凡沙門、居士，讀佛經律，必焚香正坐，如見佛然。不得依靠，不得污手持經像。欲讀經，必先靜坐少時，默念偈云：「無上甚深微妙法，百千萬劫難遭遇，我今見聞得受持，願解如來真實義。」念完，方合掌舒經。讀經必字字理會義解，與心相應，不得草草涉躐。
Any monastic or layperson should light and offer incense before reading sutras or vinaya, then sit upright as if face-to-face with the Buddha. One should not hold a sutra or touch a Buddha image with unclean hands. Before reading a sutra, one should meditate for a short while, then silently recite the following verse for opening a sutra:
Supreme and wondrous Dharma,
Subtle and profound, rarely is encountered,
Even in billions of eons.
But now we see and hear it, and accept it reverently,
May we truly understand the Buddha’s actual meaning.
After reciting the verse, release the palms, gently open the sutra, and then start reading. When reading, one should strive to understand the meaning of each and every word, and to absorb them — into the heart; one should not be careless or casual, nor skip or skim through the texts, and end up with a shallow understanding.
凡讀經，須著方袍或長褂。桌上除經與香爐燈光外，不得置諸茶果雜物，即筆硯亦須另處置之。經上有塵，須用淨紙掃之，不得口吹。讀畢或休息，必將經籍關合端正。讀至何處，須用黃紙為條，夾入經內，露少許於頭，不得屈摺經角，不得狼籍。讀至中間，若生雜念，亦必將經關合，念去再舒。
When reading or reciting sutras, dress properly, preferably in Buddhist attire, such as haiqing (black robe). Except for the sutras, incense burners, and reading lamp, the table for reading should be cleared of all miscellaneous items such as tea or fruit. Writing implements such as pens, brushes, and ink-stone should be set aside or placed elsewhere. When there is dust on a sutra, one should not use one’s mouth to blow it away. After reading, close the sutra properly and put it away tidily. When taking a pause, bookmark the page [such as with a yellow slip] with one end of the bookmark slightly protruding; do not make a dog ear (folded down corner of a page). Do not make the reading site a messy place. If one is distracted, one should properly close the sutra and take a break.
若客來，或上座、同學來，俱應將經關合，然後言談。有經在案，不得談世諦語言，不得笑，不得高聲，不得涕唾。若咳嗽，須以袖掩口。若讀經稍有心印，俟讀畢後，另以紙筆記之，不得記於頭上。若書寫經律，須端楷正字，筆跡鮮潔，不得隨意草書，又不得前後參差脫訛。
When guests, senior monastics, or fellow practitioners come to visit, one should first close the sutra before any greeting or conversation. With a sutra still on the table, avoid talking about mundane matters, laughing, telling jokes, speaking loudly, spitting, blowing or wiping one’s nose. If coughing, one should cough into the elbow. When one gains insight from reading sutras, wait until the reading or recitation is over to take notes if needed. One should not write in the margins of sutra texts. When hand-copying sutras or vinaya texts, use a print-writing style and apply fine penmanship. One should not scribble or write out lines from sutras in cursive however one pleases. When copying out sutras, one should avoid omissions, inconsistencies, and errors.
凡諸經籍，應如法供奉。《梵網經》云：「若佛子（中略）常以七寶，無價香華，一切雜寶為箱囊，盛佛經卷。若不如法供養者，犯輕垢罪。」若經籍損壞，宜速修補，令恆常如新。
One should make offerings to sutras or other canonical texts in accord with the Dharma. The twenty-fourth minor precept of The Brahma Net Sutra says, “A disciple of the Buddha… should use the seven precious things, priceless incense and flowers, and other precious treasures to make and adorn covers and cases to store the Sutras an Moral Codes. Hence, if he fails to make offerings to the Sutras and Moral Codes in accordance with the Dharma, he violates this Minor Precept and commits a defiling offense.” Upon seeing any damaged sutras, one should quickly repair or mend it to good or like-new condition.
凡持經像，皆當兩手捧之平胸，不得隻手攜行。己持經像，不得向人作禮。並不得隻手作揖及合掌，但兩手捧經，齊眉一舉足矣！凡敬法，不僅敬經一門，即衣缽錫杖等亦同然。而無形無相之法尤多，茲不具列。
When holding a Buddha image or a sutra, one should hold it at chest level. One should not hold it with one hand while walking. While holding a sutra with one hand, one should not greet others with a half-bow (with another hand in front of chest); nor should one join palms with a sutra in between. As a gesture of greeting, one can simply hold the sutra with both hands and raise it to the eyebrow level. That would do !
Showing reverence towards Dharma includes, but not limited to, sutras, precept sashes, monastic robes, alms bowls, tin staffs, etc. There are many Dharmas that are without shapes or forms—too many such that it is impossible to fully list them in this book.
常見應赴緇流之經懺，多屬偽撰，縱有一二正經，亦爛碎污穢不堪。又近時諸新學家，見佛經淵博，亦間常取而觀覽。覽經時，非仰臥倚靠，則捲之若筒，斯之現象，俱非學佛者之所宜，更不應稱居士、沙門也。望諸同志極力勸之，免遭惡報。
We have often seen sutras used by some monastics for funeral rituals, except for one or two that are authentic, often are fake or fabricated; worse yet, they are usually bent, disbound, heavily soiled, or damaged to almost beyond repair.
In recent times, many so-called Buddhist scholars, upon discovering the expansiveness and profundity of sutras, would pick up or borrow them. However, when reading the sutras, they either lean to the side or backwards, or lie down. Or, they just roll up the sutras into the shape of a bamboo tube. Such behavior is unfitting for Buddhist practitioners, even more so for those who claim to be “laity” or “shramaneras.” I sincerely exhort fellow practitioners to refrain from behaving as such to avoid future bad retributions.
In recent times, many so-called Buddhist scholars have found the sutras to be vast and profound in meaning and pick up or borrow sutras to read. When reading the sutras, they either lean to the side or backwards, or lie down. Or, they simply roll up the sutras into the shape of a bamboo tube. Such behavior is unfitting for Buddhist practitioners, even much more so for those who claim to be “laity” or “shramaneras.” I sincerely exhort fellow practitioners to refrain from doing such things so as to avoid future bad retributions.