Want to know more about Mount Wutai

Wutai Mountain is located in Wutai County in northeastern Shanxi Province, with an average altitude of more than 1,000 meters. The highest point, Beitai Yemen Peak, is 3,058 meters above sea level and is known as the "Roof of North China." Wutai Mountain has a radius of about 300 kilometers. Because the five peaks rise from the ground like five pillars holding up the sky, they stand majestic and the peaks are as flat as a platform, so it is named Wutai. Because the climate on the mountain is very cold and there is still no heat in midsummer, it is also called Qingliang Mountain. It is a tourist area that integrates natural scenery, historical relics, ancient architectural art, Buddhist culture, folk customs, and summer vacation.

Mount Wutai is a well-known Buddhist resort at home and abroad. It is the monastery of Manjushri Bodhisattva. And with its long history of temple building and grand scale, Mount Wutai ranks first among the four famous mountains in Buddhism - hence the Golden Five. Known as Taiwan, it enjoys a good reputation in Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and other countries. The temples in Mount Wutai were first built by Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, due to the prosperity of "Manjusri belief", there were more than 360 temples. In the Qing Dynasty, with the introduction of Lamaism to Mount Wutai, the green and yellow temples with their own characteristics appeared. The area surrounded by the tops of the five platforms in Mount Wutai is called within the platform, and its periphery is called outside the platform.

1. The legend that Wutai Mountain became a Buddhist holy land

It is said that Wutai Mountain was originally the territory of Taoism. In the "Tao Jing", Wutai Mountain is called Zifu Mountain, and the Zifu Temple was once built. "Qingliang Mountain Chronicle" states that when the Buddhist Manjusri Bodhisattva first came to China, he lived in a stone basin cave, and the stone basin was in the Taoist Xuanzhen Temple. This shows that Mount Wutai was occupied by Taoists at that time.

When Buddhism was first introduced to our country, only a few people practiced it. In 2 BC, Yi Cun, the envoy of the king of Dayue Zhiguo (a minority originally living in the Ili River Basin in western Xinjiang, my country, and a country established after migrating westward to Central Asia) came to Chang'an (now Xi'an), the capital of China at that time, and he dictated The Buddhist scriptures were given to a Ph.D. disciple named Jing Lu. This is the earliest record of the introduction of Buddhism into China in Chinese history books.

The introduction of Buddhism to Wutai Mountain is generally believed to have begun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to historical records, in December of the 10th year of Yongping (AD 67), the envoy sent by Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions to seek Dharma came to Luoyang with two eminent Indian monks, She Moteng and Zhu Falan.

In the eleventh year of Yongping, a monastery was built south of the imperial road outside Yongmen in the west of Luoyang City to house two eminent Indian monks. In order to commemorate the contribution of the White Horse Sutra ("Sutra of Forty-two Chapters") to the Buddha statue, it was named White Horse Temple.

