Images, Legends, Politics, and the Origin of the Great Xiangguo Monastery in Kaifeng: A Case-study of the Formation and Transformation of Buddhist Sacred Sites in Medieval China
The article discusses the importance of Chinese Buddhist sacred sites in the history of Buddhism. It cites the reasons why very few Buddhist monasteries have been studied as sacred sites. It examines a series of legends related to the origin of the Xiangguosi Buddhist center. It notes that Buddhist images were instrumental in representing the visions and histories relating to a specific site deemed sacred.
