T2025 The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations

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might still stumble [and not realize it]. If you postpone or procrastinate in realizing it, how much less of a chance will you have to overcome the force of karma! My respected Zen colleagues, it would be my pleasure if you would repeat the foregoing passages three times and thereby strive for realization of supreme enlightenment, equally benefiting yourself and others. End of Fascicle Five

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Chapter VII (continued)

3. Zazen Practice [Prior to

the Evening Zen Session]

After the noon meal, the practice hall attendant reports to the primary seat official the time of late afternoon zazen practice. He also posts a tablet indicating the zazen practice [to be held before the evening Zen session] in front of the practice hall and the practitioners' quarters. At dusk, incense is burned and candles are lit in the practice hall. The wooden sounding block located in front of the practitioners' quarters is struck to signal [the practitioners to assemble]. After the first strike, the practitioners enter the hall; at the second strike, the training officials enter; and at the third strike, the primary seat official enters.

(On this occasion, it is not required to strike the wooden sounding block located in front of the primary seat official's quarters; however, the block must be struck three times before the evening Zen session [or an evening lecture session].)

This procedure is much the same as the case of reporting to the abbot and striking the wooden sounding block of the abbot's office to announce the time of zazen practice. In some temples, it is against the regulations to not wear the kaṣāyarobe for the occasion of Zen sessions. When the cooking of the evening rice gruel has been completed, the practice hall attendant notifies the primary seat official: The release from Zen practice is in order, sir.

He passes behind the altar of the guardian bodhisattva and to its right, reaches the front entrance, takes down the tablet, and strikes the practice hall bell three times, at which time all practitioners bow in unison while remaining in their seats. The abbot leaves the hall, followed by the training 259

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officials. Thereupon the practitioners descend from the raised sitting platform and pull out their bedding to a half-open position. Previously the abbot and the training officials had all come to the practitioners' quarters for the evening meal. Perhaps, in ancient times, practitioners used to approach the abbot every evening for instruction and exposition as a general practice. Because of that, the abbot led all the members of the temple to assemble for the Zen session. At the drum signal, they proceeded to approach the abbot. The term "evening session" (zuosan) came from this practice. [There is an episode related to this.] Because the region of Fenzhou was very cold, the honorable Shanzhao canceled this type of evening session [on severe wintry days], and the phrase, "the release from the Zen (dialogue) session" (fangsan), derived from it. 4. The Evening Zen Session

Today, in monastic institutions where numerous practitioners reside, the "evening Zen session" (wansan) is still practiced with the original meaning. This is called the "great Zen practice session" (dazuosan) and it is nearly identical to a regular Zen session. The only difference, however, is that the primary seat official does not burn incense after entering the practice hall but proceeds directly to his place and waits for the abbot to enter and sit cross-legged at his seat. The practice hall attendant strikes the wooden sounding block at the primary seat official's quarters three times, and the practitioners turn around to face each other while sitting cross-legged on their seats. The primary seat official descends from his seat, leaves the hall through the rear entrance, reenters the hall through the front entrance, burns incense before the altar of the guardian bodhisattva, makes a round through the hall as usual, and then returns to his place and sits cross-legged. If the abbot conducts the evening session, the practice hall bell is not rung; the guest reception master of the abbot's office makes three drumbeats, signaling the abbot to leave the hall. The primary seat official, leading the practitioners, follows him to the Dharma hall or to the abbot's reception hall. When he takes his seat on the chair, the assistant official, the dual order officials, and the east and west hall [high-ranking guest] officials each step out individually from their regular positions and bow [to the abbot] (prior to the beginning of his exhortation). After the exhortation is over, the practitioners withdraw to their quarters for an evening meal.

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If there is no evening session, the practice hall attendant goes before the primary seat official and, after a bow, says:

The master of the temple (literally,

"the master of the practice hall,

"

tang tou heshang) has canceled the evening session, sir. Passing behind the altar and reaching the midpoint near the front entrance, the practice hall attendant bids the attendant in charge of meal proceedings (heshi) to announce, in a drawn-out voice:

The Zen session has been canceled.

When the practice hall bell is rung three times, the practitioners descend [from the raised sitting platform] and bow in unison. The primary seat official leaves the hall first, followed by the abbot and the training officials. The practitioners then pull out their bedding in full and go to the practitioners' quarters for the evening meal.

During a period when a series of Zen sessions is conducted, it is better to alternate days with a session with days having no session, so that the junior members can learn the proceedings. If, due to a variety of reasons, the evening session is repeatedly canceled, the alms-serving master, acting in place of the primary seat official, is obliged to pull open his bedding halfway, along with the practitioners. In the evening, when the wooden sounding block in front of the practitioners' quarters is struck three times, they leave their quarters and return to the practice hall. When the evening bell is tolled (or, if the temple is in a city, at the signal of drumbeats), the training officials enter the hall. The primary seat official also enters the hall at the sound of the bell, burns incense, and makes a round through the aisles of the hall. Next, the abbot enters, burns incense, and makes a round. When the timekeeping bell (dingzhong) signals the first watch of the night and fifth point (i.e., 8:40 P.M.), the abbot leaves the hall, followed by the training officials. When an extended session of zazen is requested (zaiqingchan), the abbot reenters the hall from the rear entrance and settles on his seat without making a round through the hall. The training officials follow the practitioners, and those who are taking a rest return immediately to their bed spaces. The abbot leaves the hall during the late-night watch. 261

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When the sound of the primary seat official opening his pillow is heard, the practitioners make ready to take their nightly rest. Those who wish to continue practicing zazen are not required to follow. Next morning, the practitioners are awakened by three strikes of the wooden sounding block. The practitioner assistant for the guardian bodhisattva pulls around the hall towel rack to surprise late risers. When the practitioners finish washing and return to the hall, the primary seat official enters first, burns incense, and makes a round through the hall. Next, the abbot enters, burns incense, and makes a round in the same way. At the signal of four drumbeats (i.e., the fourth watch of the night and the fifth point, 2:40 A.M.), the abbot leaves the hall. At the sound of the hall bell, the primary seat official leaves. The rest of the training officials and the practitioners leave the hall a moment later through the rear entrance, change their garments and hats, and, after a rest, return and wait on their bed spaces. Sometimes the primary seat official returns to the hall and once again makes a round through the aisles of the hall. When the hall bell has ceased ringing, the metal gong located at the kitchen hall is sounded to signal the time to fold up the bedding [and put it away in the storage rack]. The alms-serving master is obliged to fold up the primary seat official's bedding. The practitioners may then leave the hall as they wish. Contemplation of the buddhas or scriptures should be simultaneously practiced [along with zazen].

5. Individual Request

for Special Instruction

In general, a practitioner who wishes to have special instruction from the abbot must first speak to the assistant official, who will convey his wish to the master,

"So-and-so practitioner wishes to visit the abbot's office (fangzhang) for special instruction this evening.

" If [the abbot] grants the

request, the practitioner comes to the assistant's office after evening meditation and waits for the the assistant monk to prepare incense and candlelight and escort him to the abbot. With a bow, the practitioner burns incense, performs nine prostrations with fully opened sitting cloth (dazhanjiubai), and folding up the sitting cloth, steps forward and says:

As I, So-and-so, regard the matter of life and death of primary importance and am concerned with the swiftness of transformation, I earnestly 262

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request the venerable master in his compassion to grant me special instruction with words of expediency.

The practitioner is obliged to stand with solemn respect at the master's side and listen to his words intently. When it is over, he steps forward to burn incense and once again performs nine prostrations with fully opened sitting cloth. This is called the propriety of "giving thanks for causes and conditions" (xieyinyuan). If the full formality is excused, he should perform prostrations with unopened sitting cloth. The practitioner is also obliged to drop in at the assistant official's office to thank him.

6. The Propriety of Partaking

of the Morning Rice Gruel

and the Noon Meal

In the early morning, after the metal gong located at the kitchen hall has been struck to signal the release from morning silence, and later, at mealtime while awaiting the sound of the kitchen hall metal gong, the practitioners go to their respective places in the practice hall where their almsbowls are kept and take them down. They then enter the practice hall, bow before the altar of the guardian bodhisattva, and proceed, with palms joined together, to their respective seats. At the moment of ascending the raised sitting platform, they are obliged to greet their neighbors [on each side and across the aisle with a bow]. With your back to the raised sitting platform, first use your right hand to pull up your left sleeve and hold it by the left armpit, and then use your left hand to pull up the right sleeve and hold it by the right armpit. Then, supporting your weight on both hands placed on the board behind you, shove your sandals below the board [with your foot] and then first bend in your left foot and pull in the right foot next, proceeding to carry your whole body backward a foot or so across the wooden board. Then sit cross-legged, spread the kaṣāyarobe to cover the knees, neither revealing the undergarment nor letting it hang down over the platform. (Details of this process are given below in section VII, part 3.)

The administrative head, the director of practitioners' affairs, the maintenance official, the assistant official, and so on have their seats on the raised sitting platform of the higher section of the outer hall, whereas the training officials 263

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of guest reception, of the bath hall, of the Buddha hall, of the fundraising preacher, of the infirmary, and so on have their seats on the raised sitting platform of the lower section of the outer hall. In the Ancient Regulations, the abbot came to the practice hall every day. At breakfast, he first sits in the outer hall, and when the practice hall bell is rung, he enters the hall. All the practitioners at once descend from the raised sitting platform and greet him with a bow in unison before taking their seats again. Nowadays, the abbots of many monastic temples enter the hall to take their seats while the large bell is still being tolled, and when the practice hall bell is rung, they descend from their seats in order to bow in unison with the practitioners. By simply encountering the ceremonial acts of the first day of the month or of the midmonth day, or of the Zen lecture session of every fifth day of the month, it would be difficult for new arrivals at the monastic temples to know anything about ceremonial protocol in their early training. Before our time, our predecessors discussed why all must descend to the floor to bow in unison, and concluded that it was meant to be the time of each day when the officials of various quarters and the practitioners all exchange bows in unison. On the basis of this interpretation, it follows that wherever Zen practitioners live together, it is necessarily the norm that each day early in the morning all members descend from the raised sitting platform to exchange greetings with a bow in unison.

