Monastery is monks and nuns' home where is also a sacred place for pilgrimage. The buildings, facilities, layout etc. of the monastery can reflect the daily activities of the monks and their interaction with the secular world, and also have influences on the compilation of the precepts. Chinese Mūlasarvāstivāda-Vinaya has a number of records of monastery's buildings including gatehouse, meditation hall, canteen, bathroom, kitchen, toilet, washing place, storeroom, ward, stūpa, caitya etc. In addition to the names, layouts and scales of the monasteries, this essay also describes these buildings one by one based on the aforesaid Vinaya. Finally, with the help of archaeological excavations and other literatures, some observations are made to help further understanding on the Buddhist community in the early years of the Common Era.
