Paradise Caves of the Mountain Lords

The Diamond Grotto is described as a concealed portal to a paradise realm of the transcendents -- "grotto-heavens" (tung-t'ien) -- an enduring motif in Chinese folklore. The Chinese believe that one must become sufficiently refined and spiritually pure to access these special caves where phenomenal treasures exist, protectively hidden. Mystic scriptures are cached in such secure locations, as well as the drugs of immortality, jewels, amulets and other "power objects." There are provocative references to the Diamond Grotto in particular as a storehouse for treasures; most especially music, musical instruments (such as a bronze bell), and sacred texts. This heritage is very similar to Tibetan terma traditions. Frequently incredible plants and trees flourish near the portal. Supernatural beings could enter, often through a nondescript rock escarpment that separates in acknowledgment of their presence, while the base and unevolved could only remain without. When Buddhists appropriated Mount Wu-t'ai’s domain as their own, they transmuted this aboriginal Chinese phenomenon into a Buddhist one by identifying the Diamond Grotto as the home of Wen-shu (who superseded the mountain-lord), and those who were piously accomplished could win access to the Bodhisattva's heavenly kingdom on earth.