7. Attending the Special Tea and

Sweet Hot Water Reception

The propriety involved in the tea and sweet hot water reception by the abbot and the dual order officials is a rather serious matter for a number of reasons. One must not be negligent about it. Once invited, one must be on time to attend the event. First, you must observe the tablet indicating the seating places carefully and memorize the seating order so as to avoid the possibility of embarrassing confusion. If you are sick or pressed by nature and unable to attend such a reception, you must convey through a colleague your apology and reason to the hosting official. It is, however, inexcusable to not attend a reception hosted by the abbot. Anyone who does not attend [such a reception] due to negligence is certainly not entitled to live under the same roof. 264

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8. The Request for Universal

Participation in Tasks of Labor

The rule of "universal participation in the task of labor" is meant to equalize the work contribution of individuals, whether higher or lower in rank. In general, wherever a number of people live together, there should necessarily be things accomplished on the basis of all members' cooperative effort. Should such a necessity arise, the administrative head must first notify the abbot, then send an attendant to report the matter to the primary seat official and the director of practitioners' affairs, and assign the practice hall attendants to distribute the tasks among all the practitioners and post the tablet that indicates "all-out work for all members. " A small piece of paper [indicating the

time and place] should be posted on this board. At the sound of the wooden fish-shaped gong (muyu) or the drumbeat, every member tucks up his sleeves with a strip of cloth over his arms and assembles at the designated place for the task of labor. Except for the guard of the practitioners' quarters, the practice hall guard, and the sick and aged, every practitioner is equally required to participate in such tasks. In this connection, the maxim of the ancient master [Baizhang] should be recollected: "A day of no work is a day of no eating.

"

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VII. The Rules and Regulations

of Daily Conduct

1. Introduction

Zen Master Wuliangshou said [in the introduction to his Daily Regulations], Escaping from worldly dust and leaving human convention, shaving the head and wearing the kaṣāyarobe, and pursuing the path by sojourning in various monastic institutions, one must clearly know the rules and disciplines of these institutions.

Unless you know the rules by heart in the act of lifting up or putting down things, and also unless you are in accord with the normative disciplines in the act of moving or stopping, even if you have good teachers and colleagues, 265

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how would you be able to penetrate deeply into and intensely experience the subject of your pursuit? Since wrong behavior easily becomes an established custom through repetition and learning, it is very difficult to reform. Such wrong customs will devastate the seats of the monastic centers, and affect through chain reaction practitioners' minds, causing them to become negligent in their religious pursuits. Because such fault and sickness are so frequently observed in everyday life, it has finally led to the compilation of those paradigmatic rules of Baizhang as models. If one seeks the origin and goal of these [paradigmatic] rules, one must spend days from morning to night [studying them]. In order to escape from the [mind's lack of understanding] about these rules, it is necessary to put each of these rules into practice immediately, and only after strict adherence to each [rule] can one claim that one has pursued the nature of the self, clarified the forms of the mind, understood the problem of life, and grasped the nature of death. The rules of the secular world are [essentially] identical with those of the sacred. The practitioners who renounce [secular life] and are constantly traveling can bequeath their rules to those who have not renounced [secular life]. For many householders are not inferior physically or mentally to those who have left the householder life, and they are equally obliged to discharge their indebtedness to the buddhas and patriarchs. The model rules of daily life will be respectfully enumerated in the following. 2. The Rules for Morning

Proceedings

As to the rules of conduct among the practitioners, you should not go to sleep before others do, nor should you get up after others have. Before the timekeeping bell signals three o'clock in the morning, you must arise energetically and put your pillow at the foot of the bed space. It is not yet necessary to fold up the bedding, as this may disturb your immediate neighbors who are still asleep. Pull yourself together and sit straight with the whole body, so as not to create wind which may disturb your neighbors. If you feel fatigue, push the quilt off your feet, pick up your towel with the left hand, and intone the following verse: From three o'clock in the morning until dusk, every sentient being must reflect upon himself with the following prayer: "Even if my life 266

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should end at this very moment, may I immediately be reborn in the Pure Land.

"

Then, go out to the washstand, lifting the hanging screen [of the practice hall] softly. You must not make noise by dragging your sandals or gargling loudly. It is said in the Ancient Regulations:

When one lifts the hanging screen to go out of the entrance of the hall, one should not let his hand drop until it is all the way down. After coming out of the hall, one should never drag one's sandals. The water tray for washing one's face must be gently handled, and one should not use too much hot water. Dip the right fingers in dentifrice and rub the left side of the mouth, then dip the left fingers in dentifrice and rub the right side of the mouth. Do not dip your fingers in the dentifrice again; it should be cautioned that one's mouth odor may be transmitted to others [in this way]. When rinsing the mouth, lean forward with your head down and after taking the water, spit it out with both hands downward; it is cautioned that [if you spit water while standing upright,] it may splash over nearby buckets that are being used by others.

You must not wash the head. There are four disadvantages for yourself and others [in doing so]: 1) it stains the washtray, 2) it soils the towel with oil, 3) it withers the hair, and 4) it injures the eyes. Do not make noise by blowing your nose, splashing water onto your face, loudly [expelling water from the mouth], or defiling the washing trays by spitting. The Ancient Regulationsset forth the [general] rule as follows: Washing the face at three o'clock in the morning is for the primary purpose of religious practice. [Expelling water from the mouth] and stamping with the sandals are most annoying to the practitioners who are seriously engaged in practice. While washing your face do not fight others for towels, nor should you use the towel to wash your head. After washing your face, hang up the towel or place it to dry over a fire.

When entering the practice hall through the higher-ranking section, step into the hall with the left foot first; conversely, when entering from the 267

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lower-ranking section, step into the hall with the right foot first. Then ascend the raised sitting platform, fold up your bedding halfway, and sit upon it cross-legged. When changing your garment, you must put the new one on over the old one, keeping yourself covered while taking the old one off. You must not expose any part of your body while changing clothes, nor should you create a breeze by moving hurriedly.

If you wish to burn incense and venerate the Buddha, you should do so while the timekeeping bell is being rung. Carry the kaṣāyarobe in your sleeve, leave the hall by the rear entrance, and don the robe outside. Regardless of whether you are at your seat or away from it, when you are about to put on the kaṣāyarobe, with palms together, [raise the robe] to your forehead and intone the following verse:

How great is the robe of liberation;

Formless yet the field of every merit.

Wearing this robe now with veneration,

I am determined to wear this robe in all my lives to come. Oṃ siddhāya svāhā(anxituoyesuohe).

To fold up the kaṣāyarobe, first pull the grip portion and untie the ring. You should not hold the robe in your mouth or use your chin to pull the robe. After folding up the robe, you must bow again before leaving the area. When venerating the Buddha at the shrine hall (diantang), you must not occupy the central part of the floor lest you obstruct the abbot's entrance into [the hall] for the rite of veneration. Nor should you call the names of the buddhas out loud, nor should you walk beside someone who is performing the rite of veneration. You must take a place in the empty rear part of the hall. When the bell signals three o'clock, recollect in your mind this verse: May the sound of this bell go beyond this Dharma world. May it be heard by all those who abide in the dark, ghostly world of iron prisons.

May those who suffer in the three deplorable realms of existence be freed from it,

Ending the perpetual warfare of sword-wheels.

May all sentient beings establish supreme enlightenment. 268

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When the abbot and the primary seat official are practicing zazen in the practice hall, no one can enter or exit the hall through the front entrance. [At the end of morning zazen practice, at the time of "minor release of silence" (kaixiaojing), everyone must fold up their bedding and place the pillow within it. The way to fold the bedding is to first find the two front corners and stretch the quilt by hand straight in front. Then fold that one half into half, and next fold the other half which is closer to you into half. You must not extend the quilt into the neighboring space by folding it sideways, nor should you let any sounds escape when pulling the quilt, nor should you create any air movement by shaking it. You may either go to the practitioners' quarters to have an herbal medicine drink, or engage in the practice of a "meditational stroll" (jing xing) in the hall, eventually returning to your almsbowl position by turning [left] toward your upper shoulder (i.e., the left shoulder). When entering the hall from the front entrance, you must step in from its southern [left-hand side] corner; you are not allowed to approach from the northern corner or from the center. This is perhaps out of reverence for the abbot. 3. The Rules for Meal

Proceedings

As to meal proceedings, when the wooden fish-shaped gong is sounded signaling mealtime, no one is allowed to enter the hall. You may request a meal attendant to fetch your bowl and sit in the outer hall. Or, returning to the practitioners' quarters, you may join the serving team. When you enter the hall and reach your assigned position to take meals (bowei,literally, "almsbowl

position"), keep your head slightly lowered and bow toward your neighbors on both the higher and lower sides as well as across the aisle. If you have already been seated, when your neighbors come to their seats, you are obliged to join your palms together. The Ancient Regulations has the following: Unless one greets with respect the practitioners of the higher and lower seats as well as those across the aisle, there is no difference between a Buddhist gathering and [a gathering] of brahmans.

After the sound of the wooden fish-shaped instrument, the metal gong in the kitchen hall is sounded to signal practitioners to take their almsbowls 269

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down. Rise and stand straight for a moment, then turn again toward your upper shoulder (i.e., to the left), with both palms together, ready to take the bowl down. First, with your right hand release it from the hook, then with your left hand support it while turning around and bending down to place it on the floor. In this way, you can avoid colliding with your neighbor with your back hip. When the hall bell rings, everyone must descend to the floor to greet the abbot, who is entering the hall, and all bow in unison. No one, however, should move their hands to the right or left. When descending to the floor, move close to the wooden board-edge and bow and, after descending, you must not let your kaṣāyarobe hang over the board [while standing in front of it]. After the greeting, all once again ascend the raised platform in a careful manner, not abruptly tossing your body onto it. Set the almsbowl on the board-edge, and upon hearing the sound of the mallet [striking the octagonal wooden post], you are obliged to intone the following verse from memory:

The Buddha was born in Kapilavastu,

Enlightened in Magadha,

First preached in Vārāṇaṣī,

Entered nirvana at Kuśinagara.

As to the manner of "opening the bowl,

" first recite, with palms joined

together, the following verse mindfully:

Now I have opened the Tathāgata's almsbowl

That spontaneously measures the quantity of need.

I wish, along with all sentient beings, to realize the insight that The donor, the recipient, and the alms received are all of the nature of emptiness.

Thereupon, untie the knot of the wrapping cloth [around the almsbowl] and take out the clean handkerchief to cover your lap and knees. The wrapping cloth must be folded into a triangular form, so that it may be placed on the board-edge without hanging over.

