A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Lo-Yang
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A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Lo-Yang
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Originally published in 1984.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780691612751 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Publication date: | 07/14/2014 |
| Series: | Princeton Library of Asian Translations , #539 |
| Pages: | 334 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d) |
Read an Excerpt
A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Lo-Yang
By Yang Hsüan-chih, Yi-t'ung Wang
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright © 1984 Princeton University PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-691-05403-2
CHAPTER 1
THE INNER CITY (Ch'eng-nei [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII])
by Yang Hsüan-chih
Sergeant-at-Arms in the Office of the Commanding General of the Army of the Wei
The Yung-ning Monastery was constructed in the first year of the Hsi-p'ing period [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Prosperous and Peaceful) (A.D. 516), by decree of Empress Dowager Ling [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], whose surname was Hu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. It was located one li south of the Ch'ang-ho Gate on the west side of the Imperial Drive (Yü-tao [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]), facing the palace grounds. To the east of the monastery was the Office of the Grand Commandant (T'ai-wei fu); to the west, the Ward of Eternal Health (Yung-k'ang li [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]); to the south, the Office of Revealed Mysteries (Chao-hsüan ts'ao, that is, the Office of Religious Affairs). On the north side, it bordered on the Tribunal of Censors (Yü-shih t'ai).
East of the Imperial Drive, and in front of the Ch'ang-ho Gate, was the Office of the Imperial Guards of the Left (Tso-wei fu), and south of that was the Office of the Minister of Public Instruction (Ssu-t'u fu). South of the Ssu-t'u fu was the Academy for the Sons of the Noblemen (Kuo-tzu hsüeh-t'ang), which contained [three] statues — Confucius in the center, flanked on one side by Yen Yüan [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] [514–483 B.C., a favorite disciple of Confucius, 551–479 B.C.], inquiring about the meaning of good-heartedness, and on the other side by Tzu-lu [543–480 B.C., another favorite disciple of Confucius], asking about government. South of the academy was the Office of the Imperial Clan (Tsung-cheng ssu), and beyond that the Shrine of Imperial Ancestors (T'ai-miao [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Further to the south was the Office of the Protector of the Army (Hu-chün fu), and finally the Gentry's Ward (I-kuan li [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]).
On the west of the Imperial Drive was the Office of the Imperial Guards on the Right (Yu-weifu), and south of that was the Office of the Grand Commandant.
Extending southward, in order, were the Office of the Court Architect (Chiang-tso ts'ao), the Office of Chiu-chi fu, "Nine-story" Office, and the Temple of the Earth (T'ai-she [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). At the southernmost edge was the Ward of Ice Storehouse (Ling-yin li [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) where ice had been stored for the use of the previous four reigns.
Within the precincts [of the monastery] was a nine-storied wooden stupa. Rising nine hundred Chinese feet above the ground, it formed the base for a mast that extended for another one hundred Chinese feet; thus together they soared one thousand Chinese feet above the ground, and could be seen as far away from the capital as one hundred li. In the course of excavating for the construction of the monastery, thirty golden statues were found deep underground; this was interpreted as an auspicious reward for the empress dowager's conversion to Buddhism. As a result, she spent all the more lavishly on its construction.
On the top of the mast was a golden jar inlaid with precious stones. It had the capacity of twenty-five piculs. Underneath the bejeweled jar were thirty tiers of golden plates to receive the dew. Golden bells hung from each of the plates. In addition, chains linked the mast with each of the four corners of the stupa. Golden bells, each about the size of a stone jar, were also suspended from the linkworks.
There were nine roofs, one for each story, with golden bells suspended from the corner of each one, totaling 120 in all. The stupa had four sides, each having three doors and six windows. Painted in vermillion, each door had five rows of gold nails. Altogether there were 5,400 nails on twenty-four panels of twelve double doors. In addition, the doors were adorned with knockers made of golden rings. The construction embodied the best of masonry and carpentry. The elegance of its design and its excellence as an example of Buddhist architecture was almost unimaginable. Its carved beams and gold door-knockers fascinated the eye. On long nights when there was a strong wind, the harmonious jingling of the bejeweled bells could be heard more than ten li away.
North of the stupa was a Buddhist hall, which was shaped like the Palace of the Great Ultimate (T'ai-chi tien [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). In the hall was a golden statue of the Buddha eighteen Chinese feet high, along with ten medium-sized images — three of sewn pearls, five of woven golden threads, and two of jade. The superb artistry was matchless, unparalleled in its day.
The monastery had over one thousand cloisters for the monks, both single cloisters and multilevel ones, decorated with carved beams and painted walls. The doors, painted in blue designs, had carved windows. The beauty of the cloisters was beyond description. Luxuriant cypress, juniper, and pine trees brushed the eaves of the building, while bamboo groves and aromatic plants lined the courtyards and stairways. [For this monastery] Ch'ang Ching wrote a stone inscription that reads [in part]: "Even the Grand Hall on Mt. Sumeru and the Palace of Purity in Tusita Heaven are no match for this."
