Putuoshan
From Buddhist Encyclopedia
Mount Putuo (Chinese 普陀山; pinyin Pǔtúo Shān) is an island located to the south-east of Shanghai, in Zhoushan prefecture of Zhejiang province, China. It is famous in Chinese Buddhism, and is considered the bodhimanda of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin), a revered Bodhisattva in many parts of East Asia. Mount Putuo is one of the four sacred mountains in Buddhism, the others being Mount Wutai, Mount Jiuhua, and Mount Emei (Bodhimandas for Manjushri, Ksitigarbha, and Samantabhadra, respectively).
Today it is a noted tourist destination. As of January, 2004, tourists were charged 110 RMB for an entry ticket upon disembarkation at the island's port. A number of hotels and settlements are dotted around the island.
The name Putuo derives from "Potalaka" the mountain residence of Guanyin in the Avatamsaka Sutra, as does the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lamas.
History
Around 1612, the 20-year-old future Chan-master Yinyuan Longqi arrived at Mount Putuo while looking for his father, who had disappeared fifteen years earlier. He served tea to the monks.
Features
- 20m tall statue of the Guan Yin at Zizhulin (紫竹林)
Temples
