Sacred Mountains of China

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File:China Sacred Mountains.png
Locations of the Sacred Mountains of China

The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into several groups. The Five Great Mountains (Template:Zh) refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history,[1] which have been the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. They are associated with the supreme God of Heaven and the five main cosmic deities of traditional Chinese religion. The group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism (Template:Zhi), and the group associated with Taoism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism (Template:Zhi).

The sacred mountains have all been important destinations for pilgrimage, the Chinese term for pilgrimage (Template:Zhi) being a shortened version of an expression which means "paying respect to a holy mountain" (Template:Zhi).

The Five Great Mountains

File:Wufang Shangdi – Five Forms of the Supreme Deity color.svg
The five elements, cosmic deities, historical incarnations, chthonic and dragon gods, and planets, associated to the five sacred mountains. This Chinese religious cosmology shows the Yellow Emperor, god of the earth and the year, as the centre of the cosmos, and the four gods of the directions and the seasons as his emanations. The diagram is based on the Huainanzi.Template:Sfnb
File:Five cardinal directions, a pottery tile of the Han Dynasty, Cernuschi Museum, 2006-08-12.jpg
A Han dynasty tile emblematically representing the five cardinal directions.

The Five Great Mountains or Wuyue are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center as a direction. The grouping of the five mountains appeared during the Warring States period (475 BC – 221 BC),[2] and the term Wuyue ("Five Summits") was made popular during the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han dynasty 140-87 BC.[1] In Chinese traditional religion they have cosmological and theological significance as the representation, on the physical plane of earth, of the ordered world emanating from the God of Heaven (Tian–Shangdi), inscribing the Chinese territory as a tán (Template:Zh), the Chinese concept equivalent of the Indian mandala.

The five mountains are among the best-known natural landmarks in Chinese history, and since the early periods in Chinese history, they have been the ritual sites of imperial worship and sacrifice by various emperors.[3] The first legendary sovereigns of China went on excursions or formed processions to the summits of the Five Great Mountains. Every visit took place at the same time of the year. The excursions were hunting trips and ended in ritual offerings to the reigning god.

The emperors, starting with the First Emperor of Qin, formalized these expeditions and incorporated them into state ritual as prescribed by Confucianism. With every new dynasty, the new emperor hurried to the Five Great Mountains in order to lay claim to his newly acquired domains. Barring a number of interruptions, this imperial custom was preserved until the end of the last dynasty, when, after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, Yuan Shikai had himself crowned as emperor at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. But just to be safe, he also made an offer to the god of the northern Mount Heng.

In the 2000s formal sacrifices both in Confucian and Taoist styles have been resumed. The Five Great Mountains have become places of pilgrimage where hundreds of pilgrims gather in temples and caves. Although the Five Great Mountains are not traditionally canonized as having any exclusive religious affiliations, many of them have a strong Taoist presence,[3] thus the five mountains are also grouped by some as part of "Sacred Taoist Mountains".[4] There are also various Buddhist temples and Confucian academies built on these mountains.

Alternatively, these mountains are sometimes referred to by the respective directions: the "Northern Great Mountain" (Template:Zh), "Southern Great Mountain" (Template:Zh), "Eastern Great Mountain" (Template:Zh), "Western Great Mountain" (Template:Zh), and "Central Great Mountain" (Template:Zh).

According to Chinese mythology, the Five Great Mountains originated from the body of Pangu (Template:Zh), the first being and the creator of the world. Because of its eastern location, Mount Tài is associated with the rising sun which signifies birth and renewal. Due to this interpretation, it is often regarded as the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains. In accordance with its special position, Mount Tài is believed to have been formed out of Pangu's head. Mount Heng in Hunan is believed to be a remainder of Pangu's right arm, Mount Heng in Shanxi of his left arm, Mount Song of his belly, and Mount Hua of his feet.[5][6]

