No. 968-A教苑清規序
Preface to the Pure Rules for the Garden of the Teachings
天台教苑清規舊甞刻寘上天竺山之白雲堂後燬弗存今圓覺雲外法師自慶懼久將廢墜乃取故所藏本重加詮次正其舛誤補其闕軼而參考乎禪律之異同為後學復刻焉昔者竊聞之儒以禮立仁義離禮於仁義不可言儒佛以律持定慧離律於定慧不可言佛故雖佛以一切種智攝三界必先用戒菩薩以六波羅蜜化四生不能捨律蓋自中土有佛法以來僧多居於律寺至百丈始別立禪居此清規之所由作也且古今殊時人情亦異帝王制禮不能無所損益佛氏之為法其何獨不然律儀如聖人之有經禮雖非後世所便習而未甞不傳於今清規如先儒之有家禮雖皆一時所訂定而未甞不本於古百丈創為清規以輔律而行天台大師兼善毗尼其後人亦因叢林之日用而折中之以匡持其教今教苑清規是也歷歲滋久諸方所守百丈遺法已互有不同山家宜有不能與之盡合者若夫通其變而以時措之其致一也雲外師方究心路業而能垂意於威儀節文之細如此內外交相養之功可謂兩盡之矣非來者所宜取法歟是用不揆其凡陋承命為序系諸篇首云爾。
The monastic regulations of the Tiantai Buddhist tradition were once engraved and stored at the White Cloud Hall of the Upper Tiantianzhu Temple. Now, they no longer exist. Today, Master Qingyun Wai of the Yuanjue Chan Monastery, fearing that over time these regulations would be completely lost, retrieved a previously preserved copy, re-edited and corrected errors, supplemented missing parts, and examined differences and similarities between Chan and Vinaya traditions, reprinting them for later learners.
I have previously heard that Confucianism establishes benevolence and righteousness through ritual propriety; without ritual, these cannot be called Confucianism. Buddhism upholds meditative concentration and wisdom through monastic discipline; without discipline, these cannot be called Buddhism. Therefore, even though the Buddha uses all-knowing wisdom to govern the three realms, he first relies on precepts. Although Bodhisattvas use the Six Perfections to transform all beings, they cannot abandon the Vinaya. Since Buddhism's arrival in China, monastics mostly lived in Vinaya monasteries, until Master Baizhang established separate Chan meditation halls—this is how the monastic codes (清規) came into being.
Times change, and human nature differs accordingly. Even kings in establishing ritual propriety cannot avoid additions and modifications. Why should Buddhist teachings be any different? The Vinaya is like the Confucian classics; though inconvenient for later practice, it has been transmitted down to the present. The monastic codes are like the family rituals of ancient scholars; though formulated for specific times, they are rooted in antiquity. Master Baizhang created the monastic code to supplement the Vinaya. The Tiantai patriarch Zhiyi mastered the Vinaya, and later generations adapted it to daily monastic life, balancing different traditions to uphold their teaching—this is precisely the "Palace Regulations of the Teachings."
Over time, the various schools have preserved Baizhang's original rules with mutual differences, and the Tiantai tradition naturally cannot completely conform to them all. However, adapting to changing circumstances while maintaining unity makes the principle consistent. Master Qingyun is deeply devoted to his spiritual path, and yet he also pays careful attention to such detailed matters of deportment and ritual—his practice of integrating inner cultivation and outer expression can be said to be complete. Shouldn't future practitioners take this as their model? Therefore, setting aside my own inadequacies, I accept the request to write this preface and place it at the beginning of this work.
至正七年夏三月甲子金華黃溍序
In the summer of the seventh year of the Zhizheng era, on the day of Jiazi in the third month, Huang Jin of Jinhua wrote this preface.