On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c19.45

v2.c19.45

Our pilgrim's narrative proceeds. To the north-west of the Āmalaka Tope, in an old monastery, was the Institution of the Gong-call Tope. Once, the pilgrim explains, there were in this city above 100 Buddhist monasteries with Brethren of high character and great learning, and the Tirthikas were silenced. Then the Buddhist clergy gradually died, and there was a great falling off in their successors, "while the Tirthikas (wai-tao) transmitting learning from teacher to disciple made it a profession." So when the rival partisans were called together thousands and myriads collected to the Buddhist establishments, shouts were raised— "strike loud the gongs; call the learned together". The simple flocked to the meeting, and there was wild beating of gongs. At the Tirthikas' request the king appointed a public discussion to decide their respective merits with the condition that, if the Tirthikas proved successful, the Buddhist monasteries should not be allowed to call meetings by gong-beating. The Buddhists were defeated, and they had borne their humiliation twelve years, when Deva, a disciple of Nāgārjuna P'usa in South India, obtained leave from his master to go to Pāṭaliputra city and meet the Tirthikas in discussion. The fame of Deva P'usa had reached the city; and the Tirthikas, hearing of his proposed visit, induced the king to order the gate-keepers to forbid any foreign monk to enter the city. Deva, however, came in disguised; and on the morning after his arrival beat the gong of the monastery in which he had slept. This caused great excitement, and Deva obtained what he wanted, a public discussion. In the course of twelve days he refuted the propositions of the Tirthikas, and vanquished them utterly in argument. The king and his ministers were greatly pleased, and they raised this sacred structure as a memorial.