施主院に入て財を捨し齋を設けば、亦た當に諸の知事一等に商量すべし。是れ叢林の舊例(きゅうれい)なり。
 囘物(えもつ)俵散は、同く共に商量せよ。權を侵(おか)し職を亂することを得ず。
 齋粥如法に辨じ了らば、案上に安置し、典座袈裟を搭け坐具を展べ、先づ僧堂を望んで、焚香九拜し、拜し了て、及ち食を發すべし。
 一日夜を經し、齋粥を調辨し、虚しく光陰を度ること無れ。
 實の排備有らば、擧動施爲、自ら聖胎長養の業と成り、退歩飜身、便ち是れ大衆安樂の道なり。
 而今(いま)我が日本國、佛法の名字、聞くこと己(すで)に久しし。然あれども僧食(そうじき)如法作(にょほうさ)の言、先人記せず。先徳教えず。況んや僧食九拜の禮、未だ夢にだも見ざること在り。國人僧食の事を謂ふ。僧家作食(さじき)法の事は、宛も禽獸の食法の如しと。實に憐みを生ずべし。實に悲しみを生ずべし。
 如何んぞや。
 山僧天童に在りし時、本府の用(ゆう)典座職に充てりき。予因(ちなみ)に齋罷(さいは)に東廊を過ぎ、超然齋に赴くの路次、典座佛殿前に在りて苔を晒す。手に竹杖を携へ、頭に片笠無し。天日熱し、地甎熱す。汗流れて徘徊すれども、力を勵め苔を晒す。稍(やや)苦辛を見る。背骨弓の如く、龍眉(ほうび)鶴に似たり。
 山僧近前して、便ち典座の法壽を問ふ。座云く、「六十八歳」。
 山僧云く、如何ぞ行者人工(にんく)を使わざる」。座云く、「佗は是れ吾にあらず」。
 山僧云く、「老人(ろうにん)家(け)如法なり。天日且つ恁(かくのごとく)熱す。如何ぞ恁地なる」。座云く、「更に何(いず)れの時をか待たん」と。
 山僧更(すなわ)ち休す。
 廊を歩する脚下、潛(ひそか)に此の職の機要爲ることを覺ふ。

When a patron comes into the monastery and donates money to hold a feast, the various the stewards should all be consulted; this is the precedent established in monasteries of old. With regard to the distribution of the merit-making donations, they also consult together. Do not create a disturbance in the hierarchy by infringing on anyone’s authority.
When the midday meal or morning gruel has been properly prepared and placed on the table, the cook dons his kesa, spreads his sitting cloth, faces the sangha hall [where the monks eat], burns incense and makes nine prostrations. Upon finishing his prostrations, he sends the food [to the sangha hall].
Throughout the day, as you prepare the meals, do not pass the time in vain. If your preparations are true, then your movements and activities will naturally become the deeds of nurturing the womb of the sage. The way to put the great assembly at ease is to step back and transform yourself.
It has been a long time now since the name “buddha-dharma” came to be heard in our country, Japan. However, our predecessors did not record, and the former worthies did not teach, anything about the proper procedure for monks’ meals, and they never even dreamed of the rite of making nine prostrations before the monks’ meals. People in this country say that the way in which the monks eat and the way in which monasteries prepare food are just like the feeding methods of [domestic] birds and beasts. This is truly pathetic, truly deplorable. How could it be?
When this mountain monk [I, Dôgen] was at Tiantong Monastery, the position [of cook] was held by cook Yong, of the same province [as the monastery]. Once, after the midday meal I was passing through the east corridor on my way to the Chaoran room [where my teacher Myôzen was being nursed] when I saw the cook in front of the buddha hall airing mushrooms. He carried a bamboo staff in his hand, but had no hat on his head. The sun was hot, the ground tiles were hot, and sweat streamed over him as he worked diligently to dry the mushrooms. He was suffering a bit. With his backbone bent like a bow and his shaggy eyebrows, he resembled a crane.
I approached and asked the cook his dharma age. He said, “Sixty-eight years.”
I said, “Why do you not employ postulants or laborers?” He said, “They are not me.”
I said, “Venerable sir, your attitude is indeed proper, but the sun is so hot; why are you doing this [now]?” The cook said, “What time should I wait for?”
I took my leave, but as I walked along the corridor, I began to realize how important an opportunity this position affords.