Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t1.6

v1.c7.s3.t1.6

According to legend, Indian eminent monks Kāśyapamātanga and Dharmaratna who are among the first group of Indian monks coming to China, once arrived at the Mount Wutai and believed it as the residence of Manjusri and therefore, suggested Emperor Ming of Han to build a temple here. There are three kinds of views about the connection between Manjusri and Wutai Mountain. The first one is that Manjusri lived in Himalayas but later, the snow-capped mountain was changed into the Mount Qingliang just like what the Avatamsaka Sutra · Bodhisattva Dwellings says: In the north-east, there is a *Bodhisattva* dwelling named as the Mount Qingliang. In the past, *Bodhisattvas* always chose this place to live and Manjusri was just one of them who had 10,000 retinues. This also has nothing to do with Mount Wutai. Therefore, Mount Wutai is not famous during the eastern and western Jin Dynasty and Northern and Southern dynasties. In the 7th century, due to the decay of Buddhism in India and prosperity in China and also due to China's geological position which is in the north east of India and Mount Wutai’s climatic features of being icy cold in winter and snowing in summer, the Mount Wutai was called as Mount Qingliang so that Dharani Sutra says: Buddha told Vajra Secret –Traces Spirits that after he passed away, there was a country named Dazhendan in the northeastern Jambu-dvipa. A mountain named Wuding was just located there which was also the dwelling of Manjusri and a place for him to disseminate the *dharma*”.