Wutai Mountain is located in the northeast of Shanxi Province, between Wutai County and Fan Shi of Xinzhou City, 230 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan, the provincial capital. Together with Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang, Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui and Emei Mountain in Sichuan, it is called "Four Famous Buddhist Mountains in China". It, together with Lumbini Garden in Nepal, Rokuyan, Bodhgaya and Naga in India, is called the five Buddhist holy places in the world, or the five famous Buddhist mountains in the world. 1982165438+10 In October, the State Council announced Wutai Mountain as a "national key scenic spot" for the first time. 1992 was approved as "National Forest Park" by the Ministry of Forestry. 200 1 1 National Tourism Administration approved it as "the first batch of national AAAA-level tourist attractions". On June 26th, 2009, it was officially listed in the World Heritage List at the 33rd World Heritage Conference held in Seville, Spain.
Wutai Mountain is located in the northeast of Shanxi Province, belonging to the northern end of Taihang Mountain System, spanning more than 500 miles in Fan Shi, Daixian, Yuanping, Dingxiang and Wutai County of Xinzhou City. Taihuai Town in the central area is 78km away from Wutai County, 48km away from sha he, Fan Shi, 0/50km away from Xinzhou City and 240km away from Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province. It consists of a series of peaks between 38 50' ~ 39 05' north latitude and113 29' ~113 44' east longitude. Among them, five peaks are magnificent and surrounded by mountains. Fiona Fang is 250 kilometers long with a total area of 592.88 square kilometers.
Wutai Mountain is one of the earliest developed lands on the earth. Its gestation can be traced back to Archaean 2.6 billion years ago. The Sinian experienced the famous "Wutai Uplift" movement and formed the most magnificent mountainous area in North China. In Quaternary, glaciers covered Wutai Mountain, leaving precious periglacial landforms. Wutai Mountain is a key area of national geological science research because of its complete and rich strata, especially the typical and peculiar Precambrian strata. Most of the strata in Wutai Mountain are named after the mountains, waters and villages in this area, which occupies an important position in the field of geology.
Wutai Mountain is a famous national geological park with ancient geology and peculiar landforms. Wutai Mountain is located in the hinterland of North China mainland, continuous with Hengshan-Taihang Mountain, with a relative height difference of more than 2400 meters. It exposes the strata and geological structures at different levels of the earth's crust in a large area, and perfectly shows the geological structure and composition of Chinese mainland basement. It is the highest mountain range composed of paleostrata known in the world more than 2.5 billion years ago. Wutai Mountain experienced Tie Bao Movement, Taihuai Movement, Wutai Movement and Yanshan Movement in the long process of earth evolution, and formed Wutai Uplift, which consists of Wutai Group greenschist and Doucun slate. It has a high level of ancient planation, well-developed glacier landform, unique alpine meadow landscape, Quaternary glaciers and great erosivity. It can be said that Wutai Mountain's unique and complete geological structure, stratigraphic profile, paleontological fossil remains, Cenozoic planation plane and periglacial landforms completely record the geological evolution history of the earth from the late Neoarchean to the Paleoproterozoic, which has the significance and comparative value of worldwide geological structure and chronostratigraphic division. It is the best record for the global geological science community to study the early evolution of the earth and the early plate collision orogeny process, and it is a typical example of the comparative study of global crustal evolution, paleoenvironment and biological evolution. Therefore, Wutai Mountain is well-deserved as "geological museum of China".
Wutai Mountain, with the lowest elevation of only 624 meters and the highest elevation of 306 1. 1 meter, is the highest peak in North China and is known as the "roof of North China". The top of the platform is vast, with overlapping mountains and staggered peaks, and it is tall and majestic. Nature has created many unique landscapes for it. Wutai Mountain has a cold climate, also known as "Liang Qingshan". The annual average temperature is MINUS 4 degrees, the hottest in July and August are 9.5 degrees and 8.5 degrees respectively, the coldest in June is 5438+ 10, and the average temperature is MINUS 18.8 degrees. Taihuai area enters spring one month earlier than the top of the platform and autumn one month later. The temperature difference is about 6 degrees. The annual average temperature is 2-3 degrees, the lowest temperature is MINUS 30 degrees, and the highest temperature is 30 degrees. In summer, the clouds in the air in Taihuai area are low, the humidity is high and it often rains.
