-- In October, as autumn colors blanket Nanjing, the gilded dome of the Niushoushan Usnisa Palace stands serene in the morning light. The mountain's outline—twin peaks like an ox's head—has been unchanged for millennia. Yet its heart has been deeply transformed.
Since its 2015 opening, Niushoushan has undergone a decade of refinement and is now in its eleventh year. Once a 60-meter-deep abandoned mine pit, it has become a landmark receiving over 6 million visitors annually, ranking among Jiangsu's top ticketed scenic spots. Eleven years is fleeting for a mountain, but enough to grow a new ring of history—and "eleven" carries profound Buddhist meaning.
The Eleven Wholesome Factors: Eleven Scales of the Mind
In Yogacara Buddhism, mental activities are classified into fifty-one factors, eleven of which are wholesome: faith, diligence, shame, remorse, non-attachment, non-hatred, non-delusion, pliancy, non-negligence, equanimity, and non-harming. These describe a path of the mind. Master Ouyi said: "That which benefits both this life and the next is called good." Goodness lies not in form but in benefiting present and future, self and others.
Faith is the root of all merit. Diligence is sustained effort toward the goal. Shame and remorse are inner reverence keeping one from straying. Non-attachment, non-hatred and non-delusion purify the mind through concentration and insight. Pliancy, non-negligence, equanimity and non-harming arise as practice deepens. Niushoushan's eleven years embody these factors.
From "No Creator" to "Arising Through Conditions"
Buddhist dependent origination teaches "no creator"—no prime mover. Niushoushan's rebirth had no single creator either.
Before 2011, the site was exposed mine rock walls—an "industrial wound" 200 meters long and over 60 meters deep. A century of iron ore mining had hollowed the West Peak into barren "rusted land." Then a collective arrived. In autumn 2011, the restoration project "Taking the mountain as paper, greenery as ink" launched. Four years later, 32 native plant species took root on the rock faces; wild rabbits and chickadees returned. Meanwhile, Usnisa Palace took shape within the mountain's core.
This "miracle suspended above the mine pit" has three floors above ground and six underground, standing 89.3 meters tall with roughly 136,000 square meters of floor area. The outer dome resembles the Buddha's kasaya draping over the inner dome. At the heart of the Relic Hall rises a 21.8-meter stupa modeled after Mount Sumeru, integrating sculpture, enamel, crystal glass and gemstone inlay. The underground Relic Chamber safeguards the Buddha's parietal bone relic; its 66-meter corridor follows the Six Paramitas.
In 2017, Usnisa Palace received both the Luban Prize and Zhan Tianyou Prize, praised as "a perfect symbiosis of industrial heritage, natural landscape and culture." This is no work of a single creator but of "arising through conditions"—countless craftsmen, ecologists, monastics and decision-makers.
Foding Temple, built in Tang-dynasty style, was completed in 2015. On October 27, 2015, the Buddha's parietal bone relic was transferred from Qixia Temple for permanent enshrinement, and Niushoushan officially opened. No longer a faint silhouette known merely as the birthplace of the Oxhead School of Chan, it regained warmth and vitality.
"Cause and Effect: Unbroken Continuity"
Of dependent origination's eleven tenets, two are easiest to grasp yet hardest to live: the unbroken continuity of cause and effect, and their distinct categories. Niushoushan's eleven years form just such a chain.
It began with Southern Dynasties temples, followed by Tang cave shrines; the land became the birthplace of the Oxhead School. Destroyed in the Southern Song, revived in the Ming, its incense ceased for a century after the Taiping Rebellion of 1856. Then came reconstruction in 2012, the cultural zone's opening in 2015, and Jinling Town in 2021. Each ruin is momentary cessation; each rebirth witnesses causal continuity.
In August 2024, learning Abbot Shuguang was raising support for Foding Temple's renovation, Champion Technology Group donated eco-friendly, low-VOC paint with a subtle odor that would not disrupt quiet practice. Chairman Xie Hai said: "Buddhist culture forms an important part of Chinese civilization. We hope to bring our professional expertise to support this renovation." This small detail embodies non-harming: restoring an ancient monastery in the gentlest manner.
Another reading of "Eleven"
Eleven-bead prayer beads are traditional; folk belief ties them to the Eleven Powers warding off demonic obstacles. But in Yogacara, the deeper meaning is that these eleven factors form a spiritual path. Faith comes first, then diligence takes root. Diligence awakens shame and remorse—we see our flaws and the sages' virtue—driving us to overcome greed, anger and ignorance. As these fade, body and mind attain pliancy; abiding there, non-negligence, equanimity and non-harming arise naturally.
Over eleven years, Niushoushan evolved from abandoned mine pit to sacred site, from wasteland to top-tier destination. Externally we see grand architecture and surging visitors; internally the journey follows a spiritual path: from restoration to settled stillness. Mine restoration embodies shame and remorse—regret for damage to nature and loss of heritage. Usnisa Palace represents diligence: crafting miracles against all odds. The relic's enshrinement establishes faith. Today six million visitors come yearly; many standing beneath the great dome say, "My heart suddenly grows calm." That peace is the glow of pliancy.
A Mountain's Equanimity
Equanimity describes a mind balanced and upright, free from dullness and agitation—neither restless nor sluggish. After eleven years, Niushoushan may be approaching that state.
The bustle of opening years has settled. More guests come not merely for snapshots: they pause by the release pond watching water pour from ten dragon-head spouts; they attend Jiangnan cultural heritage lectures; they stand quietly amid the Dunhuang Digital Exhibition Hall's light and shadow. During the 2026 National Day holiday, Niushoushan received over 250,000 visitors, mostly aged 18 to 40, with women at 60 percent—many from Hangzhou, Shandong, Hefei and Xuzhou. Some said, "The real sight touches me more than short videos." Others: "The moment I stepped into the underground palace, my inner restlessness faded away."
The mountain's equanimity means moving with poise. This autumn, Niushoushan partnered with Visual China's 500px to launch the photography contest "One Mountain, One World: Light and Shadow Reveal Niushou," inviting global creators to capture its Zen charm from diverse perspectives.
The Eleventh Anniversary Is Not the End
In Buddhist teachings, "eleven" marks a path from faith to abiding peace. Niushoushan's eleven years trace a journey from restoration to settled stillness—two paths, one destination.
Its twin peaks still face one another like an ox's head. The mountain remains the same mountain, yet its story has turned to chapter eleven. And eleven is never the end; it reminds us that faith has taken root, diligence is at work, shame and remorse are never lost—while pliancy, non-negligence, equanimity and non-harming need far more time to mature.
A mountain is never in a rush to become a mountain. It simply abides, welcomes wind and rain, lets plants thrive, and offers all seekers of peace a place to rest. Eleven years form the annual rings of this mountain; within them dwells the collective embodiment of the Eleven Wholesome Factors forged by countless souls.
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Organization: Niushoushan Cultural Tourism Zone
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