In the eleventh year of Yongping, She Moteng and Zhu Falan came to Wutai Mountain (then called Qingliang Mountain) from Luoyang. Because there has been King Asoka's stupa in the mountain for a long time, and Mount Wutai is also the place where Manjushri Bodhisattva teaches and lives (it is said that Mount Emei is the place where Samantabhadra Bodhisattva teaches and lives, Mount Putuo is where Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva teaches, and Mount Jiuhua is where Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva teaches and lives. (where they lived), they wanted to build a temple. However, because Wutai Mountain was a Taoist base at that time, they were quite marginalized, so they reported to Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty. The two parties reached an agreement - an appointment was made to burn the scriptures to distinguish the authenticity from the false ones (according to legend, the burning place was at the scripture-burning platform in present-day Xi'an). As a result of the scripture burning, all the Taoist scriptures were burned, but the Buddhist scriptures were not completely burned. The two of them obtained the right to build a temple. Taipei has many mountains and a vast territory with crisscrossed rivers. Where is the right place to build a temple? "Qingliang Mountain Chronicles" records: "On the left side of the big pagoda, there are footprints left by Sakyamuni Buddha. They are one foot six inches long and six inches wide, with thousands of wheels and all ten fingers visible." It is said that the two of them not only discovered this footprint, but also found "relics". In addition, the mountain in Yingfang Village is majestic and has an extraordinary atmosphere, which is similar to the Vulture Mountain in India (the practice place of Sakyamuni Buddha). For these three reasons, it was decided to build a temple here. After the temple was completed, it was named after the mountain - Lingjiu Temple. In order to express his belief in Buddhism, Emperor Liu Zhuang of the Han Ming Dynasty added the word "Dafu" (meaning Hongxin), so the full name of the temple after its completion was called Dafu Lingjiu Temple. Dafu Lingjiu Temple is the predecessor of today's Xiantong Temple. Since then, Mount Wutai has become the center of Chinese Buddhism. The Dafu Lingjiu Temple in Mount Wutai and the White Horse Temple in Luoyang are the earliest temples in China.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the development of Buddhism in Mount Wutai reached its first climax. Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty expanded Lingjiu Temple on a large scale and built twelve temples around it, including Shanjing Temple and Zhenrong Temple. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, the number of temples in Mount Wutai soared to more than 200. In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict to build a temple on each of the five platforms. That is, Wanghai Temple in Dongtai, Puji Temple in Nantai, Falei Temple in Xitai, Lingying Temple in Beitai, and Yanjiao Temple in Zhongtai. Because Mount Wutai is the place where Manjushri Bodhisattva performs his teachings, the temples on the top of these five platforms are all dedicated to Manjushri Bodhisattva, but the names of the five Manjushri are completely different: Dongtai Wanghai Temple is dedicated to Smart Manjushri, Nantai Puji Temple is dedicated to Wisdom Manjushri, and Nantai Puji Temple is dedicated to Wisdom Manjushri. The Fa Lei Temple in Xitai is dedicated to lion Manjusri, the Lingying Temple in Beitai is dedicated to Wugu Manjusri, and the Yanjiao Temple in Zhongtai is dedicated to Manjusri the child. From then on, everyone who went to Wutai Mountain to worship had to worship in the temple on the top of the five platforms, called Chaotai. At this time, the name of Mount Wutai has appeared in large numbers in the historical records of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the development of Buddhism in Mount Wutai reached its second climax. During this period, according to "Ancient Qingliang Biography", there were as many as 300 monasteries in the mountain with more than 3,000 monks. At this time, Wutai Mountain is not only one of the famous Buddhist mountains in my country, but also a veritable Buddhist holy land. It is known as the first of the four famous Buddhist mountains in my country.

2. The formation of Mount Wutai, a Buddhist holy place

It began in the Tang Dynasty that Mount Wutai became a holy place for Buddhism and had a major influence on the Buddhist circles at home and abroad. The Tang Dynasty was a critical period in the history of the development of Buddhism in Mount Wutai.

The Li Tang Dynasty raised troops in Taiyuan and conquered the world, so it regarded Mount Wutai as "the place where the ancestors cultivated their virtues."

When Li Yuan rebelled against the Sui Dynasty, he made a great wish for Buddhism, saying that when he became emperor, he would promote the Three Treasures. In the second year of Wude (619), Li Yuan gathered eminent monks in the capital, established the Ten Great Virtues, and managed the affairs of monks and nuns. After Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne, he revived the business of translating scriptures and made Parapokaromitra take charge of it. He also liberated 3,000 monks and built monasteries in various places on the old battlefield. In the ninth year of Zhenguan (635), an edict was issued saying: "On Mount Wutai, Manjusri must live, a secluded residence for all saints, and the environment is located in Taiyuan. It is the place where my ancestors cultivated their virtues. It is appropriate not to be afraid." "In this year, ten temples were built in Mount Tai. , the degree increased by hundreds."

Wu Zetian attached great importance to the role of Buddhism in the struggle for the throne. In the second year of Changshou (693), the famous monk Bodhi Liuzhi and others published a new translation of the "Precious Rain Sutra", saying that the Bodhisattva appeared in female form, which created public opinion for Wu Zetian's ascension to the stage. In the first year of Zhengsheng (695), he also ordered Bodhi Liuzhi and Shishananda to re-translate the Huayan Sutra. The translation was completed in the second year of the Holy Calendar (699). The new translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra says: "There is a place in the northeast called Qingliang Mountain. Since ancient times, Bodhisattvas have stayed in it. Now there is a Bodhisattva named Manjushri, and his followers, ten thousand Bodhisattvas, are always there. Among them is the speech. "In the second year of Chang'an (702), Wu Zetian claimed that she "wandered to the five peaks of Mount Qingliang" and ordered the reconstruction of Qingliang Temple, the representative temple of Mount Wutai. After Gongjun, he appointed Master Dadegan as the abbot of Qingliang Temple, and named him "the founding father of Changping County, with a settlement of 1,000 households, and in charge of the affairs of monks and nuns in the capital."

