Thursday, June 13, 2013

Dizang Wang Temple @ Mount Jiuhua

I am posting the final part of our recent climb around the 99 Peaks of Mount Jiuhua which has over 90 temples. We barely covered half the journey and the total number of temples. Both our legs were very sore and ached to the spine & bones! We hope to have the fate to return some day to cover all.




Photo 1: Mount Jiuhua is one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism. It is located in Qingyang County in Anhui Province and is famous for its rich Landscapes, old Pine Trees and ancient Temples






Photo 2: Many of the mountain's shrines and temples are dedicated to Ksitigarbha (known in Chinese as Dìzàng, Chinese:  地藏, in Japanese as Jizo ), who is a Bodhisattva and protector of beings in Hell Realms according to Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Pious Buddhists often visit Anhui to climb to Greater Tiantai peak, which is regarded as Jiuhuashan's most important peak, although it is not the tallest.




 
Photo 3: When we were up in the mountains, we discovered many surprises of this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. 
He was born a Royal Prince from Korea and traveled all the way to China long before the first Qin Dynasty. 



Photo 4: He lived in the mountains of Mount Jiuhua and led the life of a monk doing cultivations daily throughout all his lifetime.




Photo 5: His 2 large foot prints were etched on the granite rock's surface after doing cultivation on the same spot for over 70 years. We were even more surprised to know that the body and relics of this famous monk was being kept inside a Pagoda of another temple elsewhere.






Photo 6: We quickly went around in circles to find our way to that sacred temple and found it being atop another small hill. This is the entrance.





Photo 7: Many followers knelt at every step they made, all the way up to the temple where the relics and body of Dizang Wang is being kept.








Photo 8: The temple was not the biggest on the mountains but it was definitely the most popular with the worshipers from all over the world.





Photo 9: This is the door to the entrance of the temple which had limited space inside. It houses all the hell realm's deities flanking both sides of the pagoda in the middle. Inside the pagoda is where the body of Dizang Wang lies.












Photo 10: Deity officers of the Hell's Realms flanked on the left side.




Photo 11: Deity officers of the Hell's Realms flanked on the right side.





Photo 12: This is the sacred Pagoda in the centre. The space is extremely very limited for the entire photography shots. We clasped our hands and walked around the pagoda chanting his name hundreds of times.












Photo 13: We felt very good after paying our homage there before walking many jolly hours down the mountains without taking the cable car at all. We wanted to enjoy the sights and smell of the cool Spring weather.





Photo 14: I really had a marvelous and happy time there walking across many little temples, farms, water streams and small villages.




84 comments:

  1. Now I'm lost - dunno where's where now. Lovely scenic views - those first few pics. There's a big footprint in Malacca or somewhere too, right? They said Cheng Ho's or whose?

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    1. Why are you lost? I must be so confusing in blogging but I was just trying to stretch my posts long like yours and FoongPC.

      Yes I think Cheng Ho's foot print was found in Melaka.

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  2. The rich heritage of China always make it an awesome place to visit, just like Europe. Im sure you have great stamina.

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    1. I am getting older each day and my legs have started to wobble and shake after the climbs.

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  3. Whenever I went to temple to pray for my late parents, I need to first pray to Dizang Wang.

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    1. Now only I know Dizang Wang was Royal Prince from Korea. I only know, dead people would be taken care by Dizang Wang.

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    2. then what do we call the Royal Prince of Tiruchirappallimuthulingam??

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    3. Yannie is a very grateful daughter and your parents can see it happily from the skies above.

      Woii SK Thambee, that one is not Anay lah. How I wished my blood is really blue.

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  4. so this is the final part of Anay's climb around the 99 Peaks of Mount Jiuhua.. errr, does this just conclude Jiuhuashan only, and Anay still has posts coming up for the Shanghai/Nanjing trip?? so ambiguous lah~~ haha!!

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    1. There is just one more simple post of my recent China's trip. Cukup lah!

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  5. first two photos (again no label for the photos, but first two photos easy to count la) are NICE!! i like them, always love trees in my photos and what's more overseeing the mountain range!! such a serene photo that is.. and the second one, Anay so bergaya lah, no wonder Angeline would ask Anay to teach Thambee how to pose in photos~~ :D

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    1. Sorry Thambee for not labeling earlier. I have numbered them already.

