The legends and spirit
of Buddhism thrive on high
Zhang Qian | February
8, 2017,| ShanghaiDaily.com
PUTUO Mountain, a small island southeast of
Shanghai, is a Buddhist pilgrimage site that has been attracting
worshippers for thousands of years.
It is known as the “Buddhist kingdom on the
sea.”
The legend behind the site dates back to the
Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), when a Japanese monk, Hui’e, studying
Buddhism in China was attracted to a statute of the bodhisattva
Guanyin (Avalokitesvara), the goddess of mercy, compassion,
kindness and love, at the Fahua Temple on Wutai Mountain in inland
Shanxi Province. He finally secured the abbot’s permission to
transport the statue back to Japan to help popularize the religion
there.
On the trip, his boat was wracked by storms,
fog and countless iron lotus flowers on the surface of the sea near
the Zhoushan Islands in Zhejiang Province. The stunned monk took it
as a sign from Guanyin that she didn’t want to go to Japan.
According to the legend, a giant iron bull appeared and carved a
path through the sea by swallowing the lotus. The path led to a
cave near an estuary on Putuo Mountain.
The monk managed to get the statue on shore,
where a fisherman was so awed by her presence that he gave his
house over to her. The house became a temple known as Bukenqu
Guanyin Yuan, which literally translates as “Refusing to Go Guanyin
Temple.”
Putuo Mountain is one of the “Four Great
Buddhist Mountains of China.” Today, on this 13-square-kilometer
island, more than 200 temples and nunneries exist. Buddhist
believers travel from afar to seek the mercy of Guanyin, even
dating back to olden times when the sea voyage could be
treacherous.
The original Bukenqu Temple, rebuilt in 1980,
retains its former look. It has three simple halls surrounded by a
yellow wall. It stands as a monument to the idea that faith doesn’t
need luxuriously decorated temples to honor the deities.
A written notice is found on nearly every
temple on the island, suggesting that burning three plain incense
sticks is sufficient to show respect or deliver a message. A pack
of three sticks sells for 1 yuan (14.7 US cents).
Generally, it is all right for visitors to
burn incense at every temple they visit, but they are advised to
make a wish with only one Buddha.
Not far from the Refusing to Go Guanyin Temple
is a partially submerged cave called Chaoyin, or “sound of the
waves.” It is believed to be the site where the monk Hui’e landed
and transported the statue ashore.
The cave is also the site where Guanyin is
said to have appeared to a devout Indian monk who burnt his fingers
to honor her. An advisory carved there in the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644) warns visitors against repeating his ritual.
Other legendary sites include Duangu Shengji,
where Guanyin is supposed to have disguised herself to provide food
to a hungry girl on a boat, and Er Gui Ting Fa Shi, a stone where
two turtles are said to have listened to Guanyin’s explanation of
Buddhism.
There are four big Buddhist temples on the
island — Puji, Huiji, Fayu and Baotuo. The first three are open to
public, but Baotuo Temple is reserved for private religious
rituals.
Though most big Buddhist temples may look
similar to those not familiar with the religion, Puji Temple is
somewhat different. It has rarely opened its front gate since the
reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911).
The story goes that the emperor, traveling
incognito in plain clothes, was enchanted with the beautiful
scenery of Putuo Mountain. Arriving at Puji Temple late in the
evening, he knocked and asked the monk who came to the door to
inform the abbot that a distinguished guest had arrived and the
main gate should be opened for him to enter and stay
overnight.
The abbot told the monk he was happy to
provide accommodation but insisted that the visitor enter by the
side gate because temple rules required the main entrance to be
closed after dark. The young monk got the message mixed up and told
the emperor that he should not stay the night.
The angry emperor, who had to journey to
Hangzhou for a bed, ordered the main entrance of Puji Temple closed
forever. The abbot later tried to rectify the misunderstanding, and
the emperor finally relented and agreed that the main entrance
could be opened, but only every 60 years or for auspicious
occasions such as an emperor’s visit or the death of an
abbot.
The trip to Putuo Mountain is no longer a
life-threatening journey. Many of the Zhoushan Islands are now
linked by bridges, which means the area can be reached by bus from
Shanghai and Ningbo. The bus terminates at the Shenjiamen Bus
Station, and from the Banshengdong Wharf on the Shenjiamen
waterfront, it’s a 10-minute fast-ferry trip to Putuo Mountain,
costing about 22 yuan.