First, unfold the tray sheet (bodan), pick up the bowl with your left hand, palm upward, and set it on the tray-sheet. Then using the thumbs of both hands, take out the [three] nested bowls (fenzi). Lay them out [from right to 270

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left], smaller to larger, and do not make a clattering noise while handling them, nor should your fourth and fifth fingers touch the bowls. Fold the drying cloth of the bowl into a small size, and place it together with the sack holding the spoon and chopsticks, laying these horizontally nearest your place (literally, "to the body"). When placing the utensils into the sack, you should put the spoon into the sack first [and then the chopsticks], but when removing them from the sack, take out the chopsticks first, [then the spoon]. The utensils are to be laid out horizontally, with the handle of the utensil regarded as clean facing toward the upper (i.e., left) shoulder. The bowl-cleaning spatula (boshua) must be laid vertically to the side of the second bowl, with its tip extending half an inch out from the tray sheet, so that alms [for the sake of the hungry ghosts] may be placed on it. Neither the spoon nor the chopsticks should be used for this offering, and it ought to be no more than seven grains of rice. If [the offering] consists of less than this amount, it is regarded as showing greed for food. Whenever food is received [in the almsbowl,] it is a general rule to make such an offering, but when food has not been received, it is not permissible to make an offering directly from the serving ladle. While the director of practitioners' affairs intones the names of buddhas, the practitioners hold both palms together, with the fingers held evenly. Join your palms together [and let your hands] lightly graze your chest; do not let your fingertips reach the mouth. The following statement is found in the Ancient Regulations:

There are those who hold both palms together but do not [rest] the hands on their chest. Both hands cross each other at the fingers, with the fingertips almost sticking into their nostrils. In dragging the sandals and lifting up the entrance screen, there is no refined cordiality whatsoever. Uttering sounds like [expelling water] and leaking breath, they look like [battlefield] heroes.

When receiving food, you are obliged to hold the bowl with both hands and intone the following verse from memory:

When one receives almsfood, one must wish that

All may have the Zen experience of delight as their food, And be filled with the sense of rejoicing in the Dharma. 271

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In order to request more or less [food from the server], signal by keeping your right hand still or raising it slightly [to indicate that you have received enough].

When the octagonal wooden post is struck with the mallet [to signal the completion of the first serving], you must observe your neighbors [so as to be in tandem with them], lift the [main bowl] straight up in front of your forehead, and make a slight bow. Do not shake [the bowl] to the right or left. After bowing, you must intone the "Verse of Fivefold Reflection" on almsfood: First, reflect upon the many labors [made by other people in order for this food to be served to you] and for what reason [has this food been served to you].

Second, reflect upon whether your virtue and practice have been perfected or are far from satisfactory, and [renew your resolution before] partaking of the almsfood.

Third, reflect upon whether your mind is prevented [from evil thoughts] and freed from wrongdoing, because such [actions] are caused by desire, and so forth.

Fourth, reflect upon whether you regard food as good medicine and use it properly to treat illness and prevent emaciation of the physical form and [to maintain] strength.

Fifth, reflect upon whether you are aware that it is for the sake of realizing the ultimate goal of the path that you receive this almsfood. Next, you must produce some alms and intone the following verse from memory:

O host of hungry ghosts, I now make an offering of food for you; This food is offered widely in all ten directions, for all the hungry ghosts.

As to the manner of eating, you must not bring your mouth to the bowl, nor bring the bowl to the mouth. Whether taking up the bowl or putting it down, you must not make noise either with the spoon or chopsticks. You should not cough or sneeze. If this naturally occurs, you should cover your nose with your sleeve. You must not scratch your head, because dandruff may fly and fall into the bowls of neighboring practitioners, nor should you [put 272

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your finger in your] ear, nor make noise when chewing rice and drinking soup. You should not collect rice in the center of the bowl, nor should you take a large amount [of food] into the mouth [in one bite], nor should you open your mouth in anticipation of the food, nor should you let food drop from your mouth, nor should you pick up and eat food with your fingers. If there remains any vegetable sediment, leave it below the edge of the bowl. Do not create [malodorous] wind which might affect neighboring seats. If you are afraid of doing so, you may take a seat in the outer hall after obtaining permission from the director of practitioners' affairs. Do not rest your hands on your knees. Request only as much food as you need. Do not leave food after eating a part of it. Wet food (i.e., soup, side dishes, etc.) should not be placed in the primary bowl. Do not eat by pouring soup into the primary bowl and sifting rice from it. Do not eat rice by mixing it with side dishes in the primary bowl. While eating, pay attention always to your neighbors on each side, so as not to be too far [ahead or] behind in the proceedings. You must not start cleaning the bowl with the spatula before the second serving has been completed, nor should you make noise by sucking the tip of the spatula. Before the food is served, you should refrain from creating mental defilement. The Ancient Regulationshas enumerated these misbehaviors as follows: Foolishly looking around in all directions, becoming depressed or angry;

Thinking of food, swallowing saliva and thus coughing frequently; Pouring rice gruel, slurping soup, and stuffing food into the mouth; Opening the seat and spreading the bowl set, making noise everywhere toward all neighbors.

As to the manner of washing the bowl, water is placed in the primary bowl and the smaller bowls are washed in due order in the [main] bowl, but [do not wash] the spoon and chopsticks in it. [Wash the bowls using only the thumbs and first two fingers, keeping the fourth and fifth fingers extended;] after the bowl washing is done you may bend your fourth and fifth fingers. Do not gargle, as it makes noise, or spit water into the bowl. You must not wash the bowl while [the water] is boiling hot. Before the remaining water has been discarded, no one is allowed to remove the cloth used to cover the lap. Do not use this cloth to wipe sweat [from your face] The residue water 273

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must not be thrown onto the floor; [before it is discarded in the bucket], you must intone the following verse from memory:

This water with which I have cleansed the bowls Tastes like ambrosia.

I offer it to all the hungry ghosts,

Wishing that they all be gratified by it.

Oṃ mahorase svāhā(anmoxiuloxisuopohe).

As for the manner of placing the smaller bowls back into the primary bowl, use the thumbs of both hands to pick up each bowl in due order and place them [gently] one after another into [the main bowl]. After this has been completed, hold your palms together and recollect the verse that is recited at the end of each meal:

Having finished the food, I feel the strength of my physical body, Whose majesty shakes the heroes in all directions and in the three times.

Neither abiding here nor remaining yonder, nor holding on to a moment of thought,

I wish that all sentient beings acquire supernatural powers. At the signal of the striking of the wooden sounding block in the practitioners' quarters, the practitioners return to their quarters and bow. If someone does not return to his assigned position, it is regarded as being rude to the fellow practitioners. Entering the quarters as well as coming to your seat is performed exactly as is done in the practice hall. Remaining in position, wait for the moment when the master of the quarters finishes burning incense, then bow to your neighbors, both higher and lower in rank. 4. Drinking Tea and Reading

Sutras at the Practitioners'

Quarters

When practitioners take their seats to have tea in the practitioners' quarters, they must be careful not to allow their robes to hang down. Nor should they talk and laugh with others with their heads close together. Do not greet others 274

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by a single raised hand, nor collect leftover (powdered) tea. Thus, the Ancient Regulationshas this to say:

When ascending the raised sitting platform, you must not let your robe hang overboard.

Some greet others with a single hand, but for what reason? Some secretly collect powdered tea, thus becoming the laughingstock of bystanders. Detestable is the wasting of time by neighboring pathseekers who [talk idly] with their heads close together.

After drinking tea, if you want to read sutras do not unfold the text scroll too widely but limit it to [a two-page length]. You must not walk about in the quarters carrying the sutra in your hand, nor should you let its binding cord hang down, nor should you read it aloud, nor should you lean against the wallboard. The Ancient Regulationsthus has these words: Reading sutras aloud irritates neighboring practitioners, Leaning back on the wallboard is a slight to the fellow practitioners. It is advisable to leave the quarters early for zazen practice. Do not wait until you hear the signal of the wooden sounding block. 5. Using the Lavatory

When going to the lavatory, according to the Ancient Regulations,you must change into the robe made of five strips of cloth (wutiaoyi;namely, a simplified robe). Take a clean handkerchief and hang it over the left arm. Untie the string belt and hang it upon the bamboo rack, and take off the simplified robe and one-piece garment. Neatly fold them up and put them together with the handkerchief, marking the place. You must not engage in laughter and conversation, nor should you urge others in the lavatory to hurry across the doorway. Enter the lavatory carrying a water bucket in your right hand. When changing sandals, do not leave them in disarray. Place the bucket of water in front, and snap your fingers three times in order to warn the hungry ghosts who feed upon feces. Squat down and maintain the right posture, do not groan nor spit saliva or nasal mucus, nor should you make conversation with another through the wall. The Ancient Regulationssays: 275

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At the doorway, snap your fingers lightly.

If someone still remains within, why is it necessary to speak aloud? Using bamboo spatulas in the lavatory, you must distinguish an unused one from used ones.

When coming out of the lavatory, you must not leave the shoes in disarray.

Do not pour water on both hands for cleansing. When the left hand is used for cleaning, cover the thumb and the two adjacent fingers, and do not use many bamboo spatulas. The Ancient Regulationssays: You may use warm water but not too much.

Stop fooling around with the bamboo spatulas.

After using the spatulas, wash them with water and leave them in the space near the lavatory. When there are many practitioners in line, do not stay too long because it inconveniences others. Leave the water bucket where it was before. Using your dry hand, fix your underwear and put on the under-robe. Open the door with your dry hand and come out, carrying the bucket with the left hand. You must not touch the door panel or the side of the door with your wet hand. Pick up a pinch of ash and then dirt with your right hand, not with your wet hand. You must not spit saliva to mix with the dirt. Wash the left hand and then use [soap] to wash the hand [and forearm] up to the elbow. You must intone a mantra at each act of cleansing (mantras given below). According to the Mahayana Tripiṭaka text, the Sutra of the Garland of the Bodhisattva(Yinglojing), it is said:

In general, whosoever goes to the lavatory and does not intone the prescribed mantras will never be able to cleanse his defilement, even upon reaching the subterranean depth of the golden layer by using as much as ten times the [amount of] water in the Ganges River to wash his defilement away. No matter how often he presents himself in the shrine hall to worship the Buddha, it is said to be of no use. Therefore, one must maintain the mantras steadfastly and intone them seven times each on every occasion. Because of this practice, the ghosts and spirits always accompany him and protect anyone who intones them accordingly. 276

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When going into the lavatory, intone the charm: Oṃ krodhāya svāhā (Angenlutuoyesuohe).

