Mount Wutai
View of the village lying between the five peaks Taihuai, look for Tayuan Si
The Wutai Shan五台山, Wǔtái Shān ( historically also: Qingliang Shan清凉山, Qingliang Shān ), the "Five - terrace Mountain", is a mountain range in northern China. It is of great importance for Buddhism, and is next to the Emei Shan, Putuo Shan and the Jiuhua Shan as one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism. In June 2009, the (World Heritage List ) of UNESCO Wutai Shan in the list of world cultural heritage was recorded.
- 3.1 Nanshan Si (Ch南山 寺)
- 3.2 Tayuan Si塔院 寺
- 3.3 Other temples and monasteries
Geography
The Wutai Shan located in the northeast of the province of Shanxi. The mountain covers an area of over 260 square kilometers and is named after the " five peaks " around the village Taihuai台 怀named. The highest peak is 3061 meters high north summit ( Beitaiding ), which is also the highest peak in Northeast China. Since the temperatures in summer are on average only about 9 ° C, it is also called " cold mountain ".
Importance for Buddhism
The Wutai Shan mountain range is considered the most important of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism; to Taihuai around there are numerous monasteries and temples. The history of pilgrimages to Wutai Shan covers approximately 2000 years. Not only Chinese emperor traveled several times in the mountains, but also pilgrims from Japan, Korea, India, Tibet or Mongolia. Famous temples include the Foguang Temple ( Wutai ) and the Nanchan temple with its famous Great Hall, one of the oldest surviving buildings in China.
The monasteries at Wutai Shan were so significant that they found representations of them on frescoes in Dunhuang, in about 1600 miles away. Many of the monasteries is attributable to the Tibetan Buddhism.
The 13th Dalai Lama ( Thubten Gyatsho ) spent 1909 on his trip to Peking (Beijing ) more than half a year at Wutai Shan.
Residence of the bodhisattva of wisdom Manjushri
(Also called the Five - Finger Mountain ) The Wutai Shan, with its five highest peaks is considered by many Buddhists as the residence of Bodhisattva Manjushri (Chinese文殊, Pinyin wén shū, W.-G. Wen- shu ). Buddha Shakyamuni is according to the tradition from India have yellow light emitted to Mount Wutai Shan, whereupon the Bodhisattva Manjushri there, the Lord of Wisdom manifested. This was done in order to win in the future the people of China for the teachings of Buddhism. Manjushri said to have resulted in causing the spread of Buddhist teachings in China.
- On the central peak of the "youthful Manjushri " is to have its seat,
- Sits on the eastern summit " Manjushri the knowledge holder "
- On the south summit to " Manjushri the way " enthroned,
- On the western summit perched " Manjushri, the lion of speech " and
- On the northern summit should " Manjushri the untouchables " have its seat.
Identification with Khotan
The environment of the Wutai Shan is identified in some sources as the area Khotan. Surrounded by mountains, the valley in China to have been an important place of worship of the Bodhisattva Manjushri, and also one of the few places in China where teachings of Buddhist tantra were accessible. But Khotan to have been not only a teaching center of Tantric Buddhism, were there also the teachings of Daoism and Chinese Chan Buddhism ( Japanese: Zen), accessible.
Temples
According to historical records were in the 6th century over 200 monasteries in the area, few of which have survived. Today, 47 are again active and accessible. The most important are:
Nanshan Si (Ch南山 寺)
The Nanshan Temple is one of the earliest construction period in the Yuan Dynasty to the larger monasteries inside Wutai Shan. Organized in three parts it extends over seven terraces. The three lowest-lying are called Jile Si (极乐寺, "Temple of Supreme edification "); the middle terrace is called "Hall of goodness and virtue " (善德 堂) and the top three bear the name "The country behütender Temple" (佑 国寺).
Tayuan Si塔院 寺
With a 56.4 m high White Dagoba ( Stupa ), Da Baita大 白塔, at whose side still stands a smaller one. In which collected on the north side monastery library Buddhist scriptures are kept in Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan script.
Other temples and monasteries
Inner Wutai Shan: Shouning Si, Si Bishan碧 山寺, Puhua Si普 化寺, Dailuo thing Qixian Si, Shifang Tang, Shuxiang Si殊 像 寺, Guangzong Si广 宗 寺, Yuanzhao Si圆 照 寺, Quan Yin Dong, Longquan Si龙泉 寺, Luomuhou Si罗睺 寺, Jinge Si金 阁 寺, Zhenhai Si镇海 寺, Wanfo Ge万 佛阁, Guanhai Si, Zhulin Si, Si, among others Jifu Si Gufo
Outside Wutai Shan: Yanqing Si, Si Nanchan, Mimi Si, Si Foguang, Yanshan Si, Zunsheng Si, Si, etc. Guangji
World Heritage
The area of the Wutai Shan was included in the list of world cultural heritage due to several outstanding features. These are long-lasting, which is under mutual influence of landscape and religious architecture development, its properties as exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition and an architecture and landscape development, which reflects a significant portion of human history. Another outstanding feature is the cultural and religious significance of the area. The registered area has an area of 18,415 ha, it is surrounded by a 42,312 -acre buffer zone.