On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c8.s7.13

v1.c8.s7.13

The first step in promotion, Yuan-chuang relates, was that a Brother who could teach one treatise (or class of writings) in the Canon "was exempted from serving under the Prior". For the words within inverted commas the original is—Nai-mien-sêng-chih-shih (乃免僧知事), and Julien translates—"est dispensé des devoirs de religieux et dirige les affaires du couvent". This faulty interpretation, it will be seen, puts the disciple of one talent above the disciples of two or more talents. The Sêng-chih-shih or Karmadāna in a Buddhist monastery had control of its secular affairs, and the common monks were under his orders for all kinds of menial work. When a Brother proved himself well versed in one subject or department of the canon, and skilled in eloquent exposition of the same, he was, as a first step in advancement, exempted from performing the ordinary work of the establishment. This exemption was granted also in monasteries to which the learned Brother went as a guest. There is an Abhidharma treatise in which we find an illustration of our text. A stranger monk arrives in a monastery and is treated as a guest at first. Afterwards the Prior tells him that according to his seniority he is to take part in the daily routine of the establishment. But the guest said—No, I am not to work; I am a Ph. D., a Lun-shih, and his claim to be exempted was allowed.¹