Here were kept all the sutras and Buddhist images presented by foreign countries. The walls of the monastery were all covered with short rafters beneath the tiles in the same style as our contemporary palace walls. There were gates in each of the four directions. The tower on the South Gate rose two hundred Chinese feet above the ground, had three stories, each with an archway, and was shaped like the present-day Tuan-men [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (meaning South Gate) of the palace grounds. On the gate and latticed windows were paintings of patterned clouds and colored fairies — all magnificent and beautiful.
Under the archway were images of four guardians and four lions, adorned with gold, silver, pearls, and rare stones. Such an imposing and splendid scene could not be found elsewhere.
The East and West Gates resembled the South Gate, except that the towers had only two stories. The North Gate had no tower; in this it resembled the Wu-t'ou Gate [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Black-head Gate).
Outside the four gates were planted green locust trees on the bank of clean streams. Travelers in the capital city often took shelter there. On the street, the freedom from dust in the air was not the result of moisture from the rain clouds; the cooling effect accompanying the pleasing breeze did not originate from round-shaped fans. [Instead, they were blessings of this physical environment.]
Ch'ang Ching, Drafter of the Central Secretariat (Chung-shu she-jen), was ordered by the court to prepare a stone inscription for the monastery.
[Ch'ang] Ching, styled Yung-ch'ang [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], was a native of Ho-nei [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. He was known nationally for his sagacity and learning. In the nineteenth year of the T'ai-ho period (A.D. 495), Emperor Hsiao-wen, impressed by his talents, promoted him to the post of Erudite of the Law (Lü-hsüeh po-shih). Thus he was often consulted on difficult legal cases. In the early Cheng-shih period [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (The Beginning of Justice) (ca. A.D. 504), he was ordered to codify a permanent legal system with Kao Seng-yu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Associate Censor in charge of Drafting (Chih-shu shih-yü-shih); Wang Yüan-kuei [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Commander of the Plumed Forest Guards [so named because the many feathers around the arrows and the butts gave the appearance of a forest] (Yü-lin chien); Tsu Ying, Secretary in the Department of State Affairs (Shang-shu lang); and Li Yen-chih [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Cavaher Attendant (Yüan-wai san-ch'i shih-lang). The Prince of P'eng-ch'eng [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] [Yüan] Hsieh [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], the Grand Preceptor (T'ai-shih), and Liu Fang [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Governor (Tz'u-shih) of Ch'ing-chou [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], were also ordered to take part in these deliberations. In examining the existing regulations and checking ancient clauses against the current ones, [Ch'ang] Ching exhibited his organizational ability. The law, in twenty chapters, was adopted and at this writing is still in use. In cooperation with [Liu] Fang, he suggested names for the palaces, halls, roads, wards, and suburbs of Lo-yang. Later, he was transferred from the capital post to be the Prefect (Ling) of Ch'ang-an. His contemporaries compared him to P'an Yüeh [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. After this he served as the Drafter of the Central Secretariat, Attending Secretary within the Imperial Yellow Gate (Huan-men shih-lang), Supervisor of Archives, Governor of Yu-chou, and Palatine Ceremonially Equal to the Three Authorities (Yu-chou tz'u-shih i-t'ung san-ssu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Because of [his successful official career], his disciples felt much honored.
Even though Ch'ang Ching had at times served as a close attendant to the emperor in the capital and at other times served as governor outside of it, he led an ascetic and simple life, working the same as an ordinary farmer. His only possessions consisted of classical and historical books, which filled his carriages when traveling and his shelves when at home. Several hundred essays written by him and prefaced by Feng Wei-po [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], the Supervising Secretary (Chi-shih), are still available today.
After the ornamentation was finished, Emperor Ming [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (regnant A.D. 515–528) and Empress Dowager [Hu] both ascended [the tower]. They viewed the palaces [as if] in their own palms, and gazed down upon the national capital [as if] in their own courtyard. To keep the interior of the palaces from public view, people were denied access to the tower.
Hu Hsiao-shih [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Metropolitan Prefect of Ho-nan (Ho-nan yin [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) and I once ascended the tower. In truth, it seemed as if the clouds and rain were below us!
The monk Bodhidharma [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] of the Western Regions (Hsi-yü [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) was a native of Persia. He came from the desolate frontier to visit China. Having seen the golden plates making dazzling reflections of the sunlight and shining into the clouds, and having heard the ringing of bejeweled bells lofted into the sky by the wind, he sang praises of this extraordinary artistic achievement.
Bodhidharma claimed at that time to be one hundred fifty years old. But during his extensive travels, which had taken him to every corner of many countries, nowhere in the sullied world had he seen a monastery as elegant and beautiful as this one. Not even in Buddha's realm of ultimate things was there anything like this. He chanted namah — an expression of complete submission to the Buddha — and held his palms together for several days after having seen it.
In the second year of the Hsiao-ch'ang period (A.D. 526), a hurricane upturned many houses and uprooted many trees [in Lo-yang]. The golden vase on top of the mast was also blown off by the wind and fell more than ten Chinese feet into the ground. [The court] once again ordered workers to recast a new vase.
