Maps and Geography of the Nuns
The stories of these twelve nuns (six from the Chin/Sung period and six from the Sung/Ch’i/Liang period) reflect a massive geographical shift in Chinese Buddhism—from the northern plains of the Yellow River down to the southern capital of the Yangtze River valley. Below is a representation of where the principal convents were located.
1. The Northern Center: Lo-yang & The North
Before the southern migration, the primary center was the old imperial capital in the north.
- Bamboo Grove Convent (Lo-yang): Resided in by Chu Ching-chien (the first nun). It was located at the West Gate of the imperial city.
- Founding of Wisdom Convent (Latter Chao territory): Established by An Ling-shou in the northern non-Chinese state of Latter Chao.
- West Convent of Ssu Province (North China): The residence of Ling-tsung.
2. The Southern Capital: Jiankang (Modern Nanjing)
As the dynasties shifted south, the capital (referred to as “The Capital” in most files) became the primary hub for these nuns.
- Establishing Blessings Convent: A major institution where K’ang Ming-kan (the first abbess), Chih-sheng, and Seng-ching (temporarily) resided.
- Universal Wisdom Convent: Where Pao-hsien served as abbess.
- Exalted Sanctity Convent: The principal residence of Seng-ching.
- Meditation Grove Convent: The residence of Ching-hsiu.
- Collected Goodness Convent: The final residence of Hui-hsü.
- Establishing Peace Convent: An earlier residence for Pao-hsien and Seng-ching.
3. Regional and Provincial Hubs
- Kuang-ling (North of the Yangtze): The residence of Seng-kuo.
- Ching Province (Middle Yangtze/Chiang-ling): Where Hui-hsü lived at the Three-Story Convent and practiced austerities.
- Huai-nan Region: Where Hui-kuo oversaw the Luminous Blessings Convent.
- Liang Commandery (Huai River Valley): Where Shih Hui-mu resided at the Chu-ko Village Convent.
Conceptual Migration Map
To visualize the movement described in the texts, you can imagine two primary “paths” of Buddhist expansion mentioned in these files:
- The Northern Ancestry to Southern Practice:
- The North (P’eng-ch’eng, Kao-p’ing, An-ting): Almost all the nuns’ families originated here.
- The Southward Flight: Many, like K’ang Ming-kan and Ling-tsung, were forced south by “nomadic tribes” or bandits, eventually crossing the Yangtze River to reach the safety of the Eastern Chin/Sung capital.
- The Maritime Connection (Sri Lanka):
- The files for Seng-kuo and Hui-kuo mention the arrival of nuns from Sri Lanka via ship (led by Captain Nan-t’i). This established a maritime “teaching map” that connected South Asia directly to the Southern Capital via the South China Sea.
Teaching and Burial Sites
- Southern Grove Monastery: Not a residence for nuns, but a critical teaching site where the formal second ordination of over 300 nuns took place.
- Bell Mountain: Located just outside the capital, this was a sacred site where Seng-ching and Chih-sheng were buried, marking it as a landscape of spiritual legacy.
The maps and summaries were generated by Gemini, but were re-edited to correct mistakes, remove unwanted material, etc.
