Who is the "number one" in the temple, the abbot or the abbot? How do they distinguish each other?

Introduction The abbot and the presiding officer are both managers of temples, and they are two exclusive positions in Buddhism, which can also be said to be two titles. In TV series, it is often heard that the leader of a temple is called "abbot", but many people remember that the abbot is the largest in a temple. So what's the difference between these two identities? A temple has at most one abbot and abbot, so is there a difference between these two positions? Who is the "first"?

0 1 Maybe many people think this is just a different address. In fact, the abbot and the abbot refer to the same person, but this is not the case. The abbot and the abbot are very different. They exercise different rights and have completely different requirements for the incumbents of the two positions. The two positions are not created at the same time, but the abbot first, then the abbot. Today, the author will analyze the difference from the birth of address to the size of position.

First of all, the abbot came from the Tang Dynasty. After the spread of Buddhism at that time, there were many sects. At that time, Zen master Baizhang Huaihai drew up the name of "abbot" according to Vimalakīrti Classic. Later, with the change of time, the "abbot" became the biggest leader in a temple, and the rest were ordinary deacons. There is no abbot at this time. What rights does the abbot have as the owner of the temple?

The abbot exercises the greatest power, and everything in the whole temple from top to bottom and from inside to outside is decided by him. Such an important position can not be held if you want to, and you must meet the three basic requirements of the abbot:

First of all, you must be a disciple of Buddhism and have a more formal image in appearance; Secondly, as the abbot, he must be a respected person and get the unanimous consent of the arhats; Finally, wanting to be an abbot is like taking a higher position in a company. Although the appointment of relevant departments is not required, the consent of relevant departments must be obtained.

From this analysis, it seems that the abbot is the "number one" in a temple, but this is not the case. Some temple abbots are indeed the highest-ranking leaders, but not all temples are like this. In some temples, the abbot is the supreme leader. Why?

The word "abbot" originally refers to the residence of elders. Because the residence of Indian monks is recorded in the Vimalakīrti Sutra, we named the abbot's residence after "abbot" in China, but it gradually evolved into the title of some respected masters. Later, with the continuous reform of the Qing system, the Bureau of Religious Affairs added the post of "abbot".

The post requirements of the abbot are basically the same as those of the abbot, but they are quite different. The main difference is that the abbot can directly become the abbot of a temple with the consent of the religious administrative organ, but the abbot must be appointed and agreed by the religious administrative organ.

Every temple must have an abbot, but not necessarily an abbot, because the abbot can be in charge of several different temples at the same time, which means that he can serve as an abbot in several temples, while the abbot can only serve in one temple.

This analysis is not difficult to understand, that is, every temple has an abbot, but some temple fairs add the post of abbot. The abbot does not care about the size of the temple, but has the right to refute the abbot's decision. On the other hand, they are supervisors, so even in higher vocational colleges, they can still shuttle through the management of several temples.

If we put the abbot and abbot in the company of our modern society, it is equivalent to the CEO and the board of directors behind him. The CEO "abbot" can only hold the position of supervisor in a temple, and he has the right to govern everything in the temple. The abbot behind the board of directors will only come forward to solve major problems. His more practice is to assist and supervise the abbot's work and avoid the chaos in the temple.

This analysis will make many people suddenly realize that the picture often shown in TV dramas is that the abbot will often assign some jobs in the temple, but it is not. Usually, an abbot will serve as the abbot of several temples at the same time. They just go there irregularly and will not live in a certain temple, but the abbot must live in the temple under his jurisdiction for a long time. This is the biggest difference between the abbot and the host.

Conclusion The abbot and abbot in Buddhism are both high-level leaders of temples. Because of the strict management of temples by the Religious Affairs Bureau, the position of abbot appeared. Most abbots are promoted from abbots. Shi Xingzheng of Shaolin Temple and Shi Yongxin, the current abbot, are both former abbots, with many years of experience in temple management and sincere heart for Buddha. Whether it is the host or the abbot, the most important thing is to preach the law. In fact, there is no need to distinguish this position so clearly, right?