Mt. Emei In The Tang And Song Dynasties

As a Buddhist Rite for memory of Samantabhadra, Mt. Emei is also one of the four most famous Buddhist mountains in China. In fact, however, it had been a Daoist Mountain even in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In the Tany dynasty, Mt Emei started to be connected with Samantabhadra because more and more famous Buddhist monks were seen in this place. In the Song dynasty, the involvements from the government and all kinds of stories about Samantabhadra ultimately changed Mt. Emei into Buddhist Rite in connection with Samantabhadra.In this disertation, the author discussed the development of Mt. Emei as Daoist mountain in the early times, and as the well known Buddhist site after the Tang and Song dynasties; the author focuses on the changes of religious background around Mt. Emei in the Tang and Song Dynasty.In the first chapter, the authort studies the basic situation of Mt. Emei as a famous Taoist mountain in the Wei-Jin & Northern-Southern Dynasties on the basis of the ancient books and stories about famous Daoists in that period.In the second chapter, the author discusses the unique situation of Mt. Emei as both Daoist mountain and Buddhist site in the Tang Dynasty; in this part, the author also offers his own analysis about the time of tales about Pugong and emergence of Buddhist Rite for Samantabhadra according to the stories about the site for Samantabhadra.In the third chapter, the author highlightes the prosperous situation Bhddhism enjoyed in Mt. Emei during the Song Dynasty and discusses the reasons behind the prosperity: the expansion of influence of Samantabhadra among common people in that place, the emergence of big groups of brilliant Buddhist monks and scholars, and the landscape and myriad beings in Mt. Emei became parts of Buddhist culture in the line of Mt Emei.The author argues, in the Tang and Song Dynasties, Mt. Emei were on the cross-road between its original status as a Daoist mountain and its next role as an important Buddhist site in connection with Samantabhadra.