釋氏要覽 1.167

1.167

The Vinaya commentary by the Tripiṭaka Master Yijing states: "In the Western Regions, the Buddha hall is called a gandhakuṭī, translated here as 'fragrant chamber.' The reason it is not called 'Buddha hall' or 'Buddha palace' is that they did not wish to directly refer to his venerable presence." (A palace hall [dian] is an institution of this land, referring to those with chi-fish tails placed above. Calling the tails 'chi-beaks' [chiwen] nowadays is an error. The Jiuguzi says: 'The fire at the Bailiang Hall under the Han was a heavenly fire. A Yue shaman presented an art: taking the tail of a chi-fish and placing it on top to ward it off. Nowadays it is modeled after that. According to ancient regulations, iron in the shape of water plants was further added above the tail, which the vulgar call "gathered birds." The Fengsu tong states: "Ancient halls were mostly carved with water plants such as lotuses, water lilies, and caltrop leaves, which were used to suppress fire."')