Chapter 1006 The Master’s Opinions
Bringing all the temples and other religious sites within the territory under government control, and the addition of new temples also requires government approval. This is only the first step in Li Tai's plan to control monks.
This is relatively easy to achieve. After all, a building as big and conspicuous as a temple cannot be stored casually. As for temples that are actually established in remote areas where few people visit, their purpose is not to expand the number of believers and amass money, and there is no need to impose controls.
Once the place is under control, the next step is naturally to scrutinize and restrict the employees. All monks must take ultimatums, otherwise they will not be ordained. Anyone who has no sworn status as a monk will be classified as evil and demonic, and no temple will be able to accommodate them, otherwise they will be severely punished if found out!
The ultimatum is one of the most important institutional means in ancient society to manage religious figures such as monks and nuns. It can not only effectively control the number of monks and nuns, but is also a means of generating income. By controlling the number of ultimatums issued, the government can effectively control the development scale of Buddhist temples within the territory.
After all places and people are brought under effective control, the next step is to control various Buddhist activities.
The current Buddhist activities mainly include translating scriptures, copying scriptures, Buddhist rituals, digging caves and making statues, etc. These Buddhist activities will basically cause a certain degree of waste of social resources and productivity, and among them, digging caves and making statues is the worst. .
If the manpower and material resources consumed to build a Buddhist cave, including the statues inside, are used for normal social production, the value produced will far exceed that of worshiping the Buddha. Especially in troubled times like the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the level of productivity was very limited, and a large amount of social resources and labor were invested in Buddhist worship activities, which was a huge drain on national strength.
Therefore, Li Tai also hopes to gradually bring these Buddhist worship activities into government control. All Buddhist worship activities exceeding a certain scale must be reported to the government, and can only be carried out with the approval of the government. Otherwise, everyone who participates in Buddhist worship activities, whether they are ascetics, monks, nuns or ordinary believers, will be severely punished for the crime of denigrating the Buddha!
Of course, Li Tai himself felt that such standardized management involving all aspects was a bit harsh. It was obviously impossible for the current monks to fully accept it in a short period of time.
After all, even though Xiao Bodhisattva in the Southern Dynasties had been advocating vegetarianism for ascetics for so many years, this precept was not fully implemented in the Southern Dynasties alone. Monks in Xiangyang, Jiangling and other places still happily drank wine and ate fish. The mainstream of the Buddhas of this period was that they could not endure any hardship and were unwilling to accept any discipline.
So the next step is to put the reins and saddles on this unruly wild horse bit by bit.
Li Tai did not tell all his plans to the two old monks, but only gave them some instructions on their next work.
But even though it was just a preliminary instruction, the two old monks couldn't help but sigh with emotion after listening to it. Especially Master Tanjing, who had suffered similar losses, after hearing Mr. Tang reveal his intention, he couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart. Over the years, Mr. Tang has used various methods more and more. So proficient!
At that time, Master Tanjing was also a powerful figure in Qinzhou, Longyou. He was not only the presiding officer of a famous temple in Longyou, but also served as Duvina, the monk official of a county. He had almost all the monks in Tianshui County under his control.
But as Tang Gong arrived in Tianshui, his good days came to an end. Somehow, he suffered a big setback. Not only was the huge temple he had worked so hard to run lost to Tang Gong, but he also found it difficult to gain a foothold in Longyou. , had to follow Tang Gong's arrangement and rush to northern Shaanxi.
But at that time, he was in trouble. After all, Tang Gong was also baited. But today, these so-called virtuous and eminent monks who have been squeezed out of Taiwan all spend their own money, make a nest with real money, and then forcefully stuff the hook into their mouths!
After some face-to-face discussions, Li Tai asked the two old monks to be sent back to the annex where they lived now, so that they could do the ideological work of those eminent monks. After all, they are all members of the Samana family, and they will have more common topics when communicating.
After the two monks returned to the villa, they went separately to visit the virtuous monks who were closing their doors to thank the guests and meditating hard. It is said that it is meditation, but in fact it is depression, isolation and escaping from reality.
This debate started after the Buddha's birthday on April 8, and it is now the midsummer of June. For more than two months, every debate requires racking one's brains and applying what he has learned throughout his life. After summer, the city of Chang'an was extremely stuffy. The huge mental consumption and the stuffy living environment made every extra moment of stay a torture for these eminent monks.
However, the current situation forced them not to bow their heads and admit defeat easily. As long as they can maintain a stalemate, they will still be respected eminent monks. However, once they show their cowardice and admit defeat, they will instantly become scum of Samanas who deceive the world and steal their reputation. They will not only be spurned by their peers and despised by their believers, they may also Even their personal safety will be severely threatened!
It should be noted that the titles of these eminent monks were not obtained out of thin air. Each title means a huge donation of materials. Those who are proficient in Buddhist scriptures are usually not the abbots who preside over the daily affairs of the temple, so their titles are either obtained by the temples where they live, which have spent all their treasures on them, or by several temples and powerful local donors who jointly contributed funds. of.
