Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave

Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave

Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave is located among the Seventy-two Caves on Huaguo Mountain. Legend has it that this is where Sun Wukong was born, and the landscape is full of delightful charm. On the stone wall outside the cave stands a statue of the Great Sage, whose gaze meets that of visitors, shining with vitality.

At the cave entrance lies a huge leftover stone from Nüwa, suspended in midair without touching either the sky or the ground. It is said to be a remnant from when Nüwa mended the heavens. In the writings of the Ming Dynasty literary figure Wu Cheng'en, this stone is described as the womb from which Sun Wukong emerged.

Above the Nüwa leftover stone is a half-stone egg, said to have had its other half blasted down the mountain when Sun Wukong was born. Beside the stone egg is a large rock resembling a monkey head, gently “kissing” the Nüwa leftover stone—this is the mortal shell shed by Sun Wukong after he became immortal.

The pool beneath the Nüwa leftover stone is called “Anouta Pool.” Anouta is a transliteration of a Sanskrit word meaning “source of all waters.” Legend says that fairies used to come here to bathe, but after Sun Wukong was born, he urinated in the pool, dirtying it, and since then the fairies have never returned.

In front of the cave lies a flat stone known as the Queen Mother’s Demon-Reflecting Mirror, and below it is a stone dressing table. It is said that the Queen Mother would dress up here before the stone, emerging with radiant beauty.

On the upper right side of the cave are numerous winding patterns, resembling Sun Wukong’s somersault clouds. The four characters “Huán Yíng Yǎng Jìng” (“The Whole World Looks Into the Mirror”) inscribed on the stone were written by Li Ruiqing, Zhang Daqian’s mentor, in the ninth year of the Republic of China.

Not far from Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave is the “Clouds and Heavens Depths” stone drum, which makes a sound when struck. Legend says it was used by Sun Wukong to summon his monkey followers. It is said that one should not strike it too hard, lest it attract a crowd of monkeys that might trap you on the mountain. In 1902, Emperor Guangxu visited the site with Qin Zhenxi, the Prefect of Haizhou, and bestowed the inscription “Ān Guāng Pǔ Zhào” (“Grace Shines Everywhere”) upon Wù. He also ordered Qin to inscribe “Tóng Wù Xìng Tiān” (“Shared Enlightenment with Heaven”) on the stone.

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