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Luoyang Qielanji 洛陽伽藍記 "The Monasteries of Luoyang" | Literature by A to Z Literature by time Literature by theme Literature by Sibu | |
by Yang Xuanzhi's 楊衒之 | ||
4.〈洛陽城西伽藍記〉:〈白馬寺〉 白馬寺。漢明帝所立也。佛入中國之始寺。在西陽門外三里御道南。帝夢金神長大六項背日月光明。金神號曰佛。遣使向西域求之。乃得經像焉。時白馬負而來。因以為名。明帝崩。起祇洹於陵上。自此從後。百姓塚上或作浮圖焉。寺上經函。至今猶存。常燒香供養之。經函時放光明耀於堂宇。是以道俗禮敬之。如仰真容。浮屠前柰林蒲萄異於餘處。枝葉繁衍。子實甚大。柰林實重七斤。蒲萄實偉於棗。味並殊美冠於中京。帝至熟時常詣取之。或復賜宮人。宮人得之。轉餉親戚。以為奇味。得者不敢轍食。乃歷數家。京師語曰。白馬甜榴一實直牛。 West of the city: White Horse Monastery (Baimasi) The White Horse Monastery was founded by Emperor Han Mingdi when Buddhism first came to China. It was founded three miles (li) outside of the Xiyang gate, south of the imperial highway. Once, the Emperor dreamt of a golden statue of a god, six feet (chi) long along back and neck. The statue was shining and glittering like sun and moon. The golden god came foreign countries and was called Buddha (fo, old Chinese fut). The emperor sent people out in search for the statue of this god, and they came back with canonical writings (the Sutra in 42 sections) and the statue, bringing them home on the back of a white horse (other version: they came back with a golden statue. At that time, a white horse came in with sutras on its back). This is the origin of the monastery's name. When Emperor Mingdi died, a Buddhist altar was erected upon his burial mound where many people came to pray to the Buddha. There was also a small stupa. The sutra that have been preserved in this stupa of the monastery still exist today. When people come to burn their incence sticks and present offerings, the sutra spreads a gleaming light that fills the hall up to the roof. The sutras are therwith verenated according to the customs of Buddhist rites. Before the stupa is a grove of grape bushes, with leaves and twigs lush and luxuriant seen nowhere else. The fruits are extraordinarily big, one bunch of grapes is weighing seven pounds (jin), because one single grape is even bigger than a date. Moreover, the tase is also uncompareably beautiful. The grapes were spread in the central plain of China. When the emperor came along at the time when the grapes had become ripe, he was presented some of these grapes, and also other people of the court obtaines the grapes. The courtiers rended the grapes to their relatives because of the wonderful taste, but nobody dares to eat them but passed the grapes on to other people. A proverb in the central plain says, "Sweet grapes the White Horse Monastery: one single grape is worth an ox." Translated by Ulrich Theobald |