大唐西域記 10.30

10.30

初，引正王建此伽藍也，人力疲竭，府庫空虛，功猶未半，心甚憂慼。龍猛謂曰：「大王何故若有憂負？」王曰：「輒運大心，敢樹勝福，期之永固，待至慈氏。功績未成，財用已竭，每懷此恨，坐而待旦。」龍猛曰：「勿憂。崇福勝善，其利不窮，有興弘願，無憂不濟。今日還宮，當極歡樂，後晨出遊，歷覽山野，已而至此，平議營建。」王既受誨，奉以周旋。龍猛菩薩以神妙藥，滴諸大石，竝變為金。王遊見金，心口相賀，迴駕至龍猛所曰：「今日畋遊，神鬼所惑，山林之中，時見金聚。」龍猛曰：「非鬼惑也。至誠所感，故有此金，宜時取用，濟成勝業。」遂以營建，功畢有餘。於是五層之中，各鑄四大金像，餘尚盈積，充諸帑藏。招集千僧，居中禮誦。龍猛菩薩以釋迦佛所宣教法，及諸菩薩所演述論，鳩集部別，藏在其中。故上第一層唯置佛像及諸經論，下第五層居止淨人、資產、什物，中間三層僧徒所舍。

When first Sadvaha-rāja excavated this sanghārāma, the men (engaged in it) were exhausted and the king's treasures emptied. His undertaking being only half accomplished, his heart was heavily oppressed. Nāgārjuna addressing him said, "For what reason is the king so sad of countenance?" The king replied, "I had formed in the course of reflection a great purpose. I ventured to undertake a meritorious work of exceeding excellence which might endure firm till the coming of Maitrēya, but now before it is completed my means are exhausted. So I sit disconsolate day by day awaiting the dawn, cast down at heart." Nāgārjuna said, "Afflict not yourself thus; the returns consequent on the high aims of a lofty religious purpose are not to be foiled : your great resolve shall without fail be accomplished. Return then to your palace ; you shall have abundance of joy. To-morrow, after you have gone forth to roam through and observe the wild country round (the mountain wilds), then return to me and quietly discuss about the buildings." The king having received these instructions left him after proper salutation (turning to the right).

Then Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, by moistening all the great stones with a divine and superior decoction (medicine or mixture), changed them into gold. The king going forth and seeing the gold, his heart and his mouth mutually congratulated each other. Returning, he went to Nagarjuna and said, "To-day as I roamed abroad, by the influence of the divine spirits (genii) in the desert, I beheld piles of gold." Nagarjuna said, "It was not by the influence of the genii, but by the power of your great sincerity; as you have this gold, use it therefore for your present necessities, and fulfil your excellent work." So the king acted and finished his undertaking, and still he had a surplus. On this he placed in each of the five stages four great golden figures. The surplus still remaining he devoted to replenish the necessitous (deficient) branches of the exchequer.

Then he summoned 1000 priests to dwell (in the building he had constructed), and there to worship and pray. Nagarjuna Bodhisattva placed in it all the authoritative works of instruction spoken by Sakya Buddha, and all the explanatory compilations (commentaries) of the Bodhisattvas, and the exceptional collection of the miscellaneous school. Therefore in the first (uppermost) storey they placed only the figure of Buddha, and the sûtras and śāstras; in the fifth stage from the top (i.e., in the lowest), they placed the Brahmans (pure men) to dwell, with all necessary things provided for them; in the three middle storeys they placed the priests and their disciples. The old records state that when Sadvaha-rāja had finished, he calculated that the salt consumed by the workmen cost nine kotis of gold pieces. Afterwards the priests having got angry and quarrelled, they went to the king to get the question settled. Then the Brahmans said amongst themselves, "The Buddhist priests have raised a quarrel on some question of words." Then these wicked men consulting together, waiting for the occasion, destroyed the sanghārāma, and afterwards strongly barricaded the place in order to keep the priests out.