釋氏稽古略 3.46

3.46

貞觀二十二年。帝自伐遼而還氣力不逮。乃留神大教。八月問玄奘法師曰。欲植法門之益。何所宜先。奘曰。眾生寢惑非慧莫啟。慧芽抽植法為之資。弘法須人度僧為最。帝曰。賜奘磨衲衣并寶力。奘表謝具前本傳下。九月乙卯詔曰。隋季失御。天下分崩。四海塗炭。八埏鼎沸。朕屬當戡亂親履兵鋒。亟犯風霜宿于馬上。頃加藥餌猶未痊除。比日以來方遂平復。豈非福善之致耶。京城及天下諸州寺各度僧五人。時天下寺三千七百餘所。度僧凡一萬七千餘人（唐舊史）。

In the twenty-second year of the Zhenguan era, after the Emperor returned from the campaign against Liao, his energy and strength were failing, so he turned his attention to the Great Teaching. In the eighth month, he asked Dharma Master Xuanzang: "If one wishes to plant benefits in the Dharma gate, what should be prioritized?" Xuanzang said: "Sentient beings sleep in delusion; without wisdom they cannot be awakened. When the sprouts of wisdom shoot up and grow, the Dharma serves as their nourishment. Propagating the Dharma requires people; ordaining monks is paramount." The Emperor said: "I bestow upon Xuanzang a patched robe and Baoli [monastery]." Xuanzang submitted a memorial of gratitude, detailed below in his previous original biography. In the ninth month, on the yi-mao day, an imperial edict stated: "At the close of the Sui, rule was lost; the realm fell into disarray. The four seas were plunged into misery; the eight directions were in turmoil. We happened to confront the task of quelling the rebellion and personally braved the edge of weapons, repeatedly enduring wind and frost and sleeping on horseback. Recently, though treated with medicines, We had not yet fully recovered. Only recently have We finally regained health. How could this not be brought about by merit and goodness? In the capital and all prefectures across the realm, let five monks be ordained in each monastery." At that time, there were more than 3,700 monasteries in the realm, and in total over 17,000 monks were ordained (Old Tang History).