Quick Answer: What Is Chinese Buddhist Pilgrimage?
Chinese Buddhist pilgrimage is travel to places associated with Buddhas, bodhisattvas, teachers or sacred objects. A mountain pilgrimage (朝山, cháoshān) can involve visits to temples and acts of devotion such as offering incense (进香, jìnxiāng).[1][2]
- Four sacred mountains: Mount Wutai (五台山, Wǔtái Shān), Mount Emei (峨眉山, Éméi Shān), Mount Putuo (普陀山, Pǔtuó Shān) and Mount Jiuhua (九华山, Jiǔhuá Shān).[1]
- Sacred associations: Each mountain is linked to a particular bodhisattva in Chinese Buddhist tradition.[1]
- Historical images: A Dunhuang mural and a Qing illustrated itinerary show different ways people recorded journeys to Wutai.[3][5]
The four mountains are prominent examples. Buddhist pilgrimage in China also includes journeys to many other sites.
In a mural painted at Dunhuang, pilgrims travel toward Mount Wutai on foot and horseback. Centuries later an imperial itinerary pictured the same mountain in connection with a particular journey. Together they show how the place could be represented in a shrine and in a record of travel.
What a Journey to a Sacred Mountain Could Mean
The term chaoshan suggests going to pay respects at a mountain. Jinxiang emphasizes making an incense offering. The words point to related acts: reaching a sacred place and making an offering there. Wutai’s temple landscape includes buildings, images and pagodas. A pilgrim may visit several places within that landscape.[1][2]
Devotional practices also vary by site and tradition. At some Tibetan Buddhist sites, pilgrims turn prayer wheels as they walk around a shrine.
Four Sacred Mountains and Their Bodhisattvas
These are the best-known associations in Chinese Buddhist tradition. The sites developed their reputations over different periods. Wutai and Emei were Buddhist sites by the Tang, while Putuo became a pilgrimage destination in the Northern Song and Jiuhua’s association with Dizang took firmer shape later.[1]
| Mountain | Province | Associated bodhisattva |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Wutai | Shanxi | Manjushri (Wenshu) |
| Mount Emei | Sichuan | Samantabhadra (Puxian) |
| Mount Putuo | Zhejiang | Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) |
| Mount Jiuhua | Anhui | Ksitigarbha (Dizang) |
Two Images of the Journey to Wutai
Routes and Visions at Dunhuang
A tenth-century image of Mount Wutai covers the west wall of Mogao Cave 61. Two approaches in the lower part show towns, stations and people traveling toward the mountain gates. Temples and appearances of sacred figures occupy other parts of the mural. Read the lower routes and upper sacred scenes together to see how the mural presents pilgrimage. It is one example of how the Dunhuang murals relate landscapes to Buddhist belief.[3][4]
The Jiaqing Emperor’s Illustrated Itinerary
An illustrated Qing document at the Library of Congress records the Jiaqing emperor’s journey from Mount Wutai back to Beijing in 1811. One image names a stage from Great Wall Ridge to the Grand Parade Ground. It records the length of that stage as well as its endpoints. The route is tied to a specific imperial journey, while the mural depicts a wider sacred landscape.[5]
FAQs About Chinese Buddhist Pilgrimage
Are all four Buddhist mountains in the same province?
They are in four provinces. Wutai is in Shanxi, Emei in Sichuan, Putuo in Zhejiang and Jiuhua in Anhui.
Why is Mount Wutai associated with wisdom?
It is associated with Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom. In Chinese Buddhist tradition, Wutai is regarded as his sacred dwelling.
Can the Cave 61 mural be read as a map?
It depicts routes, gates, towns and monasteries. It also includes sacred figures and visions. Those elements make it a map of a religious landscape.
Sources
[1] Marcus Bingenheimer. Pilgrimage in China
[2] UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Mount Wutai
[3] Dorothy C. Wong. A Reassessment of the Representation of Mt. Wutai from Dunhuang Cave 61
[4] Dunhuang Academy. Digital Dunhuang, Mogao Grottoes Cave 061
[5] Anchi Hoh, Library of Congress. Jiaqing’s Pilgrimage to Mount Wutai