'Bhadanta', and was the beginning of state appointments to the title of Bhadanta. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, Duanfu served as the Carriage-Leading Bhadanta, which combined 'Carriage-Leading' as its title. On the imperial birthday in the sixth month of the fourth year of the Dazhong era of Emperor Xuanzong, Bian and Zhao were the two Chan Bhadantas of the Inner Palace, which took their title by combining Chan studies. Furthermore, during the Dazhong era, by imperial decree the Platform Bhadanta of Shengshou Monastery, bestowed purple, Huiling, was appointed Sthavira of Zongchi Monastery; the Lecture and Debate Bhadanta of Chongfu Monastery, bestowed purple, Ruichuan, served as Vihārasvāmin; and the Platform Bhadanta of Fushou Monastery, bestowed purple, Xuanchang, served as Chief Karmadāna. In the tenth year of the Dazhong era, Xuanchang was promoted to Sthavira Bhadanta, Xuanze became Vihārasvāmin Bhadanta, and Jianxin became Joy-Maker (karmadāna); all followed imperial appointment. Imperially appointed titles thereby became increasingly distinct. In the sixth year of the Xiantong era of Emperor Yizong, Monk Faxin of Xiliang Prefecture received orders from Zhang Yichao, the Military Commissioner of his circuit, who dispatched him to present the commentary and subcommentary on the *Treatise on the Hundred Dharmas* composed by Dharma Master Chengen. The Two Streets assessed that it was fit for promulgation, and an imperial decree approved it. That monk Faxin was granted a purple robe and appointed Bhadanta of his circuit. Furthermore, in the first year of the Wende era of Emperor Zhaozong, on the imperial birthday named the Jiahui Festival, an imperial edict summoned monks and Daoists of the Two Streets to lecture and debate until dusk; each was bestowed shares of goods and silver vessels. Among the monks and Daoists granted master's titles, there were two from the Right Street; four each were granted purple robes, and ten each were granted titles of Bhadanta. Under the Zhu Liang, Later Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou, this was sometimes practiced and sometimes not. Now, the court of our Great Song rarely confers titles of Bhadanta. During the Kaibao era, the Buddhist Registrars of the Left and Right Streets, according to old edicts, were permitted to evaluate and appoint the names and titles of monks in the miscellaneous subjects of the three disciplines, such as 'Chan Bhadanta', or in subjects such as lecturing on the sūtras, vinaya, and treatises, chanting invocations, hymning, and medical arts, which were fit to be granted the two characters 'Bhadanta'. Recently, Buddhist Registrar Daoshen did not follow the subject categories, but errantly fabricated grand and laudatory words for titles, even up to four or six characters, conferring them only after receiving bribes. In the regions of Jiangnan and the two Zhe circuits, there are even monasteries where, out of ten cloisters, none have ordinary monks fit to perform monastic corvée duties.