Wutai Mountain is composed of ancient crystalline rocks, with deep cuts in the north, towering five peaks and flat peaks, so it is called Wutai: Wanghaishan in Dongtai, GuaYue Feng in the west, Jinxiu Peak in the south, Yedou Peak in the north and Cuiyan Peak in the middle. Outside the five peaks, it is called outside Taiwan, and inside the five peaks, it is called inside Taiwan, with Taihuai Town as the center. Wutai has a circumference of about 250 kilometers and a total area of 2,837 square kilometers. Among the five stations, Beitai is the highest, and the top of Beitai is 306 1. 1 m above sea level, which is known as the "roof of North China". The climate in the mountains is cold, there is ice at the top of the platform all year round, and the weather is cool in midsummer, so it is also called Liang Qingshan, which is a summer resort. The natural vegetation of Wutai Mountain is mainly grassland, which is composed of meadow, grassland and shrub. This is an excellent summer pasture. Briefly describe this creation by the editor of Five Scenes of Famous Buddhist Mountains.
Wutai is said to be the earliest site of Taoism. In Taoist classics, Wutai Mountain is called Zifu Mountain, and there was once a Zifu Mountain. According to the records in Liangshan, Liang Qing, when Manjusri Bodhisattva of Buddhism first came to China, she lived in a cave with a stone basin in the metaphysical view of Taoism, indicating that Wutai Mountain was occupied by Taoism at that time.
When Buddhism was first introduced into China, only a few people practiced it. In the second year of BC, Yi Cun, the envoy of the King of Dayue State (a minority in the Ili Valley in western Xinjiang, China, which was established after moving westward to Central Asia), came to Chang 'an (now Xi 'an), the capital of China at that time. He dictated Buddhist scriptures to a doctoral disciple named Lu Jing, which is the earliest record of Buddhism being introduced into China in China history books.
Buddhism was introduced into Wutai Mountain, which generally began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to historical records, in December of the 10th year of Yongping (AD 67), the messenger sent by Emperor Han Ming to the Western Regions to seek dharma came to Luoyang with two Indian monks Morton and Zhu Falan.
In the 11th year of Yongping, a temple was built for these two Indian monks in the west of Luoyang, south of Yong Men. To commemorate the White Horse Negative Sutra (Chapter 42 Sutra), it was named White Horse Temple.
In the 11th year of Yongping, Mo Teng and Zhu Falan came to Wutai Mountain (then called Liang Qing) from Luoyang. They wanted to build a temple here because there was a pagoda of Asoka on the mountain for a long time, and Wutai Mountain was also the place where Manjusri Bodhisattva lectured, but because Wutai Mountain was a Taoist base at that time, it was quite crowded out, so they learned about Emperor Han Ming. In order to distinguish Buddhism from Taoism, the Han court invited monks and Taoists to perform, explain and verify, so the two sides reached an agreement to burn scriptures to distinguish the authenticity (it is said that the place where scriptures were burned is in Xi 'an today). As a result, all the Taoist scriptures were burned, but the Buddhist scriptures were intact, so they got the right to build temples. There are many mountains and rivers in Taiwan Province, where is it suitable to build temples? "Liang Qingshan Zhi" contains: "On the left side of the Great Buddha Pagoda, there are footprints left by Sakyamuni Buddha, which are one foot six inches long and six inches wide, with thousands of wheels and ten fingers." According to legend, they not only found this footprint, but also found the Buddha's "relic". In addition, Fangying Village has majestic mountains and extraordinary weather, which is similar to the Indian spiritual jiusan (the practice place of Sakyamuni Buddha). For these three reasons, we decided to build a temple here. After the temple was completed, it was named Lingjiu Temple after the mountain shape. Liu Zhuang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, added the word "Dafu" (meaning "Hong Xin") to express his belief in Buddhism, so the full name of the completed temple is Dafu Lingjiu Temple. Dafu Lingjiu Temple is the predecessor of Xiantong Temple. Since then, Wutai Mountain has become the center of Buddhism in China. The Dafuling Vulture Temple in Wutai Mountain and the Baima Temple in Luoyang are the earliest temples in China.