This is Mount Wutai's highest ranking in the country. The beginning of the Buddhist world's dominance was also the beginning of Wutai Mountain's development into a famous mountain and holy place under the use and hostage of the feudal rulers.

According to records, from Taizong to Dezong in the Tang Dynasty, "all the nine emperors admired Lingshan, left a sacred realm, wore heavenly clothes, wore five caps at a time, and used fragrant medicine to last year by year. As for the worship of Baipi and the special help and offerings, it cannot be fully recorded." It is obvious that from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty, everyone gave great support and assistance to Mount Wutai Buddhism.

From the perspective of Buddhist classics, in addition to the newly translated "Huayan Sutra" saying that Manjushri Bodhisattva's residence is "named Qingliang Mountain", the "Buddha Speaks of Manjushri Treasure Dharani Sutra" also says: "The Buddha told King Vajra Secret Traces said: After my extinction, there is a country named Dazhenna in the northeast of Nanfangbu Prefecture, with a mountain named Wuding, where the boy Manjushri lives and preaches for all sentient beings."

Since the "Qingliang Mountain" and "Wuding Mountain" mentioned in Buddhist classics as the residence of Manjusri Bodhisattva are very similar to the topography, climate, and environment of Mount Wutai, Buddhists at home and abroad refer to Mount Wutai as the "Five Peaks Standing Out". The natural existence of "There Was No Heat" is regarded as the residence of Manjusri Bodhisattva in their illusory world. In this way, Mount Wutai has become a holy place where Buddhists compete to pay homage. It is famous both at home and abroad and is prominent in the world. It goes without saying that Mount Wutai, as a Buddhist holy land, became famous both at home and abroad with the help of the prosperity of the Li and Tang Dynasties.

In the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was highly respected, and Manjushri was especially revered by Buddhists. The state stipulates that all temples in the country must enshrine statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Since both the government and the public respected Manjushri Bodhisattva and regarded Mount Wutai as a holy place for Buddhism, Mount Wutai prospered unprecedentedly and many famous monks emerged, among which Chengguan was an outstanding representative.

Chengguan (738-839), whose common surname was Xiahou and given name Daxiu, was from Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). At the age of eleven, he became a monk at Baolin Temple in Yingtian and was ordained at the age of fourteen. At the age of thirty-nine, he "swore to travel to Wutai and visit every one of them." After visiting the famous temples and scenic spots in Mount Wutai, he stayed at Huayan Temple to study "Huayan". Sutra" and taught the "Huayan Sutra" in the temple for five years. Later, Chengguan felt that "Huayan was old and sparse, and the purpose was to keep Wenfu." Therefore, "at dusk and in the evening, I cherished my thoughts and thought about creating sparseness." On April 8, the first year of Xingyuan (784) of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty, Chengguan declined friendship and stayed in Dazhou. Huayan Temple's Shuge Pavilion re-annotated the Huayan Sutra. On November 5, the third year of Zhenyuan of Dezong (787), after more than three years, he finally wrote sixty volumes of "Dafang Guangfo Huayan Sutra". During the reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, Chengguan was "taught by Emperor Daizong as a teacher of etiquette". Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty also respected him as a "professor and monk" and "received the title of Master of Zhenguo and entered the list of great monks in the world." Xianzong came to the throne. "Muzong, Jingzong Xian admired Ju (Da) Xiu, and was granted the title of Imperial Master of Dazhao. In the fifth year of Emperor Wenzong's reign, Emperor Kaicheng was appointed as his teacher. On his 100th birthday, he was given farming, wealth and food, and was granted the title of Grand Master of the State.

Cheng Guan "lived in nine dynasties and was the master of the Seven Emperors". He died in the fourth year of Emperor Wenzong's reign in Tang Dynasty (839) at the age of 102. Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty "missed the court for three days" and ordered his "important minister Jinsu" to bury him in a grand ceremony. He is revered as the "fourth generation ancestor of Huayan Sect". During the Tang Dynasty, many famous monks appeared in Mount Wutai, which was also an important symbol of the formation of Mount Wutai as a Buddhist holy place.

