釋氏要覽 1.23

1.23

Namely, King Sugarcane banished his four princes: the first was named Torch Face, the second Golden Color, the third Elephant Multitude, and the fourth Nikura (translated into Sui as 'Separately Formed'). When the four sons first arrived north of the Snow Mountains, they halted their carriage under the luxuriant branches of a great tree; therefore, they were named Śākyaja. Now saying Sheyi is certainly an erroneous abbreviation of the Sanskrit. The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya states: 'Near the north of the Snow Mountains, at the Śākya forest, they built a city and erected residences.' Moreover, when King Bimbisāra first asked the Buddha in which country he was born, the Buddha said he was born in the Śākya country. (Examining this now: the country was definitely named after the tree, and the clan was named after the country.) ○ The Fayuan [zhulin] states: 'Śākya is a noble surname of the Western Regions.'