中天竺舍衛國祇洹寺圖經 2.27

2.27

Next, the third courtyard to the west is named the Courtyard of Books on Yin-Yang. The various books on yin-yang from ten billion worlds are all collected in this quarter. The Buddha permitted the bhikṣus to peruse them temporarily in order to contemplate heterodox arts. There are six small drums, three of gold and three of silver, shaped like five-pint bowls; three lotus stems support these drums, and atop the drums are images of the Sun and Moon Devas, holding gold and silver mallets in their hands. When the time arrives they strike them, and the monastery attendant, as before, hears the sound and opens the door. When a bhikṣu reads the books, the drum sounds continuously, and he naturally comprehends without needing anyone to instruct him. The drum's tones also explain the sun, moon, and stars, the extent of celestial palaces, the methods of degrees and measures, as well as the diverse yin-yang arts of ten billion worlds. The white silver drums were crafted by the Moon Deva; the yellow gold drums were crafted by the Sun Deva. After the Buddha entered extinction, they ascended to the Tuṣita Palace. Formerly, in this courtyard, there were armillary sphere charts and clepsydra mechanisms of ten billion worlds—measures of feet, inches, pints, pecks, pints, gills, steelyards, taels, fractions, and grains, with tallies measuring water as clockwork—all made through the combined craftsmanship of devas, nāgas, and humans. The armillary sphere charts and images of the sun, moon, and stars were all of gold and silver. As the Buddha neared extinction, these mechanisms and instruments all collapsed, and astronomical patterns fell into disorder. After the Buddha had passed into extinction, they were gathered into the nāga palace.