Another sign of the formation of Mount Wutai as a Buddhist holy place is the large-scale construction of Buddhist temples and the increase in the number of monks. In the Tang Dynasty, there were more than 70 recorded Buddhist temples in Wutai Mountain, and they were very grand in scale.

With the construction and expansion of Buddhist temples, the number of monks in Mount Wutai has also increased. During the Zhenyuan period of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty, there were tens of thousands of monks and nuns in Heshan. The prosperity and development of temples caused major negative impacts on social politics and economy. In the fifth year of Huichang (845), Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to abolish Buddhism, ordered the temples to be demolished, and ordered monks and nuns to return to secular life. In total, more than 44,600 temples, large and small, have been demolished across the country, more than 260,000 monks and nuns have been demolished, and tens of millions of hectares of land have been recovered. Wutai Mountain was no exception. The monks were scattered and the temples were destroyed. After Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne, Buddhism was revived.

The government stipulates that the number of monks in Wutai Mountain should still reach "five thousand monks." In fact, including the private monks and wandering monks, there are many more than the "five thousand monks". Throughout the history of Mount Wutai, the number of monks was the largest in the Tang Dynasty. There are many temples and many monks, which is also a symbol of the formation of Mount Wutai as a Buddhist holy place in the Tang Dynasty.

Another symbol of the formation of Mount Wutai as a Buddhist holy land in the Tang Dynasty was the competition among foreign Buddhists to pay homage to Mount Wutai and their infinite admiration for Mount Wutai. The Tang Dynasty had a strong national power, a prosperous economy, and a high reputation in the world. It was the center of economic and cultural exchanges among Asian countries. With the expansion of international exchanges, Mount Wutai has been admired by Buddhists in India, Japan, North Korea, Sri Lanka and other countries. Many foreign monks pay homage to Mount Wutai and seek Buddhist scriptures and Dharma from Mount Wutai.

In short, Mount Wutai as a Buddhist holy land was formed in the Tang Dynasty. It relied on the strong national prestige of the Li and Tang Dynasties and became prominent in the world along with the increasing expansion of foreign economic and cultural exchanges.

3. A brief overview of the establishment of Mount Wutai Buddhist Temple

Mount Wutai in Shanxi is a Buddhist holy land well-known at home and abroad. It is also known as the four famous Buddhist mountains in my country along with Mount Putuo in Zhejiang, Mount Emei in Sichuan, and Mount Jiuhua in Anhui. Mount Wutai, with its long history of temple building and large scale, ranks first among the four famous mountains in Buddhism. According to records in various ancient books, temples were built in Mount Wutai during the Yongping period of the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to legend, Emperor Liu Zhuang of the Han Ming Dynasty dreamed at night that a golden man was sitting upright on auspicious clouds, floating from the western sky. Knowing that there was a message from the Buddha, he immediately sent his ministers Cai An, Qin Jing and others to the west to seek for Buddha's teachings. Cai, Qin and others obtained Buddhist scriptures and statues in Dayueshi, and happened to meet the eminent monks She Moteng and Zhu Falan of Tianzhu Kingdom (today's India) who were preaching there, and they invited them to come to China with them. In the tenth year of Yongping (AD 67), envoys from Sanskrit monks and Han Dynasties arrived in Luoyang carrying scriptures and Buddha statues on white horses. When Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty saw the Sakyamuni Buddha statue, it was indeed the same as what he saw in his dream. He believed in Buddhism more and more, so he ordered the construction of the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, and took pictures of Mo Teng and Zhu Falan to spread Buddhism in China. In the 11th year of Yongping, two eminent monks came to Wutai Mountain, a holy place of coolness. They saw the hinterland surrounded by five platform tops. Its mountain topography was indistinguishable from Lingjiu Mountain, the place of cultivation of Sakyamuni Buddha. After returning to Luoyang, He asked Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty to build a temple in Mount Wutai. Therefore, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty issued an edict to build the Dafu Lingjiu Temple in Mount Wutai. Dafu means Hongxin. The name of the temple is Lingjiu, which means that the hinterland of Mount Wutai in the East is similar to the Lingjiu Mountain in the West. In this way, the White Horse Temple in Luoyang and the Dafu Lingjiu Temple in Mount Wutai became the earliest temples established in my country. Dafu Lingjiu Temple is the predecessor of today's Xiantong Temple.