To protect the environment of the island, no
private vehicles are allowed on shore. Shuttle buses carry visitors
from one site to another. A cable car trip to the top of mountain
costs 35 yuan.
How to get there: Direct ferry services to the
island are available from Shanghai and Ningbo. There are two boats
departing from Shanghai. One leaves in the evening for an overnight
trip while the other leaves early in the morning. The ferries that
run from Wusong Dock in Shanghai to the island cost 109-499 yuan a
trip.
Tips: Once on the island, package tickets to
sites on Putuo Mountain cost 160 yuan from February to November,
and 140 yuan for December and January. The price may rise to 200
yuan during special times such as national holidays.
Some temples charge an extra 5-6 yuan for a
ticket to burn incense.
The island hosts a number of high-end hotels,
averaging 1,000 yuan per night. There are also cozy inns run by
local residents out of their homes, usually costing no more than
200 yuan a night. Innkeepers sometimes invite guests to a courtyard
dinner against the backdrop of the setting sun.
Puji, Fayu and Huiji Temples provide
vegetarian meals for devout Buddhist followers, while numerous
street restaurants featuring fresh seafood are often crowded with
visitors at dinnertime.
THE grandiose quartet of sacred Buddhist
mounts
IN addition to Putuo Mountain southeast of
Shanghai, there are three other spiritual sites in China that
comprise what is known as the “Four Great Buddhist
Mountains.”
Wutai Mountain
The mountain in Shanxi Province perhaps tops
the list of the “great four” because of its long history of
religious development. It is believed to be the place of
enlightenment for Manjusri, the bodhisattva of wisdom.
Wutai translates as “five plateaus,” and the
mountain is duly comprised of five peaks, all of them broad and
flat. The mountain covers about 3,000 square kilometers, with the
highest summit at 3,061 meters.
Though Wutai Mountain was originally a Taoist
site, Buddhism came to the area in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD
25-220). Conflicts rose between Taoists and Buddhists. A truce of
sorts was reached by an ancient ritual of burning religious texts
to see which survived the flames. All the Taoist classics were
destroyed in the fire, it is said, while those of Buddhism remained
intact.
At its height, Wutai Mountain was home to more
than 300 Buddhist temples, which were gradually merged into 39
temples on the mountain and eight in outlying areas. The most
well-known are Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Wenshu Temple,
Shuxiang Temple and Longhu Temple.
Wutai Mountain was listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 2009.
Emei Mountain
The mountain in Sichuan Province is believed
to be the place of enlightenment for Samantabhadram, the
bodhisattva of meditation.
Emei, with its top peak rising 3,079 meters,
is a popular tourist destination and pilgrimage site. The first
temple there was completed in the first century as Buddhism entered
China along the Old Silk Road. The religion thrived from the 6th
century, and Sichuan Province was once the center of the Zen school
of Chinese Buddhism.
An 8-meter-high statue of Samantabhadra was
built in the famous beamless Wannian Temple in the 9th century and
is still worshipped today.
There were once more than 1,000 Buddhist
temples on Emei Mountain, leaving a rich legacy of relics and
architecture. Today, some 30 temples remain, including Baoguo
Temple, Fuhu Temple and Huazang Temple.
Emei Mountain was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1996.
Jiuhua Mountain
The mountain in Anhui Province honors
Ksitigarbha, the bodhisattva who is considered a protector of
children and a guardian of souls in hell.
The mountain covers some 120 square kilometers
and includes nine scenic peaks. The setting is lush, with
waterfalls, pine and bamboo forests, deep caves and picturesque
rocks. It is said that Ksitigarbha once lived in a cave
there.
Legend has it that the Tang Dynasty (AD
618-907) poet Li Bai traveled to Jiuhua and wrote: “Sailing down
the Jiujiang River, I saw the Jiuhua peaks in the distance, looking
like a heavenly river hanging in heaven. The sacred mountain
generates nine glories.”
During the golden periods of the Ming
(1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, there were as many as
360 temples and up to 5,000 monks and nuns living there. Today,
about 80 temples remain, including Huacheng, Guoqing and Dabeilou
temples.