鄧尉山位於江蘇吳縣西山中，山距縣城七十里，逶迤十里，周圍三十里許，高五百餘丈，中巒隆起。舊名大尖，相傳東漢鄧尉隱於山中，故名鄧尉山，後晉青州刺史郁泰玄葬於山之西南六里處，名玄墓山，兩山相連，實為一山，後世名玄墓者，即鄧尉山也。山之南麓有一寺，曰聖恩寺，寺枕鄧尉而瞰太湖，備山湖之壯觀。寺始建於唐天寶間（七四二～七五五），時稱天壽禪寺，宋寶祐間（一二五三～一二五八）又建聖恩禪菴，元季寺燬菴存，時有萬峰禪師卓錫於此，開山說法，於明洪武九年（一三七六）闢建觀音閣；普壽構法堂；普隱等建大殿、齋廚、三塔院；普持鑄巨鐘，建層樓。永樂七年（一四〇九）智璿重修大殿，建藏經閣。正統八年（一四四三）道立奏請賜額「聖恩寺」。崇禎元年（一六二八）建大法堂，修萬峰塔，建文殊堂；六年（一六三三）法藏修大殿佛閣，建方丈，弘璧又重建天王殿，新建大悲堂，造毘盧像，大藏經供佛閣等；此有明一代之建置沿革也。萬峰禪師乃本寺之開山祖師，本寺明代以前之建置則不詳焉。萬峰以降，古德相望，皆衍臨濟之傳，為禪門作後起龍象。明嘉靖間，沈潤卿撰「鄧尉山志」；崇禎年間，周永年取沈志增益纂為「鄧尉山聖恩寺志」十八卷，分門二十四：形勝、泉石、梵宇、禪祖、名釋、聖製、頒賜、奏對、謝表、奏疏、公移、碑記、寺記、語錄、錄序、募疏、請疏、塔廟、祠墓、塔銘、鐘部、遊記、題詠、雜文。卷首繪圖，總攬形勢，王煥如撰圖說，並參訂全稿，熊開元為之裁定。民國十九年（一九三〇）時聖恩寺住持釋中恕以年煙版毀，乃取存本影印，按此本後人曾有增輯，內間有順治、康熙間事。茲據民國十九年聖恩寺影明崇禎至清康熙間刊本景印。
Dengwei Mountain is located in Xishan, west of Wu County, Jiangsu Province. The mountain is seventy li from the county seat. It winds for ten li, has a circumference of about thirty li, and rises over five hundred zhang. Its central peak is prominent. In ancient times it was called Dajian ("Great Point"). According to legend, a man named Deng Wei of the Eastern Han Dynasty lived in seclusion here, hence the name Dengwei Mountain. Later, during the Later Jin Dynasty, the Qingzhou Provincial Governor Yu Taixuan was buried six li southwest of the mountain, and that area became known as Xuanmu Mountain. The two mountains are connected and are actually one, thus later generations who called it Xuanmu were referring to Dengwei Mountain.
At the southern foot of the mountain lies a temple called Sheng'en Temple. The temple rests against Dengwei Mountain and overlooks Lake Tai, encompassing the magnificent scenery of both mountain and lake. The temple was first built during the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty (742-755) and was then called Tianshou Chan Temple. During the Baoyou era of the Song Dynasty (1253-1258), the Sheng'en Chan Hermitage was also established. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the temple was destroyed but the hermitage remained. At that time, Master Wanfeng resided here, opening the mountain to teach the Dharma. In the ninth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1376), the Guanyin Pavilion was built; Pushou constructed the Dharma Hall; Puyin and others built the Main Hall, kitchen, and three pagoda courtyards; Puchi cast a large bell and built a multi-story building. In the seventh year of the Yongle era (1409), Zhixuan renovated the Main Hall and built the Sutra Repository. In the eighth year of the Zhengtong era (1443), Daoli petitioned the emperor to grant the imperial plaque naming it "Sheng'en Temple." In the first year of the Chongzhen era (1628), the Great Dharma Hall was built, Wanfeng Pagoda was renovated, and the Manjushri Hall was constructed; in the sixth year (1633), Fazang renovated the Main Hall and Buddha Pavilion, built the Abbot's Quarters, while Hongbi rebuilt the Heavenly King Hall, newly built the Great Compassion Hall, created a Vairocana statue, and added buildings to house the Tripitaka Sutras. These are the construction and historical changes during the Ming Dynasty. Master Wanfeng was the founding patriarch of this temple, and the temple's construction before the Ming Dynasty is unknown. Since Wanfeng, many eminent ancient worthies succeeded each other, all continuing the Linji school's tradition, serving as outstanding figures in the Chan school.
During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Shen Runqing compiled the "Dengwei Mountain Gazetteer"; during the Chongzhen era, Zhou Yongnian expanded on Shen's work and compiled the "Dengwei Mountain Sheng'en Temple Gazetteer" in eighteen volumes, divided into twenty-four categories: topography, springs and rocks, temples, Chan patriarchs, eminent monks, imperial writings, bestowals, memorials, thanks-giving memorials, reports, official documents, stone inscriptions, temple records, recorded sayings, prefaces to records,募缘疏, invitations, pagodas and temples, shrines and tombs, pagoda inscriptions, bell sections, travelogues, poems, and miscellaneous writings. The first volume includes illustrations providing an overview of the site. Wang Huanru wrote the illustration explanations and revised the entire manuscript, while Xiong Kaiyuan served as editor. In the nineteenth year of the Republic of China (1930), the abbot of Sheng'en Temple, Shi Zhongshu, finding the original printing blocks damaged, had the existing edition photocopied. According to this edition, later people had made additions, including some matters from the Shunzhi and Kangxi eras. The present work is a photolithographic reprint based on the edition compiled from the Ming Chongzhen era to the Qing Kangxi era, as published by Sheng'en Temple in 1930.