The peak of historical development
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the development of Buddhism in Wutai Mountain reached its first climax. Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty expanded the Lingjiu Temple on a large scale, and built twelve monasteries around it, such as Mountain View Temple and Rong Zhen Temple. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, the number of temples in Wutai Mountain soared to more than 200. In the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wendi wrote to build a temple in each of the five terraces. Namely Wanghai Temple in Dongtai, Fosaiji Temple in Nantai, Farei Temple in Xitai, Ling Ying Temple in Beitai and Yanjiao Temple in Zhongtai. Because Mount Wutai is the place where Manjusri Bodhisattva lectured, all the temples on the top of Wutai are dedicated to Manjusri Bodhisattva, but the names of the five Manjusri Bodhisattva are different: Wanghai Temple in Dongtai is a wise Manjusri Bodhisattva, Fuzhai Temple in Nantai is a wise Manjusri Bodhisattva, Farei Temple in Xitai is a lion Manjusri Bodhisattva, Ling Ying Temple in Beitai is a spotless Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Manjusri Bodhisattva in Zhongtai is a child. From then on, anyone who goes to Wutai Mountain to worship will go to the five temples at the top of the platform to worship. This is the so-called pilgrimage to Taiwan Province. At this time, the name of Wutai Mountain has appeared in a large number of history books in the Northern Qi Dynasty.
During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the development of Buddhism in Wutai Mountain reached its second climax. According to Gu Chuan, during this period, there were as many as 300 monasteries in the whole mountain with more than 3,000 monks. At this time, Wutai Mountain is not only one of the famous Buddhist mountains in China, but also a veritable Buddhist holy land, which is known as the first of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China.
Wutai Mountain became a Buddhist holy land, which had a great influence on Chinese and foreign Buddhist circles, starting in the Tang Dynasty. Tang Dynasty is a crucial period in the history of Buddhism development in Wutai Mountain.
Li Tang fought in Taiyuan and won the world, so Wutai Mountain was regarded as "the land where ancestors planted virtue". When Li Yuan rose up against Sui Dynasty, he made a big wish to Buddhism. If he became emperor, he would shine brilliantly and have three treasures. In the second year of Wude (6 19), Li Yuan gathered eminent monks in the capital to establish ten virtues and manage the affairs of monks and nuns. After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he revived the career of translating classics, put Polopaga Romidoro in charge, taught 3,000 monks and built temples all over the old battlefield. In the ninth year of Zhenguan (635), Emperor Taizong wrote, "Those who live in Wutai Mountain will live in Manjusri, and all saints will live in seclusion. The environment is Taiyuan, where my ancestors planted virtue, so they should be awed. " "When Mount Tai built ten brakes, it increased by hundreds."
Wu Zetian attached great importance to the role of Buddhism in the struggle for the throne. In the second year of immortality (693), the famous monk Bodhi Liuzhi presented a new translation of Baoyu Jing, saying that Bodhisattva is now a female body, which created a great public opinion for Wu Zetian to come to power. In 695, Wu Hou ordered Bodhi Liuzhi and Siksananda to retranslate Hua Yan Jing. Translation was completed in the second year of the Gregorian calendar (699). The new translation of Hua Yan Jing says: "There is a place called Liang Qing in the northeast. Since the past, all the bodhisattvas have stopped at the public. The existing Manjusri Bodhisattva, together with his family of 10,000 Bodhisattvas, often plays a role in it. " In the second year of Chang 'an (702), Wu Zetian claimed to be "the cool five peaks of Wutai Mountain" and ordered the reconstruction of Liang Qing Temple, the representative temple of Wutai Mountain. After the completion, Master Dade was appointed as the abbot of Liang Qing Temple, and he was named "the founder of Pingjun County, who went to the inn for 1000 yuan and was in charge of the affairs of monks and nuns in Beijing."
