法苑珠林 29.34

29.34

又隔一國西北行一千五百里入山谷至尼波羅國。屬北印度。都城東南不遠有水火林。東一里許有阿耆波濔水。周二十步。旱澇湛然不流常沸。家火投之遍池火起。煙焰數尺。以水灑火。火更增熾。碎土以投亦即然盡。無問投者。並成灰燼。架釜水上煮食立熟。賢德傳云。此水中先有金匱。前有國王將人取之。匱已出泥人象挽之不動。夜神告曰。此是慈氏佛冠在中。後彌勒下生擬著不可得也。火龍所護。城南十餘里孤山特秀寺居重疊。狀若雲霞。松竹魚龍隨人馴附就人取食。犯者滅門。比者國命並從此國而往還矣。即東女國與吐蕃接界。唐梵相去可一萬餘里。

Traveling again one thousand five hundred li northwest across another country and entering mountain valleys, one reaches the country of Nepāla. It belongs to North India. Not far southeast of the capital city there is a Forest of Water and Fire. About one li to the east is the Ajapamī Water. It is twenty paces in circumference. Clear and still, it never flows whether in drought or flood, but is constantly boiling. If household fire is thrown into it, fire rises all across the pool, with smoke and flames several feet high. If one sprinkles water on the fire, the fire blazes even more fiercely. If broken earth is thrown into it, it also burns away completely. No matter what is thrown into it, everything is turned to ashes. If a pot is placed over the water, food cooked therein is done immediately. Worthies and elders transmit the tradition that in this water there was formerly a gold casket. Earlier, a king of the country brought men to retrieve it. When the casket had already emerged from the mud, men and elephants pulled at it, but it would not budge. A night spirit declared: 'This is where the crown of the Buddha Maitreya is kept. Since it is intended to be worn when Maitreya later descends to be born, it cannot be obtained.' It is guarded by a fire dragon. More than ten li south of the city, a solitary mountain is extraordinarily graceful, with monastic residences piled one above another, resembling clouds and mist. The pine trees, bamboos, fish, and dragons become tame to humans, approaching people to take food. Those who harm them suffer the extinction of their clans. Envoys sent by the realm in recent times have all traveled back and forth via this country. It borders the Eastern Women's Country and Tibet. The distance between the Tang and the Indian lands is roughly ten thousand and more li.