In the first year of the Chien-i period [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (To Establish Justice) (A.D. 528), Erh-chu Jung [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Prince of T'ai-yüan [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], stationed his army and cavalry in this monastery.
[Erh-chu] Jung, styled T'ien-pao [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], was a native of Northern Hsiu-jung commandery [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. For [two] generations his father and he had held the title Chieftain of the First Rank in Charge of the People (Ti-i ling-min ch'iu-chang), Duke of Po-ling Commandery [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], exercising jurisdiction over more than eight thousand groups of tribesmen. He was in possession of scores of thousands of horses, and his wealth equaled that of [the vassal of] a rich kingdom.
In the second month of the first year of the Wu-t'ai period [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Mighty and Peaceful) (March 31, A.D. 528), Emperor [Su-tsung [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]] died without an heir. [Yüan] Chao [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], heir to the Prince of Lin-t'ao [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], was chosen as successor. At the time of his ascension, the [young] emperor was only three years old. The Empress Dowager [Hu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]], obsessed by her greedy desire for control of the government, [chose] and enthroned [this infant emperor].
[Erh-chu] Jung spoke to Yüan T'ien-mu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], Governor of Ping-chou [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. "When the [late] emperor died at nineteen years of age, people still considered him an immature ruler. How much less likely that an infant, as yet unable to speak, can rule the nation so that we may expect peace and prosperity? For generations we [of my family] have received court favor. I can not sit idly by, watching success turn to failure. Now I would like to lead a five thousand iron-armored cavalry to hurry to express their grief at the imperial grave and at the same time inquire from attending ministers the causes leading to the imperial death. How would you respond, in all honesty, [to my proposal]?"
[Yüan T'ien-] mu rephed: "For generations your Lordship has ruled the Provinces Ping-chou and Ssu-chou [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] with outstanding courage and ability. Among your tribesmen, you have ten thousand archers. I [-yin] [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (18th cent. B.C.) or Huo [Kuang] [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (d. 68 B.C.) would be seen again if you could carry out the deposal of [the unworthy] and enthronement [of the worthy]."
That day [Erh-chu] Jung and [Yüan T'ien-] mu exchanged vows to become sworn brothers. [Yüan T'ien-]mu was senior in age, so [by convention] he was treated as the elder brother [with the accompanying respect]. [Erh-chu] Jung, however, was recognized as the sworn leader, so that [Yüan T'ien-]mu bowed to the other for courtesy's sake.
They then secretly discussed the senior members of the royal household, unsure as to who deserved the imperial mandate. Subsequently, Chin-yang men cast gold figures for the prospective rulers; none but [the statue of] the Prince of Ch'ang-lo [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], [Yüan] Tzu-yu [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], was dignified or an especially good likeness. As a result, [Erh-chu] Jung was in favor of the Prince of Ch'ang-lo. An old and skilled slave, Wang Feng [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], was sent to enter Lo-yang, requesting that he be the next ruler. [The Prince of] Ch'ang-lo immediately accepted the offer and set a date for concerted action. [Erh-chu] Jung dressed his three armies in white, and marched southward under unfurled flags.
When she heard of [Erh-chu] Jung's uprising, the empress dowager called the various dignitaries for a meeting. None of the royal clan was willing to offer advice, as each had ill feelings against her, for she had alienated them by garnering all [imperial] favors. Only Hsü Ho, Attending Secretary within the Imperial Yellow Gate, said: "Erh-chu Jung is a petty barbarian of Ma-i [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] of mediocre abilities. Notwithstanding his own [limited] virtue and strength, he is now thrusting his sword against the court. This we may compare to the praying mantis's attempt to halt the wheels of a chariot with its front legs, or to one who lies atop piled firewood until he is burnt to death.
"We have enough guardsmen and civilian officers for a fight. We have only to defend Ho-ch'iao [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (the Yellow River Bridge) and watch [the enemy's] possible intentions. Since Erh-chu Jung's army has come from over one thousand li away, it will be tired. We will certainly break them, since our army is rested while his has been overworked."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Lo-Yang by Yang Hsüan-chih, Yi-t'ung Wang. Copyright © 1984 Princeton University Press. Excerpted by permission of PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS.
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Table of Contents
- FrontMatter, pg. i
- Contents, pg. ix
- List of Maps. List of Illustrations, pg. x
- Translator's Introduction, pg. xi
- Preface by Yang Hsuan-chih, pg. 1
- Chapter 1. THE INNER CITY, pg. 13
- Chapter 2. EASTERN SUBURBS, pg. 66
- Chapter 3. SOUTHERN SUBURBS, pg. 124
- Chapter 4. WESTERN SUBURBS, pg. 163
- Chapter 5. NORTHERN SUBURBS, pg. 211
- Glossary, pg. 249
- Official Titles, pg. 250
- Chronological Chart, pg. 257
- Abbreviations, pg. 260
- Bibliography, pg. 262
- Index, pg. 281