The Caotang Temple

现在我们出发去草堂寺，我先为大家简单介绍一下。

草堂寺位于西安市西南25千米的圭峰北麓，今户县草堂营村。草堂寺是后秦时（公元401年）御苑逍遥园内的一小部分，是高僧鸠摩罗什当年翻译佛教经典的圣地。他生来聪明异常，人称“圣童”。鸠摩罗什7岁随母出家，博通经典，精通经藏、律藏、论藏，被尊为“三藏法师”。公元401年，鸠摩罗什几经周折被后秦王姚兴迎请到长安，姚兴待以国师之礼。鸠摩罗什居住在逍遥园内，和“沙门”3 000余人翻译梵文经典97部，427卷。这是我国第一次用中国文字大量翻译外国经书。由于他既通梵语，又精汉文，所以所译的经书受到八方称赞，被称为中国佛教三大翻译家之一。当年的译经场地是一座构造简单的堂屋，以草苫盖顶，所以起名为“草堂寺”。好了，我们到了。大家跟我进去吧。

这位是鸠摩罗什，于公元413年圆寂，后葬于草堂寺。今寺内西侧有建于唐代的“姚秦三藏法师鸠摩罗什舍利塔”，石色灿烂，玉润夺目。据史书记载，塔石为西域所贡。塔高2.34米，8面12层，用8种不同颜色的玉石雕刻而成，故称“八宝玉石塔”。整个塔身工艺技巧精妙绝伦，堪称稀世之珍。

寺内还有一口奇特的烟雾井。据《户县县志》记载：“井中腰有石一块，相传昔时每见一蛇卧石上，辄有白气一股由井上腾，缭绕于省城西南，所谓草堂烟雾者此也。”这股缭绕于省城西南的烟雾，借助西风的力量，向帝都长安飘去，并与其相连，形成长安八景之一的“草堂烟雾”。真正的烟雾可能是由地热引起的。这股升腾上来的热气，再与周围的山岚水气以及草堂寺上空缭绕的香烟混为一体。井上现修建了一座古朴的敞亭，上有赵朴初题的“烟雾井”3个字。

大家应该也感受得到今日草堂寺内柏竹交翠，名花香叶，环境幽雅，空气清新，实为理想的旅游胜地。

我们的行程就在这美丽的地方结束了，希望大家对我的服务感到满意，也希望大家感受到这次旅程的美好，欢迎大家再次来西安这座美丽的古城游览，希望下次还有机会由我来招待大家。谢谢！

We are heading for the Caotang Temple.Now I want to give you a brief introduction.

The Caotang Temple is located at the northern foot of the Guifeng Mountain in Caotangying Village of Hu County，some 50 kilometers southwest of the City of Xi'an.Once part of the Xiaoyao Garden in the period of the Later Qin Dynasty（401 AD）.The Caotang Temple later became a sacred place where the Buddhist master Kumarajiva translated Buddhist scriptures.Kumarajiva possessed extraordinary tal ents and thus was called a prodigy when he was a child.At seven，he left home together with his mother，and became a monk.He was already versed in three Buddhist classics：namely Sutrapitaka（Jing Zang），Vinayapitaka（Lu Zang），and Ab hidha Crmapitaka（Lun Zang）.Thus，he gained the name“Master Tripitaka（Master of Three Buddhist Classics）”.After many ups and downs，Kumarajiva was invited to Chang'an in 401 AD by Yao Xing，King of the Later Qin Dynasty and was treated as the national master.He stayed with 3 000 other monks in the imperial garden，where 97 sets or 427 volumes of Buddhist scriptures were translated from Sanskrit into Chinese.This was the greatest effort ever undertaken till that day in Chinese history.Because of his versatility in both Sanskrit and Chinese，Kumarajiva's translations were appreciated by every one.He has been referred to as one of the three greatest translators of Buddhist scriptures in China.The translation office of that day was a simple thatch－roofed house；hence the name the Caotang Temple.Well，here we are.Follow me，please.

This is Kumarajiva，who died in 413 AD and was buried in this temple.A stone pagoda of unique brilliance was set up at the western side of the temple during the Tang Dynasty.The inscriptions on the monument read“In memory of the Yao Qin Master Kumarajiva”. According to historical records，the stones for the pagoda were contributed by the Western Region.The eight－sided twelve－storied pagoda is 2.34 meters high and is engraved with jade of eight different colors；hence the name the Babao Yushi Pagoda.It is a pagoda of such exquisite workmanship that it is truly a rarity.

A well inside the temple possesses quite a unique character.It emits clouds of mist now and then.The Annals of Huxian County reads，“There is a piece of stone on one side，halfway down the well.The legend goes that whenever there was a snake lying on the stone，the mist would come out，clouding over the southwestern part of Chang'an.”The mist traveling as far as the ancient imperial capital of Chang'an under favorable winds，represented one of the Eight Famous Scenic Attractions of the Central Shaanxi Plain—the Mist of Caotang Temple. The real cause of the mist，however，is a geothermal vapor，which，once out of the well，mixes with the smoke of incense over the temple.An elegant and antique－looking pavilion has been built over the well.It has an inscription by the famous calligrapher and Buddhist Zhao Puchu—“the Yanwu Well.”

You can see that the temple is richly plant－ed with lush cypresses and bamboo and fragrant flowers. The quiet environment and fresh air make it an ideal place for tourists.

Our trip is completed in the beautiful place.I hope you feel satisfied with my job，and have had a good trip.I welcome everyone to visit Xi'an，the beautiful ancient city，again.I wish to have another chance to entertain you.Thank you very much！