受命服务常住

公年二十三岁礼忏已三载。僧来告云。萧大人已告老还乡。妙老和尚深赞公之苦行道心。然需福慧并重。事理兼明拜忏乃慧边事。任责常住服务僧坊。为大众谋利益即福边事。

宣化偈曰：
十方常住三宝尊。百般职务各尽心。
福慧兼修培自性。贤圣同居号丛林。

Being ordered to serve the Eternally Dwelling

When the Master was twenty-three years of age, he had completed three years of bowing the repentance ceremony. One day a Sangha member came and said, "Your father has resigned his post because of his age and has returned home. The Venerable Master Miao Lien applauds your austerities and determination on the Path of cultivation. However, he says one must have both wisdom and blessings and one must understand phenomena as well as noumena. On one hand, bowing the repentance ceremony as you have done leads to wisdom, but on the other, you should attain blessings by undertaking the responsibility of serving those of the monastery, that is, of benefitting everyone and the Triple Jewel."

The verse says:
The Eternally Dwelling of the ten directions is the honorable Triple Jewel.
Performing his duties for the sake of all, he always did his best.
The Master cultivated both blessings and wisdom, enriching the self-nature.
Where worthy sages dwell is called a Buddhist monastery.