These people who provide them with funds are not just for promoting Buddhism, but also have a very urgent and realistic need to return their capital and make profits. Once these eminent monks admit defeat, they will immediately lose their transcendent religious status, and those who have lost all their investment will inevitably use them as targets to vent their anger.
The debate didn't even need to end. At that moment, some people who were already red-eyed were already doing their best to intimidate those eminent monks to find ways to get a turnaround. Some eminent monks were even tortured to sleepless nights. If they had not still lived in villas provided by the government, their personal safety might not have been guaranteed.
After visiting a group of eminent monks and understanding their current conditions, Monk Hongyi and Master Tanjing were filled with emotion. Not to mention how they felt at the hands of Duke Tang, but now they are only happy and grateful. . Especially when I see those eminent monks looking gloomy and in a dilemma, I feel more and more how calm they are now with the mountains at their backs.
After understanding the status of the eminent monks, Monk Hongyi came forward to summon all the participants, ready to ventilate the situation and discuss a countermeasure.
Everyone was worried and sleepy now, and they all gathered after hearing this call. In addition to a group of eminent monks, there are also the investors and real talkers behind them, totaling thirty or forty people.
"With the situation at this point, you must all be feeling troubled. If it continues to be delayed, I'm afraid it will be even worse!"
When everyone gathered, Monk Hongyi took the lead to speak. But as soon as he opened his mouth, another monk next to him pointed at him angrily and said angrily: "Now that the situation has come to this point, isn't it possible that you bastard monks are flirting with you?" Is it because of the gift of favors? If you and other demon monks had not donated money to seek advancement, other families would have been chosen based on their superb Buddhist principles, and they would have been able to calmly win or lose, and they would not be in such pain and suffering now!"
This is the advantage of finding a few white gloves instead of ending up personally. Even the monks secretly felt that they were being fooled by the court this time, but they did not dare to directly and openly accuse the court, but would target them. The rafter who came forward from the inside: If you weren't a bitch who rolled inward first, how could this be done if we all smashed it together?
Monk Hongyi is also a ruthless person who spreads Buddhism in Jihudui. Although he is old now, he is not something that just anyone can handle. After hearing this, he immediately slapped the table and glared: "You guys have such superb Buddhism." Can righteousness be used to show off? You are a mute barking dog slave in front of a group of people. The old monk has called you to discuss a life-saving plan. If you don't want to live, get out immediately! Kill this place!"
Hearing the old monk shouting and killing, everyone was frightened for a moment. The scene was silent for a moment, and then another old monk with a tired look said in a tired tone: "Master Hongyi, please calm down for now. May I ask if you have any questions?" What good advice can I teach the people here?”
"The original intention of this debate on scriptures and preaching was to kill Taoists in one fell swoop and make me, the Samana, dominate the world. However, unexpectedly, the barbarians from Nanman Island entered the pass and messed up our plan. It is really hateful! But if we miscalculate now, our gains and losses, honor and disgrace, can be I don’t care, but if ascetics are imprisoned and suppressed for this, causing the legal system to wither for hundreds of years, we will be sinners in life, and I will probably fall into Avici Hell forever after death, and our sins will never be eliminated!”
As soon as Monk Hongyi said this, the faces of the people present changed. Someone even said with a trembling voice: "How can a Samana become famous in the world overnight? There are many good men and women in Guanlong who devote their entire lives to worship the Buddha. Duke Tang is afraid that I don’t even dare…”
"You are more vicious than the army of thieves Qi? The leader of the Qi Kingdom worships the Buddha and protects the Dharma. It is inevitable that Tang Gong will slaughter his troops and kill his majesty. What is the plan? Tang Gong has already said that he wants to distinguish the two religions in order to survive. Now The facts are all there, how dare you force Mr. Tang to go back on his word?"
As Monk Hongyi stared and asked, all the monks present fell silent again. Seeing that no one spoke, Monk Hongyi spoke again: "Rather than suffer together in perdition, it is better for God to listen to us while we are still able to speak. In this situation, it is better to take the initiative to correct your mistakes and eliminate the dirt of Samana. It is better to survive with a broken arm than to sit and wait for death!
Nowadays, there are many evil monks who build trenches into temples and build gates into temples. They are superstitious and fool the people of the world. However, most people in the world are ignorant and only regard these evil heretics and the true teachings of Buddhism as one. How can we promote Buddhism if we are confused with such an insect? "
"Master, you have such great views! It is precisely because there are so many people in the world who are trying to fool the world and steal their reputations that the Buddha's teachings are mixed together and the true meaning is profound and difficult to understand!"
Master Hongyi did not need any further guidance. As soon as he put forward this idea, it immediately aroused the unanimous approval and agreement of the people present.
It is always difficult for people to admit their mistakes and shortcomings, but it is almost an innate instinct to shirk blame and avoid responsibility. It cannot be said that all these monks are despicable in nature. The mainstream orthodox monks themselves dislike and reject those monks and nuns who are not as good as the mainstream. Now there happens to be a label suitable for that group of people, and of course they are happy to put it on them. .
It's just that they don't know that the size of the hat and the range of buckling are not necessarily what they have the final say.