釋氏要覽 1.68

1.68

The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: "In Sanskrit, it is bhadanta; in the language of the Qin, it is dàdé (great virtue). In the vinaya, the Buddha is frequently called bhadanta." The Vinaya states: "The Buddha said: 'From this day forward, junior monks should address senior, long-standing monks as bhadanta.'" Regarding monks who are officially appointed here [in China], the Sengshilüe states: "On the fifth day of the fourth month in the sixth year of the Dali era of Emperor Daizong of the Tang dynasty (771 CE), it was decreed that ten platform-officiating bhadantas (lintan dade) be established each for the monks and nuns of the capital as a regular institution. This was the beginning of combining 'lintan' with the two characters 'dade.'" The Zenghui ji states: "One whose practice is complete and virtue is exalted is called bhadanta."