Before becoming a monk, a certain disciple worried that he would not be able to wake up on time to attend the morning service at 4:30 am.

He appealed to the Master, “Shifu, if I can’t get up, may I be excused from the morning service?” The Master replied, “Certainly.”

After he became a monk, the chore assigned to him was to strike the wooden plank in the hallways at 3:45 am to wake everyone up for morning service.