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From uery early times mountains were seen as points of access to heauen or places
were deities dwelled. As Buddhism penetrated China more fully, this tradition
was enricbed. Monasteries were regulaily bwilt in mountains, and many came to
dttrdct pilgrims, including both laymen and clerics. The religious goal of a iourney to a Buddhist mountain site was to make contact with the Buddha or bodhisattua ensbrined at tbe temple and to gain religious merit. Among the many
mowntain temples, ones with special treasures-relics of the Bwddha, magnificant
paintings, or stdtues-were particularly likely to become maior pilgrimage sites.
The monasteries of Fiue Terraces Mowntains (Wutai Shan) near the northern
border of China proper were among tbe first to deuelop as pilgrimage sites. As
earll' as the sixth century there were two hundred temples in the mowntains, and
the region soon came to be identified witb the great celestial bodhisattua Manjttsri. 81, the ninth centltrl, thousands of monks liued in tbe monasteries on these
mountains. ln this period the pilgrims to Fiue Terraces Mountains seem to haue
been primarily Buddhist monks. These monks included not only Chinese from
other parts of the country, but monks from elsewhere in East Asia, particularly
Korea and Japan and euen occassionally India. Below is an extract from the diary
written in Chinese by the lapanese monk Ennin (793-864), who spent the years
838-847 in China. Ennin recorded his encounters with both holy men and holy
places and was quick to notice the connections between i?nportant Buddhist establishments and tbe imperial gouernmetxt.
Twenty-eighth Day
fof the Fourth Month of 840]
We entered a broad valley and went west thirty li
until 10 era when we arrived at Stopping Point
Common Cloister. Before entering the cloister we
saw to the northwest the summit of the central
:*-_:
-i-l:
-: i!
; MOUNTAINS
,i!"en or places
. :bi-, tradition
,iJtty carne to
t,;l of a jouriii:e or bodhi-',tg the many
';. ntagnificant
:.Trintage sites.
Second Day
;, :l:e northern
:z4rge sites. As
c.runtAins, And
Cl:inese from
r.
particularly
*ont the diary
tbe years
men and holy
*eflt
[e went to theZhenyuan Commandment Cloisrr. On the second story we worshiped the man,tala of the seventy-two sages and worthies made
ix the benefit of the nation, a marvelous paintrrg. Next someone opened up the Ten Thousand
ieints Ordination Platform for us to view. It was
..rrde entirely of white jade, three feet tall, and
,r:agonal in shape. Its base is filled with incense
^h, and it is covered with a multicolored carpet,
rbo octagonal in shape, which fits it exactly. The
Rilars and beams are painted very beautifully.
.We
lndia.
The Bamboo Grove Monastery has six cloisus (the Rules Cloister, Living Quarters Cloister,
733
Garland Cloister, Lotus Cloister, Balcony Cloister, and Buddha Hall Cloister) and forry monks.
This monastery is not under the control of Five
Terraces. . .
Sixteenth Day
Early in the morning we left Bamboo Grove Monastery, following the valley east for ten /1, then
turning northeast for another ten /1, until we got
to Great Garland Monastery, where we lodged in
the Living Quarters Cloister. After a meal we visited the Nirvana Cloister where we saw Abbot
Faxian lecturing on the Great Calming and Contemplation in the upper story. Forty-odd monks
were sitting and listening to his lecture. 'W'e rec-
for
134 I
'$7e
Seventeenth Day
have seen what has never been seen before. pray that in all my successive lives, age after age.i
will be a disciple of Manjusri." Having said this.
he died.
From then on this statue from time to time
would emit light or manifest other signs of its marvelous powers. A record was made of each manifestation and sent to the emperor, who respondec
by sending a gift of Buddhist cloaks, one of whicl-can be seen on the statue. Each year an imperiaemissary sends five hundred cloaks for the monks
of the monastery. This is in addition to the annuaimperial gifts of incense, flowers, pearls, canopies.
jades, jewels, crowns, chased metal incense burners, large and small mirrors, carpets with designs.
.
.r.: re had made befor.
:.
::;h
r.ear an imperia.
: :-oaks for the monks
::iirion to the annual
.,. .:s. pearls,
canopies.
.- neral incense burn-
.. ::rpets
with designs.
: :nd flowers, all of
',:-e. Nor all of them
. ::e others haye to be
:-:iions from official
- ..nd the country
are
:::-es at Five Terraces
:-:'.' a11y4ys copy this
: :tore
'.,..:rh
=. Brightly colored
-: \\'ns with rare jew:nrold numbers of
-a.
:.,
monks from
: ,,ih cloisters attending both. They are joined by
:-:nv others from other cloisters [on the moun- -_-l
:.1I1. ...
::ious sizes.
::a \\'e could see the
-. ,,,'irh their entirell:.. The short grasses
::srance,
it looked
. :t:ddle of summer.
-,-:.. rve gazedatthe
::eeless. Unlike the
-,ne
',
135
packages
of silk floss,
Seventh Day
:-
Eighth Day
The imperial emissary provided a maigre feast for
a thousand monks.
Ninth Day
1,36 I
Eleventh Day
It
rrol
ant!
abb
but
ers as
An
books
and a
came
thus