本文主要從大理山鄉與土官政治的角度來討論大理雞足山佛教聖地的形成。自從明朝政治勢力逐漸進入大理以來，山鄉發生長期的夷民動亂，官府徵召四周土官撫亂並治理山鄉，影響較深的土官，前後包括了北勝州、鄧川州以及後來的麗江府土官。土官不僅興建與大迦葉傳說有關的佛寺來強化他們的政治聲望，明末山鄉面對土地商品化衝擊之時，麗江木氏土官在雞足山的崛起尤值得注意。木氏積極地向皇帝請求賜藏、寺名、僧官以及向朝廷舉行儀式等等的名義，爭取政治合法性。後來更致力於透過雞足山志的書寫來鞏固土司在山鄉社會的政治聲望。從興建佛寺到山志的書寫，是土官在山鄉鞏固各種資源與政治地位的一種文化策略。全文主要分為五部分：一、雞足山的出現；二、山鄉動亂與佛寺；三、土官建寺；四、儀式正統的形成；五、從明王到迦葉傳說。

This paper discusses how Chicken Foot Mountain 雞足山 in Yunnan was shaped into a Buddhist sacred site during the late Ming period, and describes the strategies utilized by native officials (tusi 土司) to strengthen their ascribed status. The Ming state gradually extended its influence into southwest China’s mountain areas in order to bring material resources under its control, resulting in conflicts between mountain populations and lowland farmers that frequently required the intervention of native officials. During the same era, a local mountain in the Dali 大理 area came to be popularly identified as Chicken Foot Mountain, renowned as the favored meditation site of the Indian Buddhist Saint, Mahākāśyapa, and many Buddhist temples were built in the area by native elites. Worship at Chicken Foot Mountain was eventually brought under the auspices of the Ming state. However, the real concern behind these ritual institutions was to establish control over a huge quantity of mountain resources, land and trading routes. In this paper, I argue that as commerce increasingly impacted southwest China, the formation of orthodoxy and its accompanying institutions in the mountain areas legitimatized native officials’ traditional privileges.