大唐西域記 1.87

1.87

大城西北五十餘里至提謂城，城北四十餘里有波利城。城中各有一窣堵波，高餘三丈。昔者如來初證佛果，起菩提樹，方詣鹿園。時二長者遇被威光，隨其行路之資，遂獻[麩-夫+少]蜜，世尊為說人天之福，最初得聞五戒十善也。既聞法誨，請所供養，如來遂授其髮、爪焉。二長者將還本國，請禮敬之儀式。如來以僧伽胝（舊曰僧祇梨，訛也），方疊布下，次欝多羅僧，次僧却崎（舊曰僧祇支，訛也），又覆鉢，竪錫杖，如是次第，為窣堵波。二人承命，各還其城，擬儀聖旨，式修崇建，斯則釋迦法中最初窣堵波也。

at this time two householders meeting him, and beholding the brilliant appearance of his person, offered him from their store of provisions for their journey some cakes and honey. The lord of the world, for their sakes, preached concerning the happiness of men and Devas, and delivered to them, his very first disciples, the five rules of moral conduct and the ten good qualities (shen, virtuous rules). When they had heard the sermon, they humbly asked for some object to worship (offer gifts). On this Tathâgata delivered to them some of his hair and nail-cuttings. Taking these, the merchants were about to return to their own country, when they asked of Buddha the right way of venerating these relics. Tathâgata forthwith spreading out his Sanghdti on the ground as a square napkin, next laid down his Uttarâsanga and then his Sankâkshikâ; again over these he placed as a cover his begging-pot, on which he erected his mendicant's staff. Thus he placed them in order, making thereby (the figure of) a stûpa. The two men taking the order, each went to his own town, and then, according to the model which the holy one had prescribed, they prepared to build a monument, and thus was the very first Stûpa of the Buddhist religion erected.

To the south-west of the convent there is a Vihāra. Many years have elapsed since its foundation was laid. It is the resort (of people) from distant quarters. There are also a large number of men of conspicuous talent. As it would be difficult for the several possessors of the four different degrees (fruits) of holiness to explain accurately their condition of saintship, therefore the Arhats (Lo-han), when about to die, exhibit their spiritual capabilities (miraculous powers), and those who witness such an exhibition found stūpas in honour of the deceased saints. These are closely crowded together here, to the number of several hundreds. Besides these there are some thousand others, who, although they had reached the fruit of holiness (i.e., Arhatship), yet having exhibited no spiritual changes at the end of life, have no memorial erected to them. At present the number of priests is about 100; so irregular are they morning and night in their duties, that it is hard to tell saints from sinners. To the north-west of the capital about 50 li or so we arrive at the town of Ti-wei; 40 li to the north of this town is the town of Po-li. In each of these towns there is a stûpa about three chang (30 feet) in height. In old days, when Buddha first attained enlightenment after advancing to the tree of knowledge, he went to the garden of deer;