Nature conservation

In ancient times mountains were places of authority and fear, ruled by dark forces and faithfully worshipped. One reason for such worship was the value of the mountains to human existence as a spring of welfare and fertility, as the birthplace of rivers, as a place where herbs and medicinal plants grew and as a source of materials to build houses and tools. A basic element of Taoist thought was, and still is, an intuitive feeling of connectedness with nature. As early as the fourth century, the Taoists presented the high priests with the 180 precepts of Lord Lao for how to live a good and honest life. Twenty of these precepts focused explicitly on the conservation of nature, while many other precepts were indirectly aimed at preventing the destruction of nature. Respect for nature has been a key component of Taoism from the very outset and, in its own right, explains why the Five Great Mountains are considered sacred. In addition, Taoists consider mountains as a means of communication between heaven and earth and as the place where immortality can be found. The sanctity of the Five Great Mountains is the reason why even today these mountains still host an exceptional diversity of plants, trees and animal species.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Mount Tai

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Mount Hua

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Huá Shān

Mount Heng (Hunan)

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Mount Heng (Shanxi)

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In the course of history, there had been more than one location with the designation for Mount Heng, the North Great Mountain.

The Great Northern Mountain was designated on the original Mount Heng with the main peak known as Mount Damao (Script error: No such module "Lang".) today, located at the intersection of present-day Fuping County, Laiyuan County and Tang County in Hebei province.

Mount Heng was renamed Mount Chang (Script error: No such module "Lang".) to avoid the taboo of sharing the same personal name as Emperor Wen of Han. The appellations Heng and Chang were used extensively in the past to name various districts in the region, such as Changshan Prefecture (Script error: No such module "Lang".), Hengshan Prefecture (Script error: No such module "Lang".), and Hengzhou (Script error: No such module "Lang".).

While it was customary of the ethnic Han emperors to order rites to be performed regularly to honour the Five Great Mountains, the location of the original Mount Heng meant that for much of the eras of fragmentation, the region was either under non-Han rulers or a contested area. The shrines built to perform the rites were neglected and damaged from time and natural disasters. The decline was especially acute after the overthrow of the Yuan dynasty when the local population fell sharply after the wars.

This created opportunities for Ming dynasty officials who were natives of Shanxi to spread rumours that the spirit of Mount Heng had abandoned the original location and settled on Xuanwu Mountain in Hunyuan County in Shanxi. Between the reigns of Emperor Hongzhi and Emperor Wanli, they kept petitioning the emperors to declare the change and decree for the rites for the Northern Great Mountain to be shifted there. In 1586, Emperor Wanli opted a compromise by re-designating the Xuanwu Mountain as Mount Heng, but ordered the relevant rites to continue to be performed in the historic Beiyue Temple.

The movement for the change persisted after the demise of the Ming dynasty and into the Qing dynasty. Finally, Emperor Shunzhi consented to have the rites to be moved to Shanxi as well.

Mount Song

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Sacred Mountains of Buddhism

Four Sacred Mountains of China

File:A view of the 99-meter statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Jiuhuashan.jpg
A view of the 99-meter statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at Jiuhuashan
File:Mount Emei - Sunrise above the clouds.jpg
Mount Emei panorama with statue of Samantabhadra
File:远眺南海观音像.jpg
Guanyin statue, Mount Putuo

In Chinese Buddhism, the Four "Sacred Mountains of China" are:[7][8][9][10]

Mount Wutai

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Wutai is the home of the Bodhisattva of wisdom, Manjusri or Wenshu (Script error: No such module "Lang".) in Chinese.

Mount Emei

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The patron bodhisattva of Emei is Samantabhadra, known in Chinese as Puxian (Script error: No such module "Lang".).

Mount Jiuhua

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Many of the mountain's shrines and temples are dedicated to Ksitigarbha (known in Chinese as Dìzàng, Script error: No such module "Lang"., in Japanese as Jizō), who is a bodhisattva and protector of beings in hell realms.[11]

Mount Putuo

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This mountain is considered the bodhimanda of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin), bodhisattva of compassion. It became a popular pilgrimage site and received imperial support in the Song dynasty.[12]

Other sacred mountains

File:Xuedou Buddha.jpeg
Statue of Maitreya - Budai called "Human Realm Maitreya" in Mt. Xuedou.[13]

Mount Xuedou has been recently promoted as a fifth sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism. This was first advocated by Changxing (1896-1939), an associate of the famous reformer Taixu.[14][13] Xuedou mountain is seen as the sacred place of bodhisattva Maitreya.[7] It is located 8 kilometers north-west of Xikou Town, Fenghua City, Zhejiang. Mount Xuedou is home to the newly expanded Xuedou monastery, which was originally founded during the Jin dynasty and is connected with the eccentric monk named Budai, who is considered to have been an emanation of Maitreya.[13]