When washing: Oṃ hanāmṛte svāhā(Anhenangmilidisuohe).

When washing the hands: Oṃ śuklāya svāhā (Anzhuqieluo ye suohe). When purifying the body: Oṃ śrīye sahe svāhā(Anshiliyi suo xi suohe). When purifying defilement: Oṃ vajrodaka ṭha svāhā(Anfeizhe luo nang jiazha). Finally, cleanse your mouth with fresh water. Some Vinaya rules prescribe the method of cleansing after urination.

6. Miscellaneous Rules for

Daily Conduct

[After visiting the lavatory], one may chew a toothpick and return to the practice hall and zazen practice. As long as no signal is heard from the kitchen hall metal gong, you should not return to the practitioners' quarters. Nor should you wash your clothing before the morning gruel. Nor should you open your storage box before the morning rice gruel, before the noon meal, or after the signal canceling the evening session. If it is an unavoidable situation, you must speak to the person responsible for the respective matter of concern. For instance, in the case of the practitioners' quarters, you must speak to the master of the quarters. In the case of the practice hall, you must talk to the assistant official of the guardian bodhisattva. After the noon meal is over, no one is allowed in the practice hall in order to put their heads together for idle talk. Nor should you read sutras or any kind of text in the practice hall. While engaged in a meditational stroll between the higher- and lower-ranking sections, you must not take a direct passage [from one side to another] through the hall. Do not count coins by displaying them on your seat, nor hang your feet over the board-edge while sitting on the raised platform. The one-foot-wide board-edge is regarded as a clean space for three reasons: First, it is the space where the almsbowl is used; second, it is the space where the kaṣāyarobe is placed; and third, it is the space toward where one's head is directed during sleep at night. You must not walk on the raised platform across neighboring space units. Nor should anyone open their storage box by squatting down on the floor. Nor should you descend from the raised platform by stepping on the board-edge.

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After going around outside the temple wearing grass sandals and the simplified robe made of five strips of cloth, no one is allowed to step into and walk about in the Buddha's shrine hall or the Dharma hall [without first changing their clothes]. The Ancient Regulationssays: After entering into the lavatory with a shoulder exposed Or walking in the field outside wearing grass sandals, No one should step into the Dharma hall, Nor encounter any senior practitioner (i.e., without first changing into the proper clothing).

You should not wear the practitioner's sandals with bare feet. Nor should you walk hand in hand with another while explaining the secular truth as to its rightness and wrongness. The Ancient Regulationshas the following words: Separating oneself from one's parents and leaving one's original teacher,

What would one intend to accomplish by traveling afar to seek knowledge?

Whoever has not settled with the matter of the religion of the Zen tradition,

May not accomplish anything, even until they become white-haired. Whose fault is this?

At the Buddha's shrine hall, you must not lean on the railings of the building, nor should you suddenly move quickly like a crazy person. The Ancient Regulations says:

Movement must be conducted with gentle walking, For which one must learn Assaji's majestic demeanor, Words must be spoken in a low voice,

For which one must learn Upāli's manner. Do not stay in the shrine hall just to pass time. The Ancient Regulations says:

One must not go to the shrine hall for no purpose, Nor should one step into the stupa compound to waste time. 278

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Unless one visits [these places] to sweep the ground or sprinkle scented water,

No matter how often [one visits, as numerous as] the sands of the Ganges River, the benefit would diminish to nothing.

When washing your clothing after the noon meal, you must keep one shoulder covered. Nor should you soak the garment by pouring hot water directly from a jar. After using the bamboo poles and drying racks, they must be returned to their place. When the wooden sounding block is struck to signal the time for washing the feet, [indicating the end of laundry work,] you must not compete with others to obtain a washbucket. If you have boils or sores that itch, you must wash your feet after the others finish, or go somewhere not directly within sight to do so. Each practitioner must act expediently to avoid any occasion that might incur disturbance in the minds of his fellow practitioners. You should return to the practice hall without waiting for the signal of the wooden sounding block when your work is done. When evening zazen practice is over, each practitioner opens his bedding to one-half size and descends to the floor. If the evening Zen session has been canceled, when the wooden sounding block located at the primary seat official's quarters is struck, everyone turns around to face each other across the aisle. Whenever the wooden sounding block is struck as a signal, everyone is obliged to return to the practice hall. Once the signal has been completed, no one is allowed to enter the hall. No one should remain standing outside the hall. When the abbot and primary seat official leave the hall, the practitioners can open their bedding and descend from the raised platform, and after a bow, proceed to the practitioners' quarters for the evening meal. When each one has settled in his position, he should not, however, get up or immediately stand up to fetch his meal. Nor should anyone shout aloud or compete to obtain items such as gruel, rice, salt, vinegar, and so on. After the evening meal, one must leave the quarters but not go beyond the main gate or to any of the smaller quarters. No one is allowed to return to the practice hall or walk through the corridors without wearing the regular robe. Nor should anyone wait for the signal of the wooden sounding block to leave the practitioners' quarters.

When the evening bell is tolled, each practitioner, with palms together, silently and mindfully recites this verse:

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Listening to the sound of the evening bell, we feel that defilement is reduced,

It increases far-reaching insight, inducing enlightenment, It helps us out of hell and the fiery pit.

Let us aspire to realize buddhahood and help sentient beings. Everyone must first return to his floor space to practice zazen. You must not scratch your head on the raised meditation platform, nor should you make noise by manipulating your prayer beads on the raised platform, nor should you exchange conversation with your immediate neighbors. If the practitioner next to you is not yet well cultivated, you must help him improve himself by way of skillful words, and never hold a sense of dislike toward him. After the bell [is rung] to signal the end of zazen practice or the time to sleep, no one may use the front entrance for going or coming. Awaiting the moment when the primary seat official prepares his pillow, those who feel extremely tired go right to sleep. While sleeping, lie on your right side, not [on your back] facing straight upward, because this is called the dead man's sleep. Sleeping [with your face down] is called indulgent sleep because it creates bad dreams. Wrap the kaṣāyarobe in the handkerchief, and place it above your head (i.e., on the board-edge). Today many practitioners place it below their feet, but logically this is not a convenient practice. 7. The Rules for Bathing

On bath day, carry your toiletries in the right hand, enter the bath hall from the lower-ranking section, and, after a bow, go to an empty space. After greeting your fellow practitioners to the right and left, hang the sash of the robe made of five strips of cloth over the bamboo rack, spread the bathing garment (yufu) on the floor, place the toiletries to the side, and disrobe. Before taking off the one-piece robe, remove your underwear and wrap the loincloth around your body to prevent the bathing trousers (yuqun) from becoming loose. Then untie your underwear [above and below] and place it in the wrapping cloth. Next, take off the one-piece robe and tie it together with the sash and the robe made of of five strips of cloth. The Ancient Regulationssays: When you hear the three drumbeats and enter the bath hall, 280

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Separate those clothes that directly "touched" the body from those that are "clean.

"

Wrap all your clothing into one bundle, turning it front and back, and then change into the wooden footwear. Do not enter the bathwater with bare feet. You should wait your turn to bathe at an empty spot in the lower-ranking section and must not occupy the space reserved for the training officials and senior-ranking practitioners (called the higher-ranking section). Be careful not to pour hot water over another's body. Do not dip your foot inside the bucket, nor urinate inside the bathing room, nor prop your feet up on the bucket, nor exchange laughter and conversation with others. Do not rest your feet over the trough, nor bail water out. Do not pour water over your body with a bucket while standing. If there are other practitioners nearby, you must prevent any water from splashing upon them. Do not let the loincloth drop from your body. Do not dip your feet into the water bucket to wash them, nor use too much hot water. Those who have wounds should wash the wound with moxa cautery or use medicinal materials. Those with itching sores must bathe last and not try to enter into the bath any earlier by hassling [others]. Do not use the public washcloths for cleaning your head or face, because these are used for hand-cleaning after wearing the undergarment, and thereby you put the robe made of five strips of cloth on over it. After coming out of the bath, greet those on the right and left, ascend the raised platform, and sit cross-legged for a while facing the wall. Then, first donning the robe and the one-piece robe, descend to the ground, take down your bathing trousers while bundling up the loincloth into it. This is because the wrapping cloth may have become wet. Holding the handkerchief in your left hand, greet [those on] the right and left, then leave the hall. Find the names of the donors and chant sutras or intone mantras as you wish, concluding with an invocation of merit transference. 8. The Rules for Being

at the Fireside

During the winter months, when approaching the fireside, you must first sit on the fireside board, then turn around to the back, and, sitting properly, greet [those on] the right and left. You must not play with the fire shovels and pokers, 281

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nor should you blow on the fire or let ashes fly up. Do not exchange conversation by putting your head together [with others], and neither should food items be placed in the embers. Do not dry your sandals to the point of scorching, nor burn your shins or clothing. Do not expose your underwear by rolling up the one-piece robe. Do not spit or toss filth into the fire. 9. Conclusion of the Daily

Rules of Conduct

The rules of daily conduct as previously collected are concerned with the major events that take place in the lives of practitioners and are not intended to be heard by established senior practitioners. It is hoped that these rules may be helpful to those who are junior in their religious careers. There are many more intricate and detailed rules concerned with the major categories of monastic events, such as the ascent to the Dharma hall, admission to the instructional room, the supplementary session, sutra chanting, prayer invocation, making rounds through the practitioners' quarters, the commencement and completion of retreats, interpersonal proprieties, packing and traveling, and funeral rites and auctions. These regulations have already been introduced [elsewhere] in detail. Since renowned senior masters have written their respective elucidations in great number concerning the rules and regulations, I shall refrain from bringing up their words here again in order to avoid unnecessary excess. VIII. An Exposition on the

Model Zen Principles of

Conduct (Guijingwen)

The following was written by Great Master Cijiao, the honorable Zongze (ca. twelfth century):

Representing the fragrant dual trees (i.e., Bodhidharma and his master Prajñātāra), Bodhidharma transmitted the [benevolent] shade to the eastern land and produced a single flower as its auspicious manifestation. Ever since the coming of the patriarch from the west, the facility of the Zen monastic institution was destined to evolve fundamentally for the community of practitioners.

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[1. The Normative Principles for the

Community of Practitioners]

Thus came to be the position of senior head official (abbot) to teach the community of practitioners in the Zen religion. So did the position of primary seat official to provide model leadership for the community of practitioners. So did the position of the head administrative official to support the community of practitioners.

