ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the gradual domination of Mount Wutai by the Tibetan Buddhist and imperial power by studying the Chinese-language gazetteers of Mount Wutai of the eighteenth century. It analyzes the Chinese Buddhist version republished by monk Juyong in 1755, the 1701 Tibetan Buddhist version by lama Blo bzang bstan pa’i rgyal mtshan (1632–84) and Blo bzang bstan pa (1650–1706), and the imperially approved version composed by court officials in 1786. The analysis of the texts reveals two transformations: first, the mountain landscape, monks, and institutions were gradually dominated by Tibetan Buddhists, shifting hands from the Chinese Buddhists; second, the source of the mountain's sanctity was gradually derived from imperial patronage more than from Buddha's manifestation as the Qing emperors were identified as Mañjuśrī. The transformations indicate that Tibetan Buddhist cosmology contributed to the display and performance of the cosmic power of the Qing emperors.