This is the beginning of Wutai Mountain's dominant position in Buddhism in China, and it is also the beginning of Wutai Mountain's development into a famous mountain sacred place under the use and auspices of feudal rulers.
According to records, in the Tang Dynasty, from Taizong to Dezong, "All the nine emperors relied on Lingshan, stayed in the sanctuary, made royal clothes, and each had five tops, making fragrant medicine. When they are getting old, as for the worship of everything, they help them make offerings, so they can't be remembered. " Obviously, from Emperor Taizong to Tang Dezong, they all gave great support and help to Wutai Mountain Buddhism.
From the Buddhist classics, apart from the translated Huayan Sutra, which says that Manjusri Bodhisattva's residence is called Liang Qingshan, the Dalani Sutra, which writes Manjusri's ten-mile treasure, also says: "After the Buddha told King Kong that I was destroyed, there was a great earthquake in the northeast of the southern government, including the Five Mountains, and Manjusri boys marched and lived for all beings."
Because the Liang Qing and Wuding Mountain, the residences of Manjusri Bodhisattva mentioned in Buddhist classics, are very similar to Wutai Mountain in topography, climate and environment, Chinese and foreign Buddhists regard Wutai Mountain as a natural place with five peaks protruding and no heat. Mount Wutai is famous at home and abroad and has become a holy place for Buddhists to compete for pilgrimage. It goes without saying that Wutai Mountain became a holy land because of the prosperity of Li Tang.
In the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was highly respected, and Manjusri Bodhisattva was especially highly respected by Buddhists. At that time, the state stipulated that all temples in China should worship the icon of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Because both the ruling and opposition parties respect Manjusri Bodhisattva and regard Wutai Mountain as a holy place of Buddhism, Wutai Mountain is unprecedentedly prosperous and famous monks come forth in large numbers, among which Cheng Guan is an outstanding representative.
Cheng Guan (738-839) was born in Yinshan, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). Eleven-year-old, becoming a monk in Yingtian Baolin Temple. At the age of fourteen, he got a degree. At the age of 39, he vowed to patrol five stations, one by one. After visiting the famous Wutai Mountain Temple, I stayed in Dahua Rock Temple to study Huayan Jing and give lectures on Huayan Jing for five years. Later, Cheng Guan felt that "China is strict and old, and its purpose is complicated." So, "think about it when you are pregnant." On April 8, the first year of Xingyuan in Tang Dezong (784), Cheng Guan refused to hand it in, and re-annotated Hua Yan Jing in the sparse pavilion of Dahuayan Temple. In the third year of Zhide (787), on November 5, Zhenyuan, it lasted for more than three years, and finally it was written into sixty volumes of Hua Yan Jing, a Generous and Wide Buddha. Tang Daizong, Cheng Guan was replaced by "learning from". Tang Dezong also honored him as a "professor monk" and "won the title of Master of Zhenguo and entered the ranks of the world's great monks". Xian Zong acceded to the throne. "Why did a department cast a golden seal to give the monk the title of cool national teacher and become the bishop of monks in the world?" "Mu Zong, Jing Zong Xianyang giant Hugh, according to buddhist seal hou. In the fifth year of Emperor Wenzong Taihe, the emperor was admonished by the teacher. In the first year of his reign, the emperor celebrated the centenary of Taifu's birthday, gave money to farmers, and sealed Taifu. " "Chinese and foreign Taiwan Province people are important officials, and they are eager to learn the eight precepts."
Born in the Nine Dynasties, Cheng Guan, the seventh emperor, died in Tang Wenzong for four years (839) and lived at the age of 102. Tang Wenzong "dropped out of school for three days" and ordered people to be buried with a grand ceremony. He was honored as "the fourth generation founder of Hua Yanzong". There were many famous monks in Wutai Mountain in the Tang Dynasty, which was also an important symbol of the formation of the Buddhist holy land in Wutai Mountain.