So did the position of the director of practitioners' affairs to harmonize the community of practitioners. So did the position of kitchen official to prepare daily provision for the community of practitioners.

So did the position of maintenance official to engage himself in various tasks for the community of practitioners. So did the position of treasury official to keep accounts of revenues and expenditures on behalf of the community of practitioners. So did the position of secretarial official to deal with recording and correspondence for the community of practitioners. So did the position of Tripiṭaka hall official to preserve the sacred scriptures for the community of practitioners.

So did the position of guest reception official to receive and attend patron donors on behalf of the community of practitioners. So did the position of [abbot's] assistant to communicate requests and invitations between the abbot and the community of practitioners. So did the position of the master of the quarters to guard personal possessions, clothing, and almsbowls for the community of practitioners. So did the position of infirmary master to provide care and medicine for the community of practitioners. So did the positions of bath master and water supply chief to provide sanitary bathing and laundry for the community of practitioners. So did the positions of charcoal supply chief and fireplace chief to shield the community of practitioners from cold weather. So did the positions of alms campaign leader and fundraising master to make appeals for monetary and alms donation for the community of practitioners.

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So did the positions of farmyard chief, mill operator chief, and estate management master to devote themselves to the tasks of labor for the community of practitioners.

So did the position of cleaning task chief to sweep and scrub on behalf of the practitioners.

So did the position of meal servers to wait upon the community of practitioners in serving them food.

As given before, the practitioners' career of pursuit of the path is perfectly equipped with all kinds of assistance in every dimension, and the provision that supports their physical health is manifest in all varieties of realization. The community of practitioners has no worry whatsoever and can devote themselves single mindedly to the pursuit of the path. The community of practitioners is honorable and precious to human society and enjoys leisurely freedom from the work of [securing one's] material needs. Thus, the community of practitioners, which is immaculate and transcendent, is the highest. Reflecting upon the assisting works of the multitude, shouldn't we know and discharge our indebtedness? [2. The Practitioners' Adherence

to the Normative Principles]

From morning zazen to the evening Zen session, the practitioners should exert effort in the pursuit of the path, without losing one moment. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the senior head of the monastic community.

The practitioner should learn the propriety of the order of high and low, and be firmly in command of the decorum whether in movement or stationary. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the primary seat official.

The practitioner should respect the external regulations and adhere to the inner rules. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the head administrative official.

The practitioner should be harmonious, like milk and water, with the other practitioners in six ways (i.e., physical harmony, in sharing the same residence; verbal harmony, in the absence of disputation; 284

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volitional harmony, in sharing the same action; disciplinary harmony, in sharing the same practice; harmony of thought, in sharing the same understanding; and harmony of receiving benefit, in sharing equal amounts). This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the director of practitioners' affairs.

The practitioner should receive the food that is offered for the sake of realizing the goal of the practice. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the kitchen official.

The practitioner should carefully use and look after the household items of his current quarters. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the maintenance official. The practitioner should refrain from misusing public items (i.e., things belonging to the monastic temple). This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the treasury official.

The practitioner should refrain from taking and carrying pens (i.e., so as to engage in writing and intellectual abstraction) but diligently exert effort in the practice, as if putting out a fire burning on top of their head. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the secretarial official. The practitioner should examine his mind of understanding in reference to the ancient teachings under bright windows and on a clean desk. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the Tripiṭaka hall official.

The practitioner should [be humble about] his accomplishments, [not brag of] his career, and speak no adulation. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the guest reception official. The practitioner should always be available and punctual in presenting himself prior to the appointed time when requested. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the abbot's assistant. In dealings with his colleagues, the practitioner should be firm, like a mountain, regardless of whether it is a vase (i.e., a minor item) or a bowl (i.e., an important item) that is missing. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the master of the quarters. The practitioner should keep his mind calm as to his sickness and suffering, and willingly take the [prescribed] rice gruel and medicine. 285

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This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the infirmary hall master.

The practitioner should maintain gentleness and quietude while taking a bath and not be unmindful of the various labors that have gone into the preparation of the bathwater. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the bath hall master and the water supply chief. The practitioner should keep his mouth shut, his hands together, and withdraw from the fireside in order to let others have a chance [to warm themselves]. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the charcoal supply chief and the fireplace chief.

The practitioner should reflect upon whether his virtue and practice are deserving when receiving almsfood. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the alms campaign leader and the fundraising master. The practitioner should realize the innumerable labors and benevolent conduct that have brought food to him. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the farmyard chief, the mill operator chief, and the estate management master.

The practitioner should bail water, carry used bamboo spatulas, and have a sense of shame and repentance. This is the way to discharge one's indebtedness to the cleaning task chief.

The practitioner should be easy to follow and simple to serve. This is the way to discharge one' indebtedness to the meal-serving personnel. If these normative principles are well understood, there will be a perpetual renewal of life in the Zen monastic institution. Those who are endowed [with superior qualities] may realize the goal within one lifetime. Those who are endowed [with mediocre qualities] will nourish and develop buddha-nature in themselves [for future realization]. There are those who, though not yet possessing insight into the mind's origin, are nevertheless determined not to discard the fore going principles in vain. The community consisting of these practitioners indeed constitutes the true treasure and most worthy field of merit in this world. It is [like] a ferry or a bridge that immediately leads to the goal of our religion during the current latter-day period, and, at last, one will experience the twofold ultimate fruit of wisdom and blessedness attributed to the Buddha.

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[3. The Officials' Failure to Follow

the Normative Principles]

If the monastic institution is not reformed and if the wheel of the Dharma does not turn well, this is not the way for the senior master (abbot) to teach the religion to the practitioners.

If the three forms of karma (i.e., acts of body, speech, and mind) are not well regulated, and if the four manners of conduct (i.e., walking, standing, sitting, and lying down) are not respectfully accomplished, this is not the way for the primary seat official to provide model leadership for the practitioners. If the head administrative official is not broadminded enough to accept every practitioner and does not possess a generous heart with love toward each one, this is not the way for the administrative head to support the practitioners' careers.

If the practitioners feel no peace nor any sense of security, and if those who are demoralized do not leave, this is not the way for the director of practitioners' affairs to please [the community of] practitioners. If the food lacks the six kinds of tastes (i.e., sweet, hot, salty, bitter, sour, and mild), and if it is not served with the three qualities (i.e., plain, clean, and consistent), this is not the way for the kitchen official to prepare food for the practitioners.

If the buildings and quarters are not well maintained, and if there is a lack of various kinds of household items, this is not the way for the maintenance official to provide the practitioners with secure accommodation. If the practitioners' basic needs are insufficiently provided for while public property increases, this is not the way for the treasury official to look after the practitioners' well-being.

If the secretarial official is poor in his art of composition and clumsy in calligraphy, this is not the way for the secretarial official to enhance the status of the practitioners.

If the desks and chairs are not well kept and if noises are not contained, this is not the way for the Tripiṭaka hall official to help and wait upon the practitioners.

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If the guest reception official disdains the poor, favors the rich, and entertains the laity while slighting his fellow practitioners, this is not the way for the guest reception official to assist the practitioners. If decorum and respectful appearance are absent and if the order of high and low is [not followed], this is not the way for the abbot's assistant to help the practitioners communicate [with the abbot]. If household items are not diligently looked after and personal possessions are not diligently guarded, this is not the way for the master of the quarters to perform his duty to help the practitioners abide in peace.

If the infirmary hall master does not learn how to care for and serve and if he disturbs the sick, this is not the way for the infirmary master to [care for] the practitioners.

If sufficient hot water is not available and if hot and cold water is not supplied in good balance, this is not the way for the bath hall master and the water supply chief to help the practitioners cleanse their bodies.

If charcoal and firewood are not sufficiently reserved beforehand and if an inadequately maintained room temperature disturbs the practitioners, this is not the way for the fireplace chief and charcoal chief to serve the practitioners.

If the alms campaign leader and the fundraising master are not public-minded toward donations or have not done [their best to secure funds], this is not the way for them to serve the practitioners. If the land, despite being sufficiently profitable, and the applied manpower do not fully make ends meet, this is not the way for the farmyard chief, the mill operating chief, and the estate management master to perform their tasks on behalf of the practitioners. If the cleaning task chief is not diligent in cleaning the lavatory and so forth, and if all necessary items are not fully provided, this is not the way for him to perform his duty to serve the practitioners. If the meal-serving personnel do not heed even when prohibited nor act for what is in order, this is not the way for them to attend the practitioners at mealtimes.

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[4. The Practitioners' Failure to Follow

the Normative Principles]

If the practitioners slight the senior master, the abbot of the monastery, ignore the Dharma, and follow their own natural inclinations in various circumstances, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the abbot. If the practitioners have no unified manner of action, whether in sitting or lying down, and if their comings and goings are obtrusive, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the primary seat official. If the practitioners ignore the secular laws and are not concerned with the monastic regulations, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the head administrative official. If the practitioners are not harmonious with each other, whether higher or lower in rank, and if they obstinately dispute with one another, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the director of practitioners' affairs.

If the practitioners covet fancy meals and [complain about] humble dishes, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the kitchen official.

If the practitioners misuse their current quarters, without caring about those who will reside there after them, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the maintenance official. If the practitioners abuse benefits they have gained from public property (i.e., items owned by the temple) and if they [are wasteful] in using public goods, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the treasury official.

If the practitioners misuse writing brushes and inkslabs and show off their writing talent, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the secretarial official.

If the practitioners treat the scriptures lightly and look into non-Buddhist books, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the Tripiṭaka hall official. 289

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If the practitioners speak flatteringly to lay notables and try to associate themselves with members of the nobility [to gain favor], this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the guest reception official.

If the practitioners forget invitations or requests and thereby cause others to wait for their delayed appearance, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the abbot's assistant. If the practitioners hoard things and if [they accuse others of theft], this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the master of the quarters.

If the practitioners anger easily and are difficult to please, and if they do not [patiently] follow the [prescribed treatment] for their illness, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the infirmary hall master. If the practitioners make noise when using ladles and use water with no consideration for others whatsoever, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the bath hall master and the water supply chief.

If the practitioners [selfishly sit at the fireside] to warm themselves and refuse others the opportunity to do so, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the charcoal supply chief and the fireplace chief.

If the practitioners have little intent toward practicing the path but receive almsfood with no ill conscience, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the alms campaign leader and the fundraising master.

If the practitioners eat for no purpose all day long and make no effort toward [practice], this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the farmyard chief, the mill operating chief, and the estate management master.

