This is a study of Qing records of the monk-pilgrim Wuzhuo’s (eighth century) entry into the conjured Vajra Grotto/Prajñā Temple (Jingang ku/Bore si) at Tang period (618-907) Wutai shan (Wutai shan). The Gazetteer of Qingliang shan (Qingliang shan zhi), the New Gazetteer of Qingliang shan (Qingliang shan xin zhi), and the Imperially Commissioned Gazetteer of Qingliang shan (Qingding Qingliang shan zhi) each preserve accounts of Wuzhuo’s meeting with Mañjuśrī (Wenshu) in this extraordinary site. Examining these records of Wuzhuo’s life and monastic career alongside related accounts of conjured temples (huasi), this article highlights links between stories of conjured temples and other Buddhist and non-Buddhist textual sources. It suggests that in their attempt to frame the sites, the bodhisattva, and the mountain as sacred, Qing proponents of the Wenshu cult used a wide variety of sources to new ends. An investigation of these narrative traditions reveals much about the multiple and changing grounds on which Wutai shan’s holy status has been asserted over time.