Another sign of the formation of the Buddhist holy land in Wutai Mountain is the large-scale construction of Buddhist temples and the increase of monks. There are more than 70 recorded Buddhist temples in Wutai Mountain in Tang Dynasty, all of which are magnificent in scale.
With the construction and expansion of Buddhist temples, the number of monks in Wutai Mountain is increasing. During Zhenyuan period in Tang Dezong, there were 10,000 monks and nuns in Heshan. The prosperity and development of monasteries have had a tremendous negative impact on social politics and economy. In the fifth year of Huichang (854), Tang Wenzong wrote a letter to abolish the Buddha, ordered the temple characters to be demolished, and ordered monks and nuns to return to common customs. In general, more than 44,600 temples have been demolished, more than 260,000 monks and nuns have converted to secular life, and tens of millions of hectares of land have been reclaimed. Wutai Mountain is no exception. Monks scattered, temples destroyed. Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne and revived Buddhism. The government stipulates that the number of monks in Wutai Mountain still reaches "5,000". In fact, with privacy and travel monks, it is much more than the "5,000 monks". Throughout the past dynasties, the number of monks in Wutai Mountain was the largest in the Tang Dynasty. There are many monks in the temple, which is also a symbol of the formation of the Buddhist holy land in Wutai Mountain in the Tang Dynasty.
Another symbol of the formation of the Buddhist holy land of Wutai Mountain in Tang Dynasty is the infinite admiration and competing sacrifice of foreign Buddhists to Wutai Mountain. The Tang Dynasty, with its prosperous economy and strong national strength, was the center of economic and cultural exchanges among Asian countries. With the expansion of international exchanges, Wutai Mountain is also highly respected by Buddhists in India, Japan, North Korea and Sri Lanka. There are many monks from other places who worship Wutai Mountain and go to Wutai Mountain to learn Buddhism.
The origin of the name
Most people who have been to Wutai Mountain usually only visit large temples with a long history centered on Taihuai Town, Wutai County. The real Wutai Mountain actually refers to five interconnected beautiful peaks in Wutai County. They are: Wanghaishan in Dongtai, GuaYue Feng in West Taiwan Province, Jinxiu Peak in South Taiwan Province, Coconut Peak in North Taiwan Province and Cuiyan Peak in Central Taiwan Province. Because the five peaks are all over 3000 meters above sea level, few people can reach the five peaks except some devout Buddhists who can climb to the top of the five peaks to worship Manjusri Bodhisattva. It is precisely because the temples and temples in Taihuai Town are distributed between the five peaks that people usually regard being in Taihuai Town as having been to Wutai Mountain.
Wutai Mountain was originally not called Wutai Mountain, but Zifu Mountain, also called Wufeng Mountain Dojo. This used to be a place where Taoist priests practiced. In Yongping 1 1 year of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 68), Kaya Tongmo and Zhu Falan, the eminent monks of Tianzhu (now India), came to Wufeng Mountain from Baima Temple in Luoyang, thinking that this was the Dojo where Manjusri Bodhisattva preached, so they wanted to build a temple here to worship Manjusri Bodhisattva. However, the monks here disagree. Finally, Emperor Han Ming hosted a contest between Taoist and two eminent monks in Baima Temple in Luoyang, and the two eminent monks won. Since then, the Buddhist community has obtained the right to build Buddhist temples around Taihuai Town, and the first temple built is now Xiantong Temple. Since then, after the construction and expansion of various dynasties, the number of temples centered on Taihuai Town has reached more than 360 at most, and more than 100 are still preserved. Therefore, Wutai Mountain has become the first of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China with its long history and magnificent scale.