Fanjingshan (Template:Zhi), part of the Wuling Mountains in Tongren, Guizhou, is another sacred mountain associated with Maitreya. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[15] Fanjing shan is also often claimed to be the fifth sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism.[16]

Mount Lu is also an important sacred mountain in Chinese Buddhism, especially for Pure Land Buddhism. It is the site Donglin Temple, founded by the Pure Land patriarch Huiyuan.[17]

There are also sacred mountains in Tibetan Buddhism, which are considered holy sites of Tibetan Buddhism.

Five Mountains of Chan Buddhism

Chan Buddhism developed the Five Mountains and Ten Temples System (五山十刹, wushan shicha) during the late Southern Song (1127–1279).[18]

The five mountains where the top Chan monasteries in the empire were located were:[19]

  • Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺, Lingyin si) on Lingyin mountain, Hang prefecture, Qiantang county
  • Jingci Temple (净慈寺, Jingci si) on Nanping mountain, Hang prefecture, Qiantang county
  • Jingshan Temple (径山寺, Jingshan si) on Jing mountain, Hang prefecture, Lin'an county
  • Tiantong Temple (天童寺, Tiantong si) on Tiantong mountain, Ming prefecture, Yin county
  • Ayuwang Temple (阿育王寺, Ayuwang si) on Ayuwang mountain, Ming prefecture, Yin county

Four Holy Mountains of Tibetan Buddhism

The Four Holy Mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, located in Yunnan, Qinghai, and the Tibet Autonomous Region, are:[20]

The Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism

File:紫霄宮.JPG
The Wudang Mountains

The "Four Sacred Mountains" of Taoism are:[8]

Mount Wudang

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It is the home to a complex of Taoist temples and monasteries associated with the Lord of the North, Xuantian Shangdi. It is also renowned as being the place of origin for Tai chi.

Mount Longhu

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It is famous for being one of the birthplaces of Taoism and particularly important to the Zhengyi Dao, with many Taoist temples built upon the mountainside.

Qíyún Shān

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Qīngchéng Shān

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Three Mountains

The term "Three Mountains" (Script error: No such module "Lang".) has varied meanings.

Three Sacred Mountains

The Three Sacred Mountains commonly refer to:[21]

  1. Mount Tian - "Mountains of God/Heaven"; sacred in Tengrism
  2. Mount Changbai - tallest mountain in Northeast China, also regarded by Manchus of the Qing dynasty as Holy Mountain
  3. Kunlun Mountains - nicknamed the "Forefather of Mountains" in China;[22][23] it is also the location of the peach tree of immortality wardened by Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West

Three Famous Mountains

The Three Famous Mountains are:

  1. Mount Lu
  2. Mount Huang
  3. Yandang

Three Holy Mountains in Yading

The Three Holy Mountain Peaks at Yading, Daocheng County:

  1. Chanodug
  2. Chenresig
  3. Jambeyang

See also

Other mountains with spiritual/religious significance in China

References

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Bibliography

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External links

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Template:Sacred Mountains of China Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  7. ↑ a b Welter, Albert (2022). A Tale of Two Stūpas: Diverging Paths in the Revival of Buddhism in China, pp. 124-125. Oxford University Press.
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c Courtney Bruntz, Brooke Schedneck (2020). Buddhist Tourism in Asia, pp. 86-88. University of Hawaii Press.
  14. ↑ Ritzinger, Justin (2017). Anarchy in the Pure Land: Reinventing the Cult of Maitreya in Modern Chinese Buddhism, p. 144. Oxford University Press.
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Courtney Bruntz, Brooke Schedneck (2020). Buddhist Tourism in Asia, p. 90. University of Hawaii Press.
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Johnston, W. (2000). Encyclopedia of Monasticism, p. 271. Routledge. Template:ISBN
  19. ↑ Walsh, Michael J. (2010). Sacred Economies: Buddhist Monasticism and Territoriality in Medieval China, p. 87. Columbia University Press. Template:ISBN
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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