Wutai Shan
Wutai Shan (Chi. 五台山, Pin. Wǔtái Shān; Wyl. ri bo rtse lnga), or the Five-Peaked Mountain, is a sacred site situated in the northeastern Shanxi province of China, and associated with bodhisattva Manjushri. Wutai Shan is also one of the four great sacred Buddhist mountains of China[1].
Known in Chinese as “Clear and Cool Mountain” (Chi. 清涼山, Pin. Qīngliáng Shān; Tib. ri bo dwangs bsil), Wutai Shan was first identified as Manjushri’s abode on the basis of a passage in the Avatamsaka Sutra. In this sutra, Manjushri is said to reside on a "clear cold mountain" in the northeast (when seen from India). The Avatamsaka tradition recounts that Manjushri taught in Wutai Shan and still resides there. The bodhisattva is believed to frequently appear on the mountain, taking the form of ordinary pilgrims and monks, even today.
Major Tibetan Buddhist Figures Who Resided in Wutai Shan
- Vimalamitra, after his stay in Tibet, left for Wutai Shan. It is said that he remains there, in the rainbow body, the ‘Body of Great Transference’, and there he will remain until all of the 1002 buddhas of this Fortunate Aeon have appeared.
- Padampa Sangye (d.1117)
- Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339), the third Karamapa
- Jamchen Chöjé Shakya Yeshe (1354-1435)
- Thubten Gyatso (1876–1933), the thirteenth Dalaï Lama. Escaping British invasion, he found refuge in Wutai Shan from 1907-1908.
- Khenpo Jikme Phuntsok (1933-2004)
Major Temples & Pilgrimage Sites
Notes
- ↑ Wǔtái Shān which is associated with bodhisattva Manjushri, Éméi Shān with bodhisattva Samantabhadra, Jiǔhuá Shān with bodhisattva Kshitigarbha and Pǔtuó Shān with bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Further Reading
- Birnbaum, Raoul. Secret Halls of the Mountain Lords: the Caves of Wu-t'ai' T'oung Pao vol 86, no. 4-5 (Dec 2000) (Cahiers d'Extreme-Asie 5 (1989-1990), pp. 116-140.)
- Chou, Wen-shing. Ineffable Paths: Mapping Wutaishan in Qing Dynasty, China Art Bulletin (March 07) pp. 108-129.
- Tuttle, Gray. Tibetan Buddhism at Ri bo rtse lnga/Wutai shan in Modern Times, Columbia University. JIATS, no. 2 (August 2006), 35 pp. Link to article
- Wutai Shan and Qing Culture, JIATS, no. 6 (December 2011) Link to articles