釋氏要覽 1.151

1.151

梵云。阿蘭若。或云阿練若。唐言無諍○四分律云。空靜處○薩婆多論云。閑靜處○智度論云。遠離處○大悲經云。阿蘭若者。離諸忩務故○十二頭陀經云。佛言阿蘭若處十方諸佛皆共讚歎無量功德皆由此生○肇師云。忿競生乎眾聚。無諍出乎空閑故。佛讚住於蘭若○寶雲經云阿蘭若處。獨靜無人不為惱亂。乞食易得非遠非近多諸林木華果清淨美水龕室安穩故○蘭若者。智度論云。遠離處最近二里。能遠益善。去村一拘盧舍（此云鼓聲）○律云。去村五百弓。弓即尋也。西天法。凡四肘為一弓。肘長尺八共長七尺二寸也五百弓為一拘盧舍。積三千六百尺。成六百步。即二里也。

In Sanskrit it is āraṇya or araṇya; in the Tang language, 'without dispute'. / The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya says: 'an empty and quiet place.' / The Sarvāstivāda-śāstra says: 'a calm and quiet place.' / The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'a place of seclusion.' / The Mahākāruṇika Sūtra says: 'An āraṇya is so called because it is free from all busy affairs.' / The Twelve Dhūta Sūtra says: 'The Buddha said that the āraṇya is praised together by all Buddhas of the ten directions; immeasurable merits all arise from this.' / Master Zhao says: 'Rancor and competition arise from gatherings of crowds; freedom from dispute emerges from solitary leisure. Therefore the Buddha praised dwelling in an āraṇya.' / The Ratnamegha Sūtra says: 'An āraṇya is solitary and quiet without people, free from annoyance and disturbance; almsfood is easy to obtain, neither too far nor too close; it has many groves, flowers, and fruits, with pure and sweet water, and niche-rooms that are peaceful and secure.' / Regarding the distance of an āraṇya: the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'A secluded place is at least two li away; further is even better: one krośa (translated as a drum sound) away from a village.' / The Vinaya says: 'Five hundred bows away from a village.' A bow is a fathom (xun). According to the method of Western India, every four cubits make one bow; a cubit is one foot eight inches long, making seven feet two inches in total. Five hundred bows make one krośa. Accumulating 3,600 feet makes 600 paces, which is two li.