      I am not gaya lah but trying to be childish! Next time I will use both hands to cover my cheeks like Thambee style.

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    2. thambee's hand only inside the pocket counting marbles lah~~ :D

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    3. In future I will try to pose in many angles include Taiping toilet mirror way!

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    4. Muahahaha, there are some running-like-a-bunny poses too! Please remember, ya~

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  6. Thambee actually did all kinds of funny pose many many years ago when he was still young lah.. now Uncle already, better not be too flamboyant and must be subtle a bit lah~~ geez!! :D

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    1. Thambee is still very young lah in Anay's eyes. You will always be immortal and will never be older than me!

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  7. nice story and great information given on Dizangwang, i always love Anay telling us all these religious facts and stories, awwww, really love it!! and KNN lah, cannot see the footprints from the photos at all, just one pile of sand there is!! or perhaps only those people who have good faith with the Dizangwang can see??

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    1. If you wanna see the foot prints, please visit the place. The print was etched to the granite lah, no pile of sands. Thambee drank toddy again?

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    2. Ah Hua can't see the foot print too. Must be too much of sake, kekekeke

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  8. second photo from bottom also nice, love that angle of the temple.. did Anay and Letchumi also bow and kneel at each step of the stairs?? i bet you did, because you were holding hands like little puppy lovers, just that there was no trees of bushes for you both to run around and chase each other~~

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    1. No lah we didn't kneel on every step. Anay so damn sinful lah.

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  9. the last photo also NICE, love that angle in which Letchumi took the view of the little temples, farms, water streams and small villages.. and Anay stood so bergaya-ly, unlike Thambee always straight and stiff, wakakakaka.. but Anay, that guy munching his sugarcane on the left is really one kind of sight lah!! should cropped him away, or use photoshop to erase him from the photo lah~~

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    1. The older one gets, the more silly his photos will be. Anay talking about himself lah! LOL

      The guy munching sugar cane was a ghost. He was not there on that day!

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  10. Interesting place! I would love to visit!

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    1. You keep going back to BangCock so many times!

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  11. Wow! Over 90 temples?! How to visit all???

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    1. i am more worried about how many posts you will be writing for each of the 90 over temples if you are going there!! probably will take you 5 years to complete this travelogue?? muahahahaha!! :D

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    2. Hahahahaha!!! I think if I do 1 post for each temple, that would be at least 90 posts!! Hmm, maybe I should visit this place then my posts on this trip can last for almost a year! Hahaha!!

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    3. Foongpc can do it one. Most of your trips, you blog about it in details...

      I'll go fainted if TM really going to explain all the 90 temples....

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    4. foongpc with his post tile 'Around Mount Jiuhua in 80 days' so all us slow slow read hehe

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    5. LOL! This FoongPC holds the world record for being the longest winded blogger!
      Don't worry I will never do that because I am a lazy blogger.

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    6. 90 temples mean 90 posts and each post must put photos at each temple and all the angles.

      Like that baru la puas hati! LOL

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    7. Woii Lina, you just gave me terrible goose bumps!!!

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  12. Thambee is trying to read the words on the plague in Photo #9 lah.. having a tough time, i guess it's 月身寶殿 on the vertical one, and 東南第一山 (the top mountain of the southeast) for the horizontal one??

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    1. What do they mean??? I guess you are correct dei.

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  13. Nice photos! Love the view from up there! : )

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  14. I can imagine the tiredness. My body would ache like hell after a trip everytime. Wonderful travel shots! It's always nice being here. Did u see my comments on your Nanking post?

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    1. Thank you for your compliments. You are still young and should try to climb Mount Kinabalu.


      Yes I saw your previous comments and have replied. Thanks again.

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  15. I like the last photo. nicely captured. Where I can the mountains, trees, houses and you!

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    1. The last photo looked unusual with low roofed houses clustered together. Their lives looked tough to me BUT they are happy! Where got tough huh?

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  16. Did you said over 90 temples? That's alot.

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    1. Yes over 90 temples and that is amazing. Some are very tiny small shrines and many are quite big.

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  17. The first photo was almost the peak view from the mount Jihua? NICE shot again.

