廬山記 2.3

2.3

Above, from Yunqing south of Baoyan to Yuantong, all belong to Jiangzhou and are called the North of the Mountain. There are two structures of Laozi, both named abbeys. There are fifty-five structures of the Buddha, variously called monasteries, cloisters, hermitages, cliffs, or araṇyas, but in fact all are monks' dwellings. From Kangwang Abbey to Ciyun north of Huiri, all belong to Nankang and are called the South of the Mountain. There are nine structures of Laozi and ninety-three structures of the Buddha. When I first travelled Mount Lu, I inquired about the rise and fall of the mountain's stūpas and shrines and the names of its waters and rocks, but no one could tell me. Even when they did speak, they often repeated errors and departed from the truth. Therefore, taking the Jiujiang tu jing and the miscellaneous records of earlier men, I examined them against the standard histories, and in some cases went in person to the sites to inspect the inscriptions and consult the village elders, thereby composing the Record of Mount Lu. Where things were obliterated and lost beyond recovery, I left them unresolved as doubtful points. As for stele records prior to the Tang, because they contain full details of years, cyclical dates, ranks, and native places, I recorded them all together, in the hope that they might provide some supplement to the historians.