As for the renaming of Wufeng Mountain to Wutai Mountain, there is a little-known story. According to legend, the climate around Wufeng Mountain in ancient times was extremely bad, and the local people suffered all the year round. When Manjusri Bodhisattva lectured there, she expressed deep sympathy for the sufferings of the people of Li, so she made a big wish to save the people from their sufferings. Manjusri Bodhisattva dressed as a almsgiving monk went to Wan Li to ask the East Sea Dragon King for help. He found a huge bluestone that could send out a cool breeze at the entrance of the Dragon Palace, so he brought it back. When he put the big bluestone (the dragon stone of the Dragon King in the East China Sea) in a valley of Wufeng Mountain, in a flash, it suddenly became a natural grassland with abundant grass and beautiful water. Since then, this valley has also been named Liang Qinggu. People built a temple in the valley and surrounded the yard with cool stones. For this reason, Wufeng Mountain is also called Liang Qing.
Later, when Emperor Wendi of Sui heard about this incident, he wrote a letter to build a temple at the top of the five peaks to worship Manjusri Bodhisattva. That is, the intellectual manjusri of Dongtai, the lion's roar manjusri of Xitai, the intellectual manjusri of Nantai, the spotless manjusri of Beitai and the children's manjusri of Zhongtai. You can watch the sunrise on the top of Dongtai, the bright moon on the top of Xitai, the mountain flowers on the top of Nantai and the snow on the top of Beitai. This is the origin of Wutai Mountain.
Manjusri Dojo
Manjusri Bodhisattva is the representative of supreme wisdom. Because Manjusri Bodhisattva is the third generation Buddha, according to the first Shurangama Sutra, Manjusri Bodhisattva has already become a Buddha, and the famous dragon species respects the king Buddha. The Central Ascension of the Book of Morra says: Manjusri Bodhisattva is now a northern Buddha, but fortunately it hides Manibo and accumulates Buddha. The scroll says: Manjusri Bodhisattva will become a Buddha and be named Common Buddha. Huayang Sutra says: Manjusri Bodhisattva is the mother of ten buddhas and the master of all bodhisattvas. Today, he was born in Swasti, India in the 6th century BC, to a Brahmin family in the Doro settlement. His father's name is Vander, and he was born on his mother's right. He is purple and gold, and he can talk when he is born. He has thirty-two phases and eighty kinds of goodness, which are equal to Buddha.
Sanskrit horse? Jushrιmanjus ri, or Manjusri, or Manjusri for short, translates as a clever plan or a wonderful virtue. Because of his birth, there are ten kinds of good omen at home, because of his wonderful name and good luck. Manjusri Bodhisattva, the ancient Buddha came again to see the Buddha's nature, because of its wonderful name. The Great Rani Sutra, the Secret of the Great Anger King, says: "The wonderful auspicious bodhisattva is the mother of the awakened three times, hence the name Manjusri."
Manjusri Bodhisattva, purple and gold body, boy-shaped, crowned with five knots. She has a violet flower in her left hand and a sword in her right. She often rides a lion in and out. She is young and strong, but she is the mother of boundless buddhas and the Lord of bodhisattvas. "Mahayana Heart Sutra" says: "Manjusri is the Great Sage and the Ten Buddhas are the Mother; Because of Manjusri's educational power, everything emerged at the beginning. " In The Story of Putting Bowls, the Buddha once said, "I became a Buddha today, thanks to Manjusri's interests. In the past, the Buddha had no central number, and all of them were disciples of Manjusri, and so did they, because of their great strength. If children in the world have parents, Manjushri Buddhism and Taoism have parents. " "Bodhisattva's fetal sutra? 6? Manjusri said, "I used to be a capable teacher, but now I am a disciple." The dharma is vast and pure. I want to show the Buddha's body. These two statues do not coexist ... "
Manjusri Bodhisattva, originally living in the position of Buddha, is both a teacher and a master of Shi Jing. In Hokkaido? 6? The preface says: Before the infinite robbery, there were 20,000 moon and sky lanterns to show Buddha on earth: the last one showed Buddha on the moon and sky lanterns. When he became a monk, there were eight princes, and Wade was free and happy, each leading four generations. Later, I heard that my father had believed in Buddhism, gave up the throne, and became a monk to practice Mahayana, all of whom were mages. At that time, the sun and the moon shone, and there was a wonderful Buddha under the Buddha's seat. She held Hokkekyo for 80 years and often lectured. The sun and the moon illuminate the Buddha and say "Hokkekyo" for him. After the death of Buddha, all the eight kings of Buddha took Miaoguang Bodhisattva as their teacher.