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    1. Yes that was almost the peak. In my early posts could see the peak.

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  18. Namo DìzàngWang Pusa. Was just thinking about this post which you mentioned sometime back and got your sms in the evening about this entry. Phew so choon one you've got super duper radar or 7th sense kah?.

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    1. My Holy Bananas! I look at it that your listening of the CD enlightened your powderful mind power to send waves to get me working to blog it.

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    2. Got powderful mind powder however no got mind power. Where got?

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    3. Eat more bananas and it is brain food that makes mind power! Wakakakaka

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  19. Didn't know about the Royal Prince from Korea story but learned DìzàngWang was a Brahmin maiden in one of his previous life.

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    1. He moved my hearts to know that he gave up the comforts and luxury of the Korean palace to live in the mountains.

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  20. Got a CD in Cantonese where this nun named "了一" from HKG explained DìzàngWang sutras in 13 chapters. Very precise with her explanation and she kept it very lively to listen. If interested can send you a few copies. Can text me your address and also for those interested feel free to email to Bananaz.

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  21. Yeah saw the footprints and really love the vow of DìzàngWang Pusa ~ 我不入地狱,谁入地狱? *pinyin* wǒ bù rù dìyù, shéi rù dìyù (If I don't go to hell, who will?)

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    1. Was that his vow? Correct me please and I thought he vowed that he will not become a Buddha if there are still beings in the hell realms.

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    2. Absolutely you are korek! Bananaz only quoting the first part of his Vow.

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    3. You have read so much and should share his vows in your blogs! It will inspire everyone.

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    4. You knew about it huh? See! Your 7th sense is picking up my every thoughts subconsciously. Have taken a few snapshots of DiZangWang Pusa from various Memorial Parks ever since QingMing but its a matter of shaping my thoughts together. Will take a while as Bananaz is quite slow not sure if he suffers from mild autism or not.

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    5. Spot on! I must have been in trance to speak that! You have this mission to ferry beings. Quick Pisang Man! LOL

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    6. You two are making my brain gets curious. I must go google up this DiZang Wang.

      I only know he takes good care of the deads in hell and we need to pray to him before praying to the decenses.

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  22. Love the pixz of DìzàngWang Pusa standing tall in Avici Hell with his radiant alarm staff.

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  23. so did u get to see the monk's body?

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    1. I believe he has been kept inside the sealed pagoda away from public's view.

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  24. Hmmm...it certainly send chills down my spine by looking at those statues. Why you need to chant his name?

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    1. LOL. I was scared too when I was there. We chant his name now to build better fate with him in case I get sent there.

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    2. No worries TM please don't follow Bananaz coz Heaven refused to accept me and Avici Hell is afraid I will take over

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    3. Your face is so kind and I am sure you have a place in heavens.

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  25. Adoi...this SK Thambee is hooked to his own virus spamming!! What alien language is this???

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  26. i have a few from this maddsolutiononline spammer the other day, you want more?? hahaha~~ :D

    ReplyDelete
  27. No thanks to you! Phiak your head!

    ReplyDelete
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    Nice layout and beautiful posts.
    Please visit mine too and feel free to write something over there.
    Best of luck.

    Thanks
    Rajiv
    http://www.magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.com
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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What are you selling Rajiv? Please spam this blog too - http://sk0617.blogspot.com/

      Delete
  29. If walking slow in cool weather, then not so bad.. if hot weather like Malaysia, then sure I pengsan... That is why traveling can make one slim cos we have to walk a lot to enjoy the scenery... :)

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    1. Now I know why you are so slim when you actually eat lots of good food!!! You went overseas and walked so much~~!! ha ha~!

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  30. we will never miss the temples when we visit China or places which have temples. I love to look at temples, being awed by its neat architecture.

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    1. Eh! We seem to have same passion in temples and snow!!! Wakakakaka

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  31. Think you don't really need to cover every temple there la...!

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  32. Amazing Blog
    Well done: superb.
    Xoxo bshell
    blueshell.azurara.net

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  33. What do you mean it's your final post? I love the mountains and pines and temples and especially anything about Jizo! Nooo! Go on another trip and give us more stories and photos! Please?

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  34. Can't really see clearly the foot print lah, so curious to see how does it looks like~

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