The Mountain and Earth Deity Shrine

山神土地廟

Amituofo! This small red shrine is dedicated to the local protector deities of Wutai Shan, known in Chinese as: the Tudigong.

While this shrine might not seem as magnificent as the other sacred places of Wutai Shan, it is still the most luxurious Tudigong shrine in North America. Traditional Tudigong shrines are often very small, with many having no building at all.

Why do we worship the Tudigong? The belief in Earth deities has a long history and has already become deeply ingrained in our daily lives.

There are many ancient myths and novels that reference the Tudigong. For example, in Journey to the West, as Tang Sanzang and his disciples travel to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Sun Wukong summons the Tudigong of each location to learn about its ecosystem. This shows the close relationship that nature deities have to our daily lives.

In Buddhism, the Tudigong is referred to as the "Steadfast Earth God," and there are records of the Steadfast Earth God in various Mahayana sutras. For instance, in the twenty-first chapter of the Lalitavistara Sutra (“Subduing The Demons”), it is mentioned that when The Buddha first attained enlightenment, a Steadfast Earth God emerged from the ground to bear witness, and respectfully presented a seven-jewelled vase filled with fragrant flowers as an offering to the World-Honoured One. Similarly, in the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, The Buddha praises the Steadfast Earth God for nourishing and benefitting all sentient beings.

There is a Tudigong shrine at Wutai Shan because on one hand, workers need to dig up the land for new building projects, potentially harming unseen lifeforms. On the other hand, it is a way to express gratitude for the Tudigong’s silent blessings and protection. Through-out the construction process for Wutai Shan, whether it was excavating Wisdom Lake or digging through soil to build various temple halls, the local Tudigong have provided us with many incredible blessings. In Buddhism, the concept of Dependent Origination is highly valued, and having a shrine for these deities is a way to show appreciation for their assistance in the construction of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden.

這座紅色的小小殿堂，裡面供奉的就是五台山伽藍結界的護方之神：土地公。

這個殿堂雖然比不上五台山的其他殿堂那麼宏偉，但是這個殿堂卻是北美最豪華的土地廟。因為傳統意義上的土地廟都非常小，很多幾乎都沒有建築。

為什麼要供奉土地廟？這是因為土地信仰由來已久，早已融入人們的日常生活之中。

許多古代的神話故事小說裡都有土地公，例如《西遊記》中，唐僧師徒在西天取經的路上，每到一地，孫悟空總是要把土地山神召來，問清楚當地的各種情況。由此可見土地山神與日常生活是息息相關的。

在佛教中，土地神被稱作“堅牢地神”，各種大乘經典中都有關於堅牢地神的記載。例如在《方廣大莊嚴經》卷九〈降魔品〉中記載，佛陀初成道，此地神為作證明，從地湧出，曲躬恭敬，捧著盛滿香花的七寶瓶供養世尊。例如在《地藏經》，佛陀讚許堅牢地神滋養萬物、利益眾生。

在五台山供奉這座土地廟是因為工人一方面需要破土動工，可能會損傷到無形的有情，另外一方面，感念土地公冥冥之中默默庇佑的廣大恩德，所以在此處為土地公起廟供養。一直以來，五台山的建設過程中，不論是發掘靈泉湖，還是各個殿堂破土動工，這一方山神土地尊神都給予了許多不可思議的護佑。佛門最重緣起，在此地供奉他們也是感念其扶助寺院建設的恩德。