大宋僧史略 2.26

2.26

The name "Seat Head" (shouzuo) is precisely the sthavira (Seat Upper). He occupies the head of the assembly and sits above the monks; therefore it is so called. Investigating this: in the Tang dynasty, an imperial edict ordered Bianzhang to inspect and oversee the repair of a temple; Xuanzong rewarded his merits and appointed him Seat Head of the Three Teachings. During the Yuanhe reign period, Duanfu was only called "Discussant of the Three Teachings." This was because on imperial birthdays, one might happen to be summoned to ascend the inner palace halls to deliver praises and engage in disputations with other traditions; thus the label "Three Teachings" was marked. He did not necessarily have to master the Six Classics or broadly synthesize the two treatises; [rather, he had to] master all the branches of our own teaching, rising above and standing out among all the worthy scholars. But if he happened to be thoroughly versed in other traditions while deeply mastering our own teaching, facing kings and ministers without fear, and achieving merit by subduing stubborn attachments, he would bear this title with no sense of shame. Later, seat heads were sometimes established for the study of the sūtras and treatises, but Bianzhang was the first Seat Head of the Three Teachings. From the Later Liang down to the Zhou, the post was sometimes abolished and sometimes instituted, all according to the needs of the times. Today under our Great Song, there are Seat Heads for Lecturing on Sūtras and Seat Heads for Lecturing on Treatises; these are simply established separately outside of the Buddhist Registrars.