The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1829 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Buddhism and Jainism
Buddhist pilgrimage is common, in both Therav
da and Mah
y
na forms. Of particular importance are sites where relics are held, e.g. of the Buddha's tooth at Kandy (in
ri Lank
); or where there are associations with the Buddha, especially the places of his birth, first sermon, enlightenment, and
parinibb
na
, and of his presence, e.g. of his footprint (notably in
ri Lank
on Mount Sirip
da, ‘Adam's Mount’, since Muslims revere the footprint as that of
Adam
, though for Hindus it is that of
iva). Equally important are sites where cuttings derived from the
bo tree
(the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment) are growing. In China and Japan, mountains are extensively sites of pilgrimage. In China, the Five Peaks are thought to be important for the protection of the country. One, Mount Tai, is Taoist, the other four are associated with four
bodhisattvas
: Emei is linked with
Samantabhadra
, W
tai with
Mañju
r
, Putuo with
Avalokite
vara

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