This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Refuge. The guided meditation begins at 19:43.

This map depicts a sacred place of refuge, Mount Wutai—a mountain in Shanxi Province, China, revered as the earthly abode of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom Manjushri. Mount Wutai has been a sacred site to Chinese Buddhists since the fifth century of the Common Era, and from the seventh century onward, it became an international pilgrimage center, drawing Buddhist pilgrims from as far away as India, Kashmir, Tibet, Japan, and Korea.

Tibetan Buddhism was firmly established on Mount Wutai during the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). In the 18th and 19th centuries, Mount Wutai became especially important to Tibetans, Mongols, and Manchus. Mount Wutai’s legacy endures to this day, and as a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 50 monasteries, it draws seekers from around the world.

There are some 30 known surviving prints of this map. It was carved on Mount Wutai in 1846 by a Mongolian monk named Lhundrup, at Cifu Temple, which served as the main lodging for Mongolian monks visiting the mountain.

The map contains more than 150 sites of interest to the pilgrims who ventured to Mount Wutai, including Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, and places of historic and miraculous significance. Winding paths with tiny travelers link one temple to another, suggesting possible itineraries of pilgrimage. Seekers travel to this sacred mountain to behold divine visions, which take the form of the luminous light and cloud formations dotting the map.

The dedicatory inscriptions at the bottom of the map promise benefits to those who see this image, including being free from all calamities and diseases, and enjoying boundless blessings, happiness, and longevity.