IV. Main Attractions

Nanshan Temple

Nanshan Temple was built in the Yuan Dynasty. The entire temple has seven floors, and the lower three floors are called Jile Temple. , the middle floor is called Shande Hall, and the upper three floors are called Youguo Temple. The stone carvings and clay sculptures in the temple include Buddhist legends, Taoist allusions, and patterns of trees, flowers, and plants, which are unique in Mount Wutai. Standing on the top floor of Youguo Temple, you can overlook the other four towers of Mount Wutai.

Xiantong Temple

Xiantong Temple is the largest and oldest temple in Mount Wutai. It is the earliest temple in China together with the White Horse Temple in Luoyang. The temple is located in the central area of ??Mount Wutai. The Main Hall of Xiantong Temple is the main place for Buddhist activities. There are statues of Sakyamuni, Amitabha and Medicine Buddha enshrined in the hall. The whole hall is spacious and antique. The Wuliang Hall is a brick structure with a bronze cast of Vairocana Buddha inside. The hall has no beams and its shape is very unique and has high artistic value. The Bronze Hall is a bronze building with tens of thousands of small Buddha statues inside. It is a rare copper cultural relic. In the bell tower in front of Xiantong Temple is the Changming Bell, the largest bronze bell in Mount Wutai. On the surface of the bell is a Buddhist scripture in regular script with more than 10,000 characters engraved on it.

Tayuan Temple

In Tayuan Temple there is the iconic building of Wutai Mountain - the Dabai Pagoda. The tower is 56.4 meters high and is pure white. It is known as "the first cool and holy place" . There are more than two hundred copper bells hanging on the top of the tower, which make a crisp sound when the wind blows. There is a small white pagoda to the east of the white pagoda. According to legend, this pagoda contains the blond hair left by Manjushri Bodhisattva when he appeared as a saint, so it is also called the Manjushri Hair Pagoda. The Sutra Collection Pavilion is located on the north side of the White Pagoda. It is a wooden structure building and contains more than 20,000 volumes of sutras written in Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan languages.

Bodhisattva Peak

Bodhisattva Peak is the largest and most complete Lamaist temple in Mount Wutai. It is the main venue for the Yellow Sect Dharma Assembly held every year from the fourth day of the sixth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month. For a while, you can see the grand scene of lamas "suppressing demons" while climbing the mountain. There are Tianwang Hall, Sakyamuni Hall, and Bodhisattva Hall in the temple. Since emperors of all dynasties have climbed to the top of the Bodhisattva, there are many steles and plaques inscribed by the emperor in the temple. In the hall and backyard of the east courtyard, there are two white marble four-sided prismatic stele. The four sides of the stele are engraved with inscriptions in four languages: Han, Mongolian, Manchu and Tibetan. They were all handwritten by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

Other temples

In Taiwan: Shouning Temple, Bishan Temple, Puhua Temple, Dailuoding Qixian Temple, Shifangtang Shuxiang Temple, Guangzong Temple, Yuanzhao Temple, Guanyin Cave, Longquan Temple, Luomu Temple Hou Temple, Golden Pavilion Temple, Zhenhai Temple, Wanfo Pavilion, Guanhai Temple, Zhulin Temple, Jifu Temple, etc.

Offstage: Yanqing Temple, Nanzen Temple, Secret Temple, Foguang Temple, Yanshan Temple, Zunsheng Temple, Guangji Temple, etc.

5. Climate

Wutai Mountain has a cold climate and is also called "Qingliang Mountain". The annual average temperature is minus 4 degrees, with the hottest months from July to August at 9.5 degrees and 8.5 degrees respectively. January is the coldest, with an average temperature of minus 18.8 degrees.

Spring begins one month earlier and autumn begins one month later in Taihuai area than in Taiding. The temperature difference is about 6 degrees. The average temperature throughout the year is 2-3 degrees, with the lowest temperature being minus 30 degrees and the highest temperature being 30 degrees. In summer in the Taihuai area, there are close clouds in the sky, high humidity, and frequent rain.