佛祖統紀 43.46

43.46

An imperial decree ordered the fashioning of five hundred and sixteen images of arhats to be enshrined at Shouchang Temple on Mount Tiantai. In the second year, the Emperor inspected the newly translated sūtras and said to the prime ministers: "Tianxizai and the others have wonderfully captured the essence of translation." Thereupon an imperial decree appointed Tianxizai as Court Gentleman for Dispersed Service and Probationary Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, and appointed both Fatian and Shihu as Court Gentlemen for Court Service and Probationary Ministers of the Court of State Ceremonial. Fatian changed his name to Faxian. All were granted monthly stipends of butter and curd with gradations. The newly translated sūtras and treatises were all carved onto printing blocks and published. Tianxizai and the others said: "We have heard that across various circuits of Shaanxi there are quite a few monastics and laypeople storing Sanskrit sūtras. We request that an order be issued to search for them to aid in translation." An imperial decree granted this. (The commentary to the Book of Han notes: "When performing rites at the suburban altars and ancestral temples, the nine guests made loud proclamations, and they were transmitted aloud.")