In the 7th century AD, the center of the Buddhist world shifted from ancient India to China. The Wutaishan mountain, over 3,000 meters high in the north of Shanxi province, became the most popular destination for pilgrims seeking manifestations or visions of the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. Wutaishan is considered the most important of China's Buddhist mountains. The lecture explains the roots of the cult of Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of the perfection of wisdom (Skt. prājñāpāramitā). Its roots lie in a network of writings on the perfection of wisdom carved in stone, which was laid across the hilly landscape of Shandong province in the 6th century. The largest of these is located in the Sutra Stone Valley on Mount Taishan in Shandong Province. There, the carved Diamond Sutra has asserted itself on the mountain that, to this day, embodies China's national identity like no other.

About the author: Since completing her doctorate in East Asian Art History at Heidelberg University, Dr. Claudia Wenzel has been conducting research as part of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences' project "Buddhist Stone Inscriptions in China." She edited the volumes Shandong Province 2 and Sichuan Province 3, which were published in the series Buddhist Stone Sutras in China (ed. Lothar Ledderose). She has also published articles in specialist journals. In the winter and summer semesters of 2021/22, she held the chair of Asian and Islamic Art History at the University of Bonn.

About the lecture series: This public lecture series has been taking place for over 20 years now, featuring scientists from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as well as from its seven sister academies. The lectures are aimed at a broad audience and provide insights into the research work being carried out. Afterwards, there is an opportunity to talk to the scientists over pretzels and wine in the Academy's courtyard garden.

The series is held in cooperation with vhs Heidelberg.