As the most important sacred mountain in Yunnan-Tibet, Kawadgarbo bears different meanings in the traditional local belief of Deqen and the Buddhist belief represented by local Tibetan Buddhist monasteries: for local residents, Kawadgarbo is a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site, meanwhile, it shows the characteristics of local protective god. In the discourse of the local Buddhist monasteries, Kawadgarbo is considered as the mandala of Chakrasamvara, the tantric deity in Tibetan Buddhism. How do these seemingly contradictory meanings coexist peacefully in the local context? The response to this question leads us to how Buddhism, as a foreign religious and cultural force, was integrated into Deqen and is embodied through the interaction with the local society. The dynamic narrative of Deqen’s religious discourse presents a vivid and complex understanding of Tibetan religions within a specific context.
