Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

Description: Creator’s Description: This article examines the prominent role of Tibetan Buddhism at the major cult center of Mañjusrī known as Ri bo rtse lnga or Wutai shan (sometimes spelled “Wutaishan”) in Shanxi Province, China. The late imperial presence of Tibetan Buddhism at Ri bo rtse lnga (fourteenth-twentiethth centuries) has been studied, but the place of Tibetan Buddhism at Ri bo rtse lnga under the Republican government and the Communist regime has not previously been explored in detail. An examination of written sources and on-site investigations reveal that the twentieth century saw a major renewal of Tibetan Buddhist practice at Ri bo rtse lnga with a significant multi-ethnic following. The presence of ethnic Tibetan, Mongolian, and Chinese Tibetan Buddhists at this important Buddhist pilgrimage place has made Ri bo rtse lnga one of the pre-eminent sites of religious and cultural exchange in China. Many monasteries on the mountain now practice the Dge lugs pa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Two ethnic Chinese who were most influential in spreading the Dge lugs pa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in China had particularly strong connections with the mountain: Dharma-master Fazun and Nenghai Lama. One of Nenghai’s closest disciples, Dharma-master Qinghai, played a major role in reviving the practice of Tibetan Buddhism at Wutai shan since the end of the Cultural Revolution. Yuanzhao Temple (Kun tu khyab pa’i lha khang), the central temple associated with Master Qinghai and the propagation of Tibetan Buddhism among the Chinese at Wutai shan, has been associated with Dge lugs pa and esoteric Buddhism for over 500 years. I pay special attention to the growth of visible signs of Tibetan Buddhist practice and presence on the mountain in the 1990s, based on four visits from 1991 to 1999.

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