Miaoguang Bodhisattva enlightened eight maharajas, enhanced their bodhicitta, and finally became a Buddha for the second time. His surname was Burning Buddha. Burning Buddha is nigume's teacher. Shi Miaoguang Bodhisattva is now Manjusri Bodhisattva. Based on Manjusri Bodhisattva, he is not only a master of Buddhism, but also the ancestor of Buddhism. Now as an ancestor, he shows himself as a disciple. It can be seen that Buddhism is equal, not persistent, but for the benefit, regardless of secular knowledge. The profundity of Manjusri Bodhisattva and the transcendence of wisdom can also be known. It is not only the representative of wisdom in Buddhism, but also the embodiment of supreme wisdom.
Wutai ancient temple
There are 95 existing temples with relatively complete buildings in Wutai Mountain, including 6 national key cultural relics protection units: nanzenji, Beiju Wine Temple, Xiantong Temple, Guangji Temple, Yanshan Temple (Fan Shi) and Hongfu Temple (Dingxiang County); Provincial key cultural relics protection units 15: Tayuan Temple, Bodhisattva Temple, Yuanzhao Temple, Luozi Temple, Weiyi Temple, Bishan Temple, Nanshan Temple, Longquan Temple, Jinge Temple, Songzheng Temple, Yanqing Temple, Princess Temple (Fan Shi), Sansheng Temple (Fan Shi), Huiji Temple (Yuanping City) and Shifotang Temple. The rest are key cultural relics protection units at the county level. In terms of places for religious activities, there are 1 1 national key temples: Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Bodhisattva Top, Luobian Temple, Statue Temple, Bishan Temple, Jinge Temple, Guangzong Temple, Guangren Temple, Dailuoding Temple and Guanyin Cave.
Wutai Mountain Buddhist organizations take temples as units. According to the different inheritance of Buddhism, temples are divided into green temples and yellow temples. The Green Temple is also called the Monk Temple. Most of the monks are Han Chinese, who usually wear blue-gray robes and are called Tsing Yi monks. Most temples in Wutai Mountain belong to the Qing Palace. There are ten temples and descendants' temples in Qing Temple. The descendants temple implements the family heirloom system according to the relationship between master and apprentice, and monks from other temples are not allowed to serve in this temple. Historically, most of the green temples in Wutai Mountain belonged to descendants' temples. Shifang Temple can receive monks from all directions, and monks in the temple can also travel in ten directions, and the organization and management implement the system of selecting talents and appointing people. Now, according to the Measures for the Administration of Buddhist Temples in the Han Dynasty promulgated by the Buddhist Association of China, the original descendants' temple has been changed to choose talents instead of heirloom system, and there is no obvious difference between descendants' temple and Shifang temple.
Huangsi, also known as Lamaism Temple, belongs to Tibetan Buddhism. Wutai Mountain Tibetan Buddhism belongs to the Gelug Sect founded by Master Zong Kaba. Religious lamas all wear yellow clothes and yellow hats, so they are called monks in yellow clothes. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the green temple in Wutai Mountain was changed to the yellow temple. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, the imperial edict changed 10 temples such as Luoluo Temple, Shouning Temple, Sanquan Temple, Yuhuachi Temple, Qifo Temple, Jingang Cave, Shancai Cave, Pu 'an Temple, Tailu Temple and Yongquan Temple into Huangmiao Temple. Thus, the monk in Tsing Yi was changed into a monk in yellow, and the Han Lama was born. Wutai Mountain currently has eight yellow temples, including Bodhisattva Peak, Luobian Temple, Guangren Temple, Wanfoge, Zhenhai Temple, Guanghua Temple, Guanyin Cave and Shangshancai Cave.