If the practitioners spit on walls and mess up the lavatory, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the cleaning task chief.

If the practitioners, while advocating for themselves the importance of demeanor, yet do not offer good instruction to the meal-serving 290

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personnel over past faults, this is not the way for them to discharge their indebtedness to the meal-serving personnel.

[5. The Prime Importance

of the Practitioners]

In general, no matter how fast one may run about like a whirlwind thousands of times, there are always some cases in which it is just never enough. Therefore, one must simply know how to discard what is deficient and follow what is advantageous and must deal with the matter of practitioners in similar ways. It is hoped that whoever is reared in the lion's den will become a lion, and whatever grows under a forest of sandalwood trees may become another member of that forest. Five hundred years from now (i.e., at the beginning of the latter-day period), let there be seen another grand gathering like that once held on Vulture Peak (Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in Rājagṛha, India). As has been indicated, what will determine the rise and fall of the Zen school lies in the hands of the practitioners. The practitioners are the field of merit [in which laypeople find fortune by cultivating] and must be the object of people's respect. When the practitioners are well respected, the Dharma is also well respected, but when they are slighted, the Dharma is also slighted. When a person's commitment to his inner rules is rigorous, he is also respectful toward the external rules. Regardless of whether an abbot or a provider of rice gruel and [rice] meal (i.e., a lay donor) is engaged in the role of religious conversion during his lifetime, or whether an administrative official of a temple happens to be put in charge of such an authoritative position, one must always treat with respect those who wear the same robe, and must not indiscriminately behave arrogantly [toward anyone]. If again, one insists on his superior ego, makes his private interests a public affair, and is inconsistent in all his dealings, how could such a person hold his position for long? Once he returns to the status of a practitioner, how could he then face his fellow practitioners as their colleague? There is no exception in the law of cause and effect, from which no one can escape.

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[6. The Way and Principles

of Practitioners]

Practitioners are the sons of the Buddha and [fundamentally] no different from the saintly being, the Arhat (i.e., Śākyamuni), hence they are worthy of reverence from heavenly as well as human beings. The morning rice gruel and the noon meal of rice must be prepared to meet all dietary needs. The four kinds of alms and requisites [of a monk] (i.e., food and drink, clothing, bedding, and medicine) must always be provided without a shortage ever occurring. From the time of Śākyamuni, after two thousand years, the inherited shade [of refuge] still covers all his descendants. Of the world-illuminating light emitted from his forehead, not even a portion of its merit is ever exhausted despite all of our usages. You must simply learn how to serve your fellow practitioners and not worry about poverty. There is no difference between holiness and worldliness in the status of a Buddhist practitioner, which is universally accepted in all regions. We already have the term "four regions" (caturdeiśaḥ) indicating the same meaning. It is true that this world is made up of all kinds of divisions, and yet how could it be right to discriminate against practitioners from different regions or treat them with disdain on account of such differences? The transient quarters are supposed to receive [guest practitioners] and be open to any traveling practitioner for three days. Serve them with due propriety. If someone requests a noon meal temporarily in front of the practice hall, serve him the meal with equanimity. We receive lay visitors after examining their background, so how could we not receive other practitioners like ourselves? If one can transcend the mind of limitedness, there will be no limit to the reward of merit. Within the Zen school, the high and low harmonize their minds and try to put aside mutual deficiencies, if any. One must not expose family scandals. Even though their exposure may not harm anyone, such conduct reduces people's trust and respect in the end. Such an action is comparable to parasitic worms infesting the body of a lion and consuming its flesh from within. Indeed, neither non-human devils nor non-Buddhists could accomplish such destructiveness.

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If one wishes to prevent the decline of the [Buddhist] path, to hold up the Buddhist sun for a long time, to increase the majestic luster of the tradition left to us by the patriarchs, and to assist the sacred tasks of the imperial court, one must make the foregoing rules of conduct one's normative principles.

IX. The Prayer for

Ailing Practitioners

Should a practitioner become [seriously] ill, those from the same native province and his religious colleagues gather at his bedside, set up incense, candles, and a Buddha image, and conduct a prayer of veneration for the Buddha with the following invocation:

When [the surface of the] water becomes [still and] transparent, there appears the autumnal moon.

When an earnest prayer is applied, the meritorious field of fortune manifests itself.

Indeed, the true foundation of our refuge is the Buddha and his enlightenment.

This morning, we have gathered for the sake of Venerable Bhikṣu So-and-so

To clear up the wrongs he has suffered through many past lives And repent for the transgressions accumulated through innumerable transmigrations.

Devoting our utmost sincerity to this end, we now request the holy assembly

To venerate the buddhas by calling the sacred names and thereby accomplish a thorough purification.

May the honorable assembly recite the ten supreme names: The Luminous Pure Dharma Body Vairocana Buddha, and so on. The following invocation of merit transference is then said: We earnestly wish that the primordial mind may be purified, 293

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That the four material principles may become light and easy, Extending natural life as well as wisdom, That the physical body may become as firm as that of the Dharma body.

Once again, may the honorable assembly conduct a prayer: Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

If the illness is very serious, a prayer directed toward Amitābha Buddha should be recited ten times. Before this prayer, however, one is obliged to speak the following word of adoration: The Buddha Amitābha shines in golden luster, The sublimity of his features is beyond comparison. The white ūrṇa,curly hair sweetly rolling, appears on his forehead like Mount Sumeru,

His blue eyes are transparent and clear like the four surrounding great oceans.

In the illumination shed from his ūrṇaappear immeasurable myriads of buddhas,

And innumerable bodhisattvas also appear within this illumination everywhere.

With his forty-eight vows, Amitābha Buddha helps all beings toward salvation,

Enabling all, regardless of their nine different endowments, to reach the other shore.

This morning, we have gathered for the sake of Venerable Bhikṣu So-and-so,

To clear up the wrongs he has suffered through many past lives And to repent the transgressions accumulated through innumerable transmigrations.

Devoting our utmost sincerity to this end, we now request the holy assembly

To venerate the buddhas by calling the sacred names and thereby accomplish a thorough purification.

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May the honorable assembly call the name of Amitābha one hundred times,

The names of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and Bodhisattva Mahāsthāma[prapta] each ten times

As well as the innumerable bodhisattvas abiding in the great ocean of purity.

The invocation of merit transference is:

It is earnestly wished that Venerable So-and-so regain his health, as he has not lost the various supporting causes for his existence. If, however, it is unavoidable for him to come to the end of his life, may he swiftly realize the goal of rebirth in the Pure Land. Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times. While chanting this prayer and the sacred names, practitioners must maintain their minds in purity and refrain from becoming entangled in worldly thoughts.

The Words of the Will

Venerable So-and-so, native of such-and-such province, became a Zen practitioner by receiving the ordination certificate in such-and-such year at such-and-such place. He came to establish his residency at Soand-so Temple in such-and-such year and date. Having been struck with an ailment these past days, it is feared that there is no certainty as to whether or not he will survive it. Hence he requests that [after his death] the content of the parcel that he has kept in his possession be distributed through due official procedure, and that his funeral rite be conducted as prescribed by the Zen monastic regulations. Day, month, and year

Orally conveyed by

Practitioner So-and-so, who is ailing

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X. The Death of a Resident

Practitioner

1. Collecting the Possessions

Left by the Deceased

When a practitioner dies due to illness, the nursing attendant reports this to the infirmary hall master and also to the director of practitioners' affairs, and requests permission to seal the parcel belonging to the deceased. The attendant of the practice hall office reports the [practitioner's death] to the primary seat official, the training and administrative officials, and the abbot's assistant. He then visits the infirmary hall for the departed in order to copy the document of the orally transmitted will. Along with the practitioner in charge of public proceedings, the practitioner who attended the ill person collects the contents of the sutra cabinet [located in the practitioners' quarters], the storage box [located in the practice hall], and all personal possessions, and prepares a record of them, numbering and sealing each item. He then places them on the space unit belonging to the deceased. Excluded from this, however, is the clothing that the deceased's body will be dressed in [for cremation] and other items. (These include the one-piece garment, simplified robe, under- and outergarments, prayer beads, an incense case, a pair of gaiters, a pair of traveling shoes, a handkerchief for shaving the head, a cloth for collecting ashes, and so on.) These necessary items are gathered together and retained. This procedure must be handled jointly by the infirmary hall master and the practitioner who attended the deceased. If, however, these two cannot leave the side of [other] ailing practitioners, the director of practitioners' affairs and the primary seat official must carry out this task instead.

Even when the deceased has no bamboo case [or other such container] for his personal possessions, an equally dedicated funeral rite should be conducted for him. The record of the revenue from the auction [of the deceased's personal goods] as well as the account of expenditures must be presented to the primary seat official after sealing the documents. The items in the bamboo case, such as those previously collected and sealed, are to be carried to the practice hall office by lay workers who belong to the quarters of the primary 296

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seat official, the director of practitioners' affairs, the guest reception official, and the assistant official. In the case that an administrative retiree who resided in the private quarters left behind many bamboo cases after his death, the deceased's possessions, once sealed off, may be placed in that particular quarters but must be guarded by a practitioner assigned by the treasury office. Unless the recently deceased practitioner had previously informed the abbot, the dual order officials, or the retirees about the manner in which he wished his possessions to be distributed, or unless he left a written will in regard to the matter, no one can arbitrarily distribute his possessions to anyone or any place. (Zen Master Dachuan, while residing at Jingcisi, discovered that the primary seat official and the director of practitioners' affairs had made forgeries concerning certain items that were entrusted by a deceased practitioner, and hence subsequently expelled them.)

When an ailing practitioner closes his eyes (i.e., passes away), the infirmary hall master at once notifies the director of practitioners' affairs and requests the attendants of his office to prepare hot water. The attendants also notify the primary seat official, the guest reception official, the abbot's assistant, and the administrative official of the matter, and arrange for the delivery of a portable funeral shrine and a special bathtub to the hall so that the deceased may be given a final bathing. Bathing the body, they shave the head cleanly. The cloth used for drying the bathed corpse is to be distributed to those who bathed it, and the handkerchief used for shaving is to be given to the person who shaved the head. The director of practitioners' affairs is obliged to supervise them in clothing the corpse, placing it in the portable shrine, and enshrining it within the infirmary hall by setting up the name tablet on the table, with the following words written on it: The Enlightened Spirit of Venerable So-and-so,

Having Newly Entered Perfect Quiescence

If the deceased is the distinguished west hall official, it may be written as: The Spirit of the Previous Abbot of Such-and-such Temple, So-and-so Title, Zen Master So-and-so

In other cases, the title is given according to the office held by the deceased.

