现在我们所看到的就是著名的大雁塔。这里距市中心约4千米，是我国佛教名塔之一。

公元652年，著名僧人玄奘上表，请求在慈恩寺内建塔以保存从印度带回的佛经和佛像，高宗同意后，并用死亡宫女的遗物资助玄奘建塔，塔建成时为五层，砖表土心。公元701—704年，武则天长安年间重修时改建为七层楼阁式砖塔，一直保存至今。塔高64米，底层每边长25米，塔基座边长45米。

大雁塔是玄奘仿照印度的雁塔而建的，故沿袭印度塔之原名为“雁塔”。塔名前加一“大”字是指大乘佛教的意思。

印度佛教分大乘、小乘两派。大乘吃素、小乘吃荤。传说玄奘住的这座寺院附近有一座小乘寺，一天该寺的僧人因吃不到肉而发愁，那天正好是菩萨布施日，一个和尚仰天叹道：“大慈大悲的菩萨一定不会忘记今天是什么日子吧！”他正说着，一群大雁飞来，头雁坠地而死。僧侣们个个惊愕万分，以为菩萨显灵，送来大雁以解饥苦。从此，全寺和尚不再吃肉并改信大乘佛教。他们还在大雁落地处修建了一座塔，取名“雁塔”。

We are now visiting the famous Dayan Pagoda. It is about four kilometers from the urban center of Xi'an.The Dayan Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China.

In 652 AD Xuanzang proposed to the emperor that a pagoda be built inside the temple to store the scriptures and statues that he had brought back from India.The Emperor Gaozong readily agreed with him，and raised funds by selling things left behind by deceased court maids.The five－story initial pagoda had an earthen body with bricks applied on the exterior.From701－704，during the Empress Wu Zetian's reign，the pagoda was rebuilt into the towerlike seven－story brick pagoda you see today.Standing 64 meters high，the bottom of the pagoda measures 25 meters on all four sides and the length of its platform is 45 meters on each side.

Built by Monk Xuanzang，the Dayan Pagoda is a copy of the Yan Pagoda in India from where its name was derived.However，it has the word“Da”added to suggest the Mahayana（Great Vehicle）Buddhism.

In fact，there are two major sects of Buddhism in India，the Mahayana and the Hinaya－na.The Mahayana believers are vegetarians while those of the Hinayana are non－vegeta－rians.Near the temple where Monk Xuanzang stayed，there was a Hinayana temple.One day，monks were worried that they couldn't get enough meat to eat in the temple. It happened to be the General Alms Day of the Buddha.A monk looked up at the sky and sighed，“I think our beloved Buddha，the Great and Merciful will not forget what day it is today.”Then a goose dropped to the ground.The monks were all shocked and concluded that this must be the result of the Buddha's spirit at work：to provide them with a wild goose.From then on，the monks of the temple became vegetarians and believed in Mahayana Buddhism.They also set up apagoda where the wild goose fell，and called it the Yan Pagoda.