繁峙秘密寺文殊殿清代壁畫，生動地反映了五臺山信仰和佛教民俗化情況。前廊明間三幅表現的慈勇大師游五臺山所見瑞相、文殊化身為貧女、揚州僧所睹靈異「李靖射聖」故事圖像，分別表述了文殊菩薩心如虛空並廣度眾生，勸誡眾生莫起貧富貴賤分別之心，以及莫以凡夫心揣度聖者的意涵，這些故事一概發生在五臺山大孚靈鷲寺，與其中文殊菩薩真容院的關係尤為密切。左右次間四幅悉達多太子四門出遊圖像，以及普賢菩薩與明間中幅文殊菩薩組合，指示佛教徒人生是苦，應修菩薩行而成就金剛不壞法身。布袋和尚及群兒圖像象徵彌勒下生淨土世界並傳承佛法，同時強調子孫繁衍的用意。用中土編撰的傳聞故事表述深奧的佛教道理，表明佛教完全融會在漢文化之中，並且自然而然地與中土地域文化和民俗文化結合在一起。

論文綱目：
一、秘密寺及其文殊殿壁畫

二、文殊殿前廊明間壁畫反映的五臺山信仰

1、五臺山信仰與大孚靈鷲寺

2、文殊殿前廊明間壁畫五臺山傳聞故事圖像

⑴ 明間中幅慈勇大師游五臺山所見瑞相圖像

⑵ 明間左幅文殊化身為貧女圖像

⑶ 明間右幅揚州僧所睹靈異（李靖射聖）圖像

三、文殊殿前廊次間與梢間壁畫反映的佛教思想

1、悉達多太子四門出遊圖像

⑴ 左次間左幅太子東門出遊圖像

⑵ 左次間右幅太子西門出遊圖像

⑶ 右次間左幅太子南門出遊圖像

⑷ 右次間右幅太子北門出遊圖像

2、布袋和尚與普賢菩薩及其關聯圖像

⑴ 左次間中幅布袋和尚及十六群兒圖像

⑵ 右次間中幅普賢菩薩及關聯圖像

3、飛龍與山川花木圖像

四、小結

The Qing Dynastic murals painted in the Wenshu or Manjusri Hall of Mimi Temple in Fanzhi County demonstrate vividly beliefs of Wutai Mountain and folkloric trends of Buddhism. In the central room of the front veranda, there are three paintings each illustrating a story, i.e. the Miracle Scene witnessed by Master Ciyong during his Wutai Mountain tour, Manjusri’s manifestation as a poor woman and a mysterious event befell on a monk from Yangzhou, which respectively exhibits the void nature and unlimited sympathy of Bodhisattva Manjusri, the admonition to extinguish discrimination between noble and base, as well as the caution to observe monastic disciplines. All of these stories took place at Lingjiu Temple in Wutai Mountain, especially with reference to the Zhenrong Courtyard therein. In the next rooms of left and right sides, the four scenes depicting Prince Siddhārtha’s wandering at four gates are painted, suggesting the suffering nature of life; besides the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra image corresponds with the Manjusri in the main wall of the central room and encourages Bodhisattva practices that aim at perfection of Dharmakāya. The image of Budai or Cloth-bag Monk clustered by children symbolizes the realization of Maitreya’s pure land in this world and the succession of Buddhism; meanwhile it lays an emphasis on prosperous posterity. From the use of legends created in China to express deep Buddhism meanings, one can see an entire merge of Buddhism into Chinese culture, therewith also into regional and folk culture.

Layout:

1. Mural paintings of the Mimi Temple and its Wenshu Hall

2. Beliefs of Wutai Mountain reflected by mural paintings in central room of front veranda of Wenshu Hall

(1) Beliefs of Wutai Mountain and the Dafu Lingjiu Temple

(2) Images of legend stories of Wutai Mountain in mural paintings of the central veranda room

① The Miracle Scene witnessed by Master Ciyong during his Wutai Mountain tour in the central place

② Manjusri’s manifestation as a poor woman in the left place

③ A mysterious event befell on a monk from Yangzhou in the right place

3. Buddhist ideas reflected by murals in next and rear rooms of the front veranda

(1) Images of Prince Siddhārtha’s wandering at four gates

① Prince Siddhārtha’s wandering at east gate in the left place in the left next room

② Prince Siddhārtha’s wandering at west gate in the right place in the left next room

③ Prince Siddhārtha’s wandering at south gate in the left place in the right next room

④ Prince Siddhārtha’s wandering at north gate in the right place in the right next room

(2) Images of Cloth-bag Monk and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and their accessories

① Images of Cloth-bad Monk and sixteen children in the central place in the left next room

② Images of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and its accessories

(3) Images of the flying dragon and landscape

4. Summary