The Pusading () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

located in Taihuai Town of

Wutai County Wutai County () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xinzhou, in the northeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering Hebei province to the east. It is named after Mount Wutai, which is located within its borders. It w ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

, China. The temple structure is considered the best of all temples in

Mount Wutai Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks or mesas roughly correspondin ...

History

The legend says that the bodhisattva Wenshu (Manjushri) revealed himself and preached at the summit of

, hence the name "Bodhisattva Summit Temple" (). It is also known as "Spiritual Black Eagle Peak" () due to its geographical position similar to the Lingjiu Peak described by Shijiamouni Buddha in the city of Rajgir northeast of the Kingdom of Magadha.

Northern Wei dynasty

Pusading was first established in the reign of

Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝文帝) (October 13, 467 – April 26, 499), personal name Tuoba Hong (拓拔宏), later Yuan Hong (元宏), was an emperor of China's Northern Wei dynasty, reigning from September 20, 471 to April 26, ...

(467–499) in the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

(386–534) dynasty and initially called "Great Temple of Wenshu" ().

Tang dynasty

In 631, in the 5th year of the Zhenguan period of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907), Buddhist monk Fayun () rebuilt the temple and renamed it "Zhenrong Temple" ().

Song dynasty

During the Jingde period (1004–1007) of the

Northern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

(960-1127),

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was change ...

(997–1022) bestowed a plaque with "Fengzhen Pavilion" () on the temple.

Ming dynasty

In the Yongle period (1403–1424) of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

(1368–1644), the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 142 ...

changed the name to "Great Temple of Wenshu" (). In 1581, in the 9th year of the Wanli period, the temple was renovated by the government.

Qing dynasty

In 1656, in the 13th year of the Shunzhi period (1644–1661) of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1912), the temple converted to

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

. In 1683, in the 22nd year of the Kangxi period (1662–1722), with the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

's permission, the roof of Pusading was tiled with yellow glazed tiles. In June 1908, United States Ambassador to China

William Woodville Rockhill William Woodville Rockhill (April 1, 1854 – December 8, 1914) was a United States diplomat, best known as the author of the U.S.'s Open Door Policy for China, the first American to learn to speak Tibetan, and one of the West's leading exp ...

and the 13th Dalai Lama talked about strengthening cooperation on the Government of British India and Government of Tibet issue in the temple.

Republic of China

In the spring of 1948, Chen Yi went to Xibaipo via Mount Wutai. He wrote a poem in praise of the beautiful scenery.

People's Republic of China

In 1983, the temple was classified as a " National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area".

Architecture

A walkway of 108 stone steps

A walkway of 108 stone steps leads to the summit as if it was a ladder to heaven from the temples below. It is said the 108 stone steps represent 108 worries of mankind, and one has to overcome them one step (one worry) at a time to see the true capacity of Buddha.

Paifang

Under the

paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architecture, often used in arch or gateway structures. Etymology The word ''paifang'' ( zh, c=牌坊, p=páifāng) was originally a collective term for the top two le ...

shanmen The Gate of Shanmen or Hall of the Shanmen or simply Shanmen (), is the entrance gate of a Buddhist temple. In ancient times, nearly all Buddhist temples had a single Shanmen gate leading into a large hall for the temple. Today, it is observed t ...

is a plaque with the Chinese characters "" ( means beautiful site of Lingjiu Peak) written by the

(1654–1722) in the

(1644–1912). In front of the Wenshu Hall, a plaque with "" ( means beautiful site of Mount Wutai), written by the Kangxi Emperor (1654–1722) in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), is hung on the stone paifang.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pusading Buddhist temples on Mount Wutai Tibetan Buddhist temples in Shanxi Gelug monasteries and temples Wutai County Xinzhou