Luoyang qielan ji

Luoyang qielan ji (J. Rakuyō garanki; K. Nagyang karam ki 洛陽伽藍記). “Record of the Monasteries of Luoyang.” A Chinese Buddhist text written in 547 by Yang Xuanzhi (d.u.) of the Eastern Wei dynasty.

The Princeton Dictionary states:

This five-roll compilation is a record of forty-five great monasteries that flourished in or around the Chinese capital of Luoyang during the previous Northern Wei dynasty. The number of monasteries in the vicinity of Luoyang grew from forty-two during the Yongjia reign (307–313) of the Jin dynasty to 1,367 during the Northern Wei period; after the Wei moved its capital from Luoyang to Ye in 534, however, the number rapidly declined to 421. After witnessing the decline of Buddhism in the city during his visit in 547, Yang Xuanzhi decided to record in as much detail as he could the splendor of the monasteries that had once flourished in Luoyang. Yang provides a meticulous description of the founder, scenery, layout, and landscape of each of the great monasteries, as well as the icons and tablets housed inside the different basilicas and shrines on each monastic campus. Whenever possible, he also includes a brief account of ceremonies and services observed at the monasteries. The Luoyang qielan ji is an invaluable source of information on Northern Wei Buddhist institutions.

The Luoyang qielan ji is also one of the earliest sources of information on Bodhidharma. This text twice mentions an Iranian-speaking Bodhidharma from Central Asia.

Title

Regarding the title, Luoyang qielan ji:

• Luoyang refers to the city of Luoyang.
• qielan is an abbreviated Chinese transcription of the Sanskrit term saṃghārāma or monastery; see ārāma.
• ji, in this context, means "a record, account, narrative".

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Broughton, Jeffrey (2004), "Bodhidharma", in Buswell, Robert E., Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Vol 1, Macmillan Reference USA, pp. 57–58