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Offering incense, candles, and various food provisions, the sacred assembly of practitioners chant the Mahākaruṇā-dhāraṇī before the shrine and thereby settle the deceased spirit through the invocation of merit transference. During the night, the candles are kept lit all night. The practice hall attendants prepare beforehand artificial funeral flowers made of white paper, while the attendant of the deceased offers morning gruel and a noon meal every day. The administrative official serves tea and sweet hot water three times a day and burns incense. The rice gruel and rice meals are to be offered after the regular chanting held at the Buddha hall and also after the release from the evening session. As the practice hall office attendant rings his hand bell and walks ahead, the primary seat official leads the practitioners before the funeral shrine. As the abbot burns incense, the director of practitioners' affairs calls for chanting the Mahā kāruṇikacitta-dhāraṇīs and concludes with the following invocation of merit transference:

From the foregoing chanting of the sutra, we dedicate the merit thereby accrued to Venerable So-and-so who newly entered ultimate quiescence and was enshrined in the transcendent abode of his realization. Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times, and so on. Next, those practitioners from the same native province [as the deceased] call for chanting the dhāraṇīs, and their senior representative steps forward to burn incense. This same rite is to be conducted three times a day. The only difference in the rite officially held by the temple is that the invocation of merit transference refers to the deceased practitioner by the two characters of his name, whereas in the rite held by the private group, the invocation refers to the deceased by the [second] single character, [perhaps adding an honorific post-positional character such as gong.] (E.g., Qiumoluoshi [Kumārajīva] is referred to as "Honorable Shi" [Shi Gong]). The invocation is identical.

If the occasion coincides with the first day of the month or mid-month days or with the imperial coronation day, the public conduct of the rite is excused and the funeral proceeding must also be postponed. 298

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2. Requesting Buddhist

Funeral Rites

Without fail, the abbot must be requested to conduct the rite of applying fire [to the funeral pyre]. All other [funeral] rites, such as closing the shrine door (suokan), lifting the shrine (qikan), lifting the remains (qigu), depositing the remains (ruta), and so on, can be done by inviting the various officials in rotation, upon consultation with the director of practitioners' affairs and the primary seat official, and taking into consideration ordination seniority. On a small white sheet of paper, the document must be written as follows: For Venerable Bhikṣu So-and-so, native of such-and-such province, having just accomplished ultimate quiescence. The funeral rite of applying fire [to the funeral pyre] is to be officiated by the venerable master, abbot of this temple, as respectfully requested by the practice hall official, Bhikṣu So-and-so. The other funeral rites will be officiated as acknowledged in this note.

If the deceased is the west hall guest official or a retired administrative official who resided in the individual quarters and left sizable personal possessions, the following additional rites may be conducted: serving tea and sweet hot water (dianchatang), turning around the portable shrine (zhuankan), turning around the remains (zhuangu), and so on. For these rites, an invitation may be sent on the basis of the rotation system to the retired west hall official and primary seat official residing in the individual quarters, and to renowned personalities of the Zen world. The director of practitioners' affairs, accompanied by his attendant carrying a crepe-wrapped board with an incense burner, candle, and incense, visits the abbot's office, burns incense, and, after a bow, says: Since Venerable So-and-so entered ultimate quiescence, the rite of cremation has been scheduled on such-and-such date, for which I respectfully request the venerable to conduct the rite of "touching fire. "

The director of practitioners' affairs then presents the note of request before withdrawing. The same propriety is used for making the same request to the various training officials. The director prepares a record book of the 299

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funeral rites, as a reference to be consulted before making new requests of ritual conduct on the basis of the rotation system.

3. Appraising the Price

of Used Items

The director of practitioners' affairs sends the attendants of his office to request the abbot, the dual order officials, and the assistant officials to be present either at the practice hall office or in the adjacent skylit hall. Before [an assembly of] the practitioners, the seal [on the deceased's parcel of personal items] is opened and one by one the items are taken out of the bamboo case and placed either on the ground or on the raised platform. Each item is shown to the director of practitioners' affairs and priced. While the primary seat official settles the price of each item, adjusting [the price when necessary,] the guest reception official and the assistant official write the names of the items on the board and list the prices below each item in accordance with [the prices thus established]. A marker is made by copying the number of each item, which is then affixed onto the item, and the item is then returned to the bamboo case. After that, another sheet listing all items according to their number and price should be prepared for the occasion of "robe auctioning.

" No one, whether the abbot, the dual order officials, or the residents of various quarters, is allowed to take away any items for public usage. If there is any item that would be useful for the temple, it may be obtained by paying the due price from the overhead (choufenqian;i.e., the three-tenths of the entire transaction that belongs to the temple). If there are numerous possessions, the prices of items may be reduced as a whole so as to benefit more practitioners and thereby advance the fortune of the departed. 4. Prayer Chanting the Night

Before the Cremation

The afternoon of the day before the funeral procession for the cremation is scheduled, the attendant of the practice hall office must directly report to the abbot and the dual order officials about the schedule and notify the practitioners by posting the signboard indicating "prayer chanting.

" The treasury office

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to set up the area for the funeral rite. Those practitioners from the same province as well as those related in Dharma lineage [to the deceased] compose a word of tribute for the occasion and pay the treasury office for a food offering. Three pieces of incense must be prepared for the funeral offering. If the deceased was a renowned senior practitioner from a large monastic temple, or one of the west hall residents, or a resident of the individual quarters, and if he accomplished a significant contribution to the status and affairs of the temple, the abbot as well as the dual order officials all conduct the rite of offering, while the director of practitioners' affairs reads the words of tribute. After the cancelation of the evening session has been announced, the practice hall bell is rung to assemble the practitioners for the rite of prayer chanting before the funeral shrine. The administrative official burns incense and offers tea and sweet hot water to the shrine beforehand. The abbot burns incense upon arrival and takes his place at the higher main position of the east order. The director of practitioners' affairs steps forward to burn incense and invites a previously designated training official to conduct the rite of closing the portable shrine door. The designated official steps forward from his order to burn incense and, upon returning, bows. Next he bows before the abbot and, turning toward the east order officials, bows and makes a round, passing in front of each of the east order officials down to the last one, then bows [again]. Next, he turns to the west order officials and bows, and after that, bows together with the practitioners. Making a round, he passes in front of each of the west order officials down to the last one, and, if he is an incumbent official, passes through his vacated position, proceeds to the right of the funeral shrine, and stands there. The attendant of the practice hall office carries a chain on a crepe-wrapped board to the official, and, after completing the rite of closing the door, places the chain over the doors of the shrine. As the abbot returns to his [central] position, the director of practitioners' affairs steps forward to the left of the table, makes a gesture of greeting [to him] and then to the dual order officials, and completes his offering of incense. The director of practitioners' affairs [now] faces the portable funeral shrine and utters the words of prayer:

We earnestly reflect that life and death alternate, just as hot and cold change one after another. When it comes, it is as swift as the lightning 301

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that strikes across the entire sky, and when it departs is like the waves that cease to exist over the entire ocean. On this day, Venerable So-andso, who has just entered ultimate quiescence, totally exhausted the causes of life and abruptly departed from a lifelong dream, [having reached the] understanding that every psychophysical element (saṃskāra) is transitory and ultimately quiescent, and hence felicitous. The venerable practitioners have assembled at this place to pay tribute to the shrine and call the sacred names of the buddhas, so as to help the deceased's spirit advance swiftly toward the Pure Land. May I respectfully request practitioners to intone the sacred names: The Luminous Pure Dharma Body Vairocana Buddha, and so on.

Next, the director of practitioners' affairs calls for chanting the Mahā karuṇā-dhāraṇīand intones the invocation of merit transference: With this prayer and sutra chanting, we dedicate the merit thereby accrued to the venerable practitioner So-and-so, who has just entered ultimate quiescence. We humbly wish that his spirit surpasses the pure sanctuary, that his karmas be free of worldly defilement, that the lotus bloom opens its noblest blossom, and that the Buddha grant him the certificate of supreme destiny. I humbly request the practitioners once again to intone the prayer: Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

The guest-reception official calls for the chanting of the Śūraṃgamadhāraṇīs and intones the invocation of merit transference: With this chanting, we dedicate the merit thereby accrued to the venerable practitioner So-and-so, who has just entered ultimate quiescence. We wish that this will enshrine the transcendent abode of his realization: Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times. When this is done, the abbot returns to his position at the higher end of the east order line and remains standing there. The practitioners of the Zen world, the colleagues, practitioners from the same native province, and those related in Dharma lineage conduct the funeral rite of offerings in due order. Finally, the chanting of the Mahākaruṇā-dhāraṇīis called for. The invocation of merit transference is the same as before.

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5. The Funeral Procession

[Before] the procession to the funeral site begins, it is a general rule that the treasury official instructs the attendants in charge of the workmen to prepare firewood for the cremation and mobilize various workmen. After all preparations for the funeral procession have been completed, including [gathering] musical instruments such as cymbals and drums, streamers, artificial flowers to scatter, incense and candles, a portable shrine carriage, and so on, the night before [the funeral] the practice hall office attendant reports that everything is ready to the abbot and the dual order officials and also posts a signboard indicating the schedule for the funeral procession. The next morning, after the [octagonal post] is struck with the mallet to signal that the first serving of rice gruel has been completed, the director of practitioners' affairs makes an additional strike and announces:

This announcement is for all practitioners. After breakfast, you are requested to participate in the procession to accompany the deceased to the cremation site. Except for those who are on duty at the practitioners' quarters and in charge of guarding the practice hall, everyone is equally required to participate. Respectfully stated.

Then the director of practitioners' affairs once again strikes the [octagonal wooden post] with the mallet to signal the end of his announcement, and, with a bow to the altar of the guardian bodhisattva, turns toward the abbot and bows. Straightening his posture by the board-edge of the primary seat official, he proceeds to make a round through the aisles of the hall up to the outer hall, and once again returns to the inner hall to bow toward the altar before going out. If the event coincides with the day of the imperial birthday, the [post should not be struck] and the practice hall office attendant must at once report this to the abbot and the dual order officials.

When breakfast is over, it is announced at the hall:

May I request the primary seat official and all practitioners to attend the service of sutra chanting at the infirmary hall, scheduled to begin at the sound of the bell.

