大宋僧史略 1.27

1.27

經像來思僧徒戾止。次原爰處必宅淨方。是以法輪轉須依地也。故立寺宇焉。騰蘭二人角力既勝。明帝忻悅。初於鴻臚寺延禮之。鴻臚寺者。本禮四夷遠國之邸舍也。尋令別擇洛陽西雍門外蓋一精舍。以白馬馱經夾故。用白馬為題也。寺者釋名曰寺嗣也。治事者相嗣續於其內也。本是司名。西僧乍來。權止公司。移入別居。不忘其本。還標寺號。僧寺之名始於此也。僧伽藍者。譯為眾園。謂眾人所居。在乎園圃。生殖之所。佛弟子則生殖道芽聖果也。故經中有迦蘭陀竹園。祇樹給孤獨園。皆是西域之寺舍也。若其不思議之迹。即周穆王造顯濟寺。此難憑準。命曰難思之事也。後魏太武帝始光元年。創立伽藍。為招提之號。隋煬帝大業中。改天下寺為道場。至唐復為寺也。

Scriptures and images having arrived and the disciples of the Saṃgha having gathered, the places where they dwell must necessarily be pure lands; hence the turning of the wheel of Dharma must rely on the ground. Therefore monasteries and halls were established. When the two men Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna had triumphed in the contest of powers, Emperor Ming was delighted. At first he extended courtesy to them at the Court of State Ceremonial (Honglusi). The Honglusi was originally a residence for entertaining the four barbarian tribes and distant kingdoms. Soon afterwards, he ordered that a separate site be chosen outside the Western Yong Gate of Luoyang to build a vihāra; because white horses carried the bundles of sūtras, 'White Horse' was used as its title. As for 'si' (monastery), the Shiming states: 'Si means to succeed (si); those managing affairs succeed one another within it.' It was originally an official title. When the Western monks first arrived, they temporarily lodged in an official hall; when moving into a separate residence, not forgetting their origins, they still retained the designation 'si'. The name 'monastery' (sengsi) began with this. As for saṅghārāma, it is translated as 'community garden' (zhongyuan), meaning the residence of the multitude, situated in a garden or park, a place for propagation and growth; disciples of the Buddha propagate the sprouts of the Way and holy fruits. Therefore, in the sūtras there are the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove and the Jetavana Anāthapiṇḍada Park, all being monasteries of the Western Regions. As for miraculous traces, such as King Mu of the Zhou building Xianji Monastery, these are difficult to substantiate and are called unfathomable matters. In the first year of the Shiguang era under Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei, a monastery was founded and called Zhaoti. In the Daye era of Emperor Yang of the Sui, monasteries throughout the realm were changed to 'bodhimaṇḍas' (daochang); under the Tang, they returned to being called 'si'.