Wutaishan Shrines as Subjects of Buddhist Heritage Research

Abstract

Introduction. In Buddhist religious practice, Wutaishan as a symbol of the five sacred mountains of China has long enjoyed fame among pilgrims as a holiest place in East and Central Asia subsequent to Lhasa (Tibet). The article considers the sacred objects of Wutaishan and features of veneration of Buddhist objects by pilgrims (including representatives of Mongolic peoples). Goals. The work focuses on contemporary local forms of Buddhist worship observed during visits to religious sites of Wutaishan, and identifies the general and specific features of such practices. Materials and Methods. The paper primarily analyzes the author’s field materials collected in the course of his 2019 journey to the Wutaishan Buddhist religious and pilgrimage center (Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China). The comparative analysis conducted involves traditional religious ideas of Mongolic peoples and the Buryats proper. The work employs the descriptive method, historical-comparative analysis, and the method of participant observation. Results. Nowadays, the opening of borders has resulted in that various objects — including religious ones, and particularly special places of worship — have become available for visits and inspections by representatives of traditional religious practices. According to the Buryat cultural and historical traditions, such places include sacred objects both in the territory of ethnic Buryatia (e.g., Olkhon Island and Mount Alkhanay), and in neighboring states (Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Lhasa and Wutaishan in China, etc.). The primary study reveals certain historical ties between the sacred mountains of Wutaishan and other sacred sites in East and North Asia, and their religious-mythological parallels. The religious tradition says these objects (especially from the Yuan era onwards) have had great impacts on the development of Buddhism in the context of Mongolic ethnocultural traditions.