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Wuji Riyue Cimu Temple: A female pantheon; Miao Fa Temple: Secret revelation from the Mt. Fuji Qu, Yadi; Li, Xinglong; Shmushko, Kai; To, Man Wai

Description

The drone footage captures the Wuji Riyue Cimu Temple (無極日月慈母殿) and the Miaofa Temple (妙法寺). Wuji Riyue Cimu Temple (無極日月慈母殿) is a shrine gathering a group of female deities across different religious contexts, including Queen Mother of the West (王母娘娘, Wang Mu Niang Niang), Earth Mother Goddess (地母娘娘, Di Mu Niang Niang), and Cuti Boddhisattva (準提佛母, Zhuti Fomu). These deities represent a mixed Buddhist and Daoist pantheon. This video observed a burning ritual that is performed to celebrate the birthday of the Earth Mother Goddess. The other temple shows in the footage is the Miaofa Temple (妙法寺). It demonstrates a vivid example of female leadership in the Daoist-quasi-folk community in Taiwan. Chen Yuxia, also addressed as Madam Chen, was believed to have received revelation from Mt. Fuji, Japan and later became the founder of Miaofa Temple (妙法寺). Religious practices in the Miaofa Temple are derived from both Buddhism and Daoism a religious practice known as Fo Dao Shuangxiu (佛道雙修). The video clip also records the interview with temple staff. The interview focuses on the history and architecture of the temple. It is important to interview temple staff as they are the caretakers of the area and are most intimately aquainted with the history of the place. Further, their exposure to the temple enables them to better understand the unwritten or oral history of the temple. The music credit is to the artist Anti-General, with whose permission that the music can be used for non-commercial purposes. The music can be retrieved from the Soundcloud.com.

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Attribution 4.0 International