At the sound of the practice hall bell, the practitioners assemble and the 303

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director of practitioners' affairs intones a prayer. When this is over, the director must announce concisely and mindfully:

We are about to raise the shrine of the departed spirit and proceed to the place where the memorable rite of cremation will take place. May practitioners intone the sacred names of the buddhas and thereby express the ascending path and assist the spirit in its passage. Veneration to the Luminous Pure Dharma Body Vairocana Buddha, and so on.

Thereupon, the abbot moves to the higher position of the east order, while the director of practitioners' affairs steps forward to burn incense and invites the training official, as prearranged, to take charge of the rite of lifting the portable shrine. When this is done, the attendants play cymbals, lift the shrine, and carry it out to the temple gate. If the rites of serving tea and sweet hot water and turning the shrine around are scheduled, [the shrine at this point] should be turned around toward the temple buildings, and an incense table placed before it. The primary seat official stands before the shrine, while the practitioners line up in two parallel lines [with the shrine at the center]. The director of practitioners' affairs burns incense and requests another training official to take charge of the rite at the gate. When this is done, the procession continues.

If there is no rite of turning around the shrine, the director of practitioners' affairs steps through the gate, stands facing the temple with palms joined together, and calls for the practitioners to intone in unison the Dhāraṇī for Rebirth in the Pure Land(Wangshengzhou). Both lines then proceed in order, the practitioners holding their palms together, and they pick up some artificial wicker leaves [to scatter along the way]. The attendants stand outside the gate, greeting the practitioners with heads down and palms together, and then fall in behind the procession when all have passed by. The director of practitioners' affairs follows immediately behind the shrine, whereas the head administrative official follows at the end of the two lines of practitioners as the rear guard.

6. Cremation

When the procession reaches the "nirvana platform" (niepantai;i.e., the cremation site), the head administrative official burns incense and offers tea. 304

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Next, the abbot offers incense, then returns to his position. Thereupon, the director of practitioners' affairs steps forward and, after burning incense, invites the abbot to conduct the rite of applying fire [to the funeral pyre]. The maintenance official bows to the abbot and hands him a lit torch, and waits for the completion of the rite. When the rite is over, the director of practitioners' affairs begins a prayer invocation toward the shrine as follows: On this day, the venerable practitioner So-and-so, who has entered ultimate quiescence, though once existing by following the change of causal conditions, has now ceased to exist. Thus, the body is about to be cremated according to the tradition. It is wished that by burning the body which was instrumental to his propagation of the Dharma for a hundred years, his passage to reach the goal of nirvana will be helped unfailingly. It is respectfully requested of the honorable practitioners to help the enlightened spirit by intoning the ten sacred names: Veneration to the Western Paradise, to Amitābha Buddha of Great Compassion and Commiseration, and so on. [The following invocation of merit transference is intoned] after ten repetitions of the prayer: In the foregoing prayer, we called upon the ten sacred names in order to help the deceased be reborn in the Pure Land. We earnestly hope that the wisdom mirror distributes its brilliance, the wind of truth disperses variegated colors, and the flower of the enlightened mind will bloom in the bodhigarden and help the mind become cleansed of defilement in the ocean of the Dharma-nature. Having offered three servings of tea and having burned incense over a single burner, we shall send its smoke on a cloud-journey. Veneration to the honorable practitioners. The head administrative official, at the moment when the prayer refers to "servings of tea" and "burning of incense,

" steps forward to serve tea and

burn incense, whereby he expresses the propriety of the temple community as a whole. In this regard, it is improper for the director of practitioners' affairs to do so (i.e., serve tea and burn incense) while intoning the prayer. The director then calls for chanting the Mahākaruṇā-dhāraṇīand concludes with the following invocation of merit transference:

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We dedicate the merit accrued by this prayer and chanting for the sake of the venerable practitioner So-and-so, who has entered ultimate quiescence in order to enshrine the transcendental state of his realization after cremation. Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times.

The guest reception official then calls for chanting the Śūraṃgamadhāraṇīs and concludes with the same invocation of merit transference. (Here, however, the word "prayer" [niansong] is omitted.) The practitioners from the same native province and Dharma lineage also chant sutras and conclude with the same invocation of merit transference. 7. The Auction of the

Deceased's Personal

Possessions

After the cremation rite, the practice hall office attendant reports to the abbot, the dual order officials, and the assistant officials that the auction of the deceased's personal possessions will be held after the noon meal in front of the practice hall. A signboard indicating this event is posted to notify the practitioners. Preparation [for the auction] in the outer hall should be completed by the time the practitioners descend from their seats after the noon meal. The abbot and the primary seat official are seated side by side [with an arm-length's distance in between] in the rear, while the dual order officials are seated in two parallel lines facing each other. Just inside the hallway, a table is placed facing the rear of the hall, equipped with calligraphy brushes, an inkslab, a standing bell, scissors, and a simplified robe, as well as other necessary items. [The auction items will be placed] directly on the floor. The practice hall office attendants report to the abbot, the dual order officials, and the practitioner assistants when these preparations have been completed. The practice hall bell is rung to assemble the practitioners. The director of practitioners' affairs, the guest reception official, and the assistant official simultaneously enter the hall and, on reaching their respective positions, sit facing the rear, while the practice hall, alms-offering, and meal proceeding novice attendants line up to bow toward the abbot and the dual order officials. Then the attendants turn toward the director of practitioners' affairs, the guest 306

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reception official, and the abbot's assistant and greet them with a bow. They place the bamboo basket [containing the items to be auctioned] before the abbot and the dual order officials in turn, so that each may inspect the seal. They then receive the key from the primary seat official, open the basket, take out the items one by one in numerical order, place them on the floor display area, and set the empty basket to the side, facing the rear. The director of practitioners' affairs rises, rings the standing bell once, and intones a prayer:

The floating cloud has dispersed, and there remains no sight of it whatsoever. The last remnant of a candle has been exhausted in extinguishing its own flame. The possessions of the deceased are hereby auctioned to express this impermanence. May the practitioners now intone [the ten sacred names of the buddhas] for the sake of the venerable practitioner So-and-so and assist his enlightened spirit to be reborn in the Pure Land. Veneration to the Luminous Pure Dharma Body Vairocana Buddha, and so on.

After the prayer of the ten sacred names, the director of practitioners' affairs once again rings the bell and says:

The rules of the auction are based on the normative regulations. Everyone is obliged to examine the items with regard to their being old or new, long or short, and so on, for after the sound of the bell ceases, no dispute is allowed. Respectfully stated.

The director of practitioners' affairs once again rings the bell, then holds up the deceased's ordination certificate and cuts it horizontally across the name characters with the scissors, saying:

It is demonstrated to the practitioners that the ordination certificate of the deceased is now torn asunder.

Ringing the bell once again, he hands the certificate to the attendant, who in turn presents it to the dual order officials. The director of practitioners' affairs takes off his kaṣāyarobe and places it inside the bell, and dons the simplified robe.

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The attendants of the practice hall office pick up the items one by one, in numerical order, and hand them to the director of practitioners' affairs who, in turn, presents each item to the participants and calls out its number, description, and price. If an item is estimated to be worth one thousand in cash (i.e., one guan), the beginning price to be announced should start at one hundred. The attendants of the practice hall inform all the participants of the price by relaying the announcement. As participants respond [by calling out prices], the amount gradually increases and when it reaches the originally set amount of one thousand, the director of practitioners' affairs rings the bell and announces: "This item is sold for one guan.

"The remaining items are all

treated in the same manner. When two people simultaneously respond with a call, the attendant announces: "Both calls are nullified, sir. " In this case, the

items must be auctioned once again from the beginning until the bell is rung; this is the normative method. The attendant of the practice hall office determines the name of the person who has made the winning bid. The guest reception official copies the name down and places it on the bulletin board, and the abbot's assistant, referring to the name, issues a card and has the attendant in charge of meal proceedings give it to the person. The attendant then puts the item back into the basket. Completing the bidding on each item with the sound of the bell, the director of practitioners' affairs concludes the rite of the auction with the following invocation of merit transference:

The merit hereby accrued from this auction and prayer is dedicated for the sake of the venerable practitioner So-and-so, who has just entered ultimate quiescence, toward the enshrinement of the transcendental abode of his realization. May I once again request the practitioners to intone the prayer: Veneration to the buddhas in the ten directions and the three times, and so on. In recent times, in order to stop disputes and disorder, the lottery method has often been used. (For details on this, see Chapter V, part VI, section 15). Items that are not picked up by the bidders within a three-day period are priced appropriately for subsequent sale, and a record book, the "Funeral Revenue and Expenditure Account Book" (banzhangshi), must be prepared. It is said in the Record of the Rising Splendor of the Tradition: 308

Chapter VII

According to the Buddha's own regulations, the meaning of distributing the robes is to create in the mind of the living the following thought: "It has become like this with him, and it will be like this with me as well. "

Such a thought is expected to reduce one's desire and attachment. Today, however, it seems to work to the contrary, for many compete and dispute over the prices bid [for the items of the deceased] and do not reflect upon the [transitory] nature of their own existence. This is the height of stupidity. 8. Depositing the Remains

After cremation, the practitioner in charge of the funeral proceedings, those who come from the same province, and those who are related in Dharma lineage together collect the remains, wrap them in cotton, and cover the bundle with a square cloth. They place the remains in a wooden box, seal it, and carry it back to the infirmary hall.

(The word "new" (xin) must be deleted from the name tablet.) Sutra chanting should be performed three times a day. On the afternoon of the third day, the account book is to be displayed in front of the practice hall, making everything accountable to the practitioners. (If the formula used differs from the standard format, or if there is some point in question, it should be pardoned with due propriety and notice given above as well as below, and [the issue] rectified on the strict basis of fact. If, on the other hand, there is no factual basis for dispute, one must not involve oneself in causing trouble. Anyone who committed a transgression should be subject to the punishment of expulsion. The abbot as well as the official in charge of the funeral proceedings must remain impartial, fair, and equalminded. It would be best if he could persuade others through the example of his own behavior.)

Thereupon, the display of the account record ends.

The practice hall office notifies the practitioners beforehand and posts a signboard indicating the rite of sending the ashes to the tower. At the appointed time, the practitioners assembled at the sound of the practice hall bell, and the rite of "lifting the ashes" (qigu) is requested at the infirmary hall. Escorting the ashes from the infirmary hall to the memorial tower, they conduct the rite 309