Origin of Puxian

  
The Emei Mountain range has a legacy of rich culture. Legend holds that an old man by the name of Pu, more popularly known as Old Pu lived in the 6th Wing Ping year of King Ming in East Han Dynasty. One day when he saw a magic deer, he followed it up to the mountains. He reached the Golden top. But all his effort went in vain as the deer suddenly disappeared.

Then he met a monk by the name of Bao Zhang. The monk told him about who actually the deer was. He told that the Puxian Buddha had been transformed into a deer. Old Pu became a monk soon after and started worshipping Pusa.

It is said that an old man called Pu(蒲）hiked Mt.Emei to collect medicinal herbs. On the ground he saw a trial of a sikadder's footprints, resembling lotus flowers. Curious, Pu followed the track all the way up to the top of the mountain where the trail of footprints disappeared unexpectedly, and were replaced by shining golden rays and in a swirl of purple air around the mountaintop. The myriad rays and colors inter_twined miraculously to form a huge braided ring of light. This phenomenon astounded the od man who later searched out an eminent monk on Mt.Emei and questioned him.This monk was over a thousand years old and had come from the Western Regions.

He told the old man that the Fa Image Halo of Bodhisattva Puxian revealed himself on Mt.Emei because of his desire to protect all Buddhas
and all living creatures.This is the earliest recorded documents about the arrvial of Buddhism on Mt.Emei. However, most knowledge personages and sholars in religious circles believe that the aforementioned legend of the Song dynasty draw the wrong conclusion. Zhao Kuangyin（赵匡胤）,the first emperor of the Song Dynasty believed in Buddhism and Daoism. His coutiers and local offcials tried to cater to the emperor's whims by making up numerous reports,saying that more and more people had been the Buddhist or Daoist Halos. In 960, according to the relevant historical document, officials in Jiazhou prefecture(jiazhou is the ancient name of Leshan) kept presenting testimonials to the emperor ,saying that Puxian had revealed himself.The emperor therefore sent Zhang Zhong (张 重），one of his euuchs to jiazhou where he had local people engrave Buddhist Scriptures and refurbish Buddhist figures. Zhang Zhong also managed to build Dage'an Hall in the Puxian Monastery on the current site of Wannian Monastery. It is generally considered that Buddhism might have come to Mt.Eei during the period of the Jin dynasty(265_420).

According to Huayan Scripture(华严经），the meaning of Puxian infers that his moral conduct is boundless and immeasurable. So his name indicates universal benevolence. In short, Puxian is an abbrevistion for all the above meanings, as he works throughout the Buddhist world from his lofty and exalted position. Puxian has many images and transformations,which generally fall into three categories. One is his "Fa Image(法身)", which people often see in monasteries.The second one is his "Bao Image(报身)" reveled in the Buddhist Western Paradise. The last one is "Suilei Image( 随类身）", the reincarnation of Puxian ,which is able to reincarnate at will into the body of any dead person whose soul has been released from purgatory.He uses the body forms to advise others with his own experience. The seventy_two changes attributed to the Mokey King in Pilgrim to the West(西游记) originated from Puxian's third change . It is said that Puxian, with an image deeply loved by the broad masses of people ,enters the world on his six_tusk white elephant and appears on Mt.Emei. Therefore, Buddhist followers who piously worship Puxian willcetainly vist Mt.Emei to pay Buddhist homage. Puxian ride on his six_tusk white elephant symbolizes the six super_powers displayed by the Buddha,which include the foot super_power, the eye super_power ,among others.

During Song Dynasty in 980, the Song emperor offered to Baishui Monastery 3,000 liang of gold, which was cast into Puxian statue on the elephant.

Consequently the fame of Mt.Emei and Baishui Monastery rapidly increased.The other monasteries followed suit, placing Puxian statued for worship.

Some monastries even built halls for Puxian. His halls for usually stands behind the Grand Buddh Hall because Puxian is considered to be one of Sakyamuni's close assistants .In some monasteries Sakyamuni's close assistants. In some monasteries Sakyamuni,Wenshu and Puxian statues are placed in the Grand Buddha Hall for worship.However, there is one exception. In Fuhu Monastery on Mt.Emei Puxian Hall for worship. However, there id one exception. In Fuhu Monastery on Mt.Emei Puxian hall stands behind the Hall of the Heavenly Kings but in
front of the Grand Buddha Hall.