When revising the history of the Sui Dynasty a few years ago, Li Po heard some discussions from his ministers.
Yang Guang's attitude towards Buddhism was an important part of his struggle for the throne and his rule. The name of monk Zhiyi appeared twice in the history of the Sui Dynasty.
This actually represents Yang Guang's political attitude. During the Daye period, the trend since the Wei and Jin Dynasties continued. Buddhism became increasingly prosperous, and Yang Guang took a lot of credit.
This also made him have a lot of connections with Jiangnan. Otherwise, it is very likely that he would not have made three trips to Jiangdu.
The Tiantai Sect founded by the monk Zhiyi is also known as the Fahua Sect.
In fact, the name Tiantai Sect was not popular at this time, and most people still called it Fahua Sect, a Buddhist sect founded with the core Buddhist concepts of the Lotus Sutra and the Mahanirvana Sutra.
Li Po naturally knew very little about this, and he only knew roughly that the Fahua Sect was quite powerful and was mainly concentrated in the Jiangnan area. Because of the wars in the north, the monks fled south one after another, which further increased its power.
Li Po also only heard Wen Yanjiang say that Fahua Sect emphasizes the method of three thousand thoughts in one thought. Monk Zhiyi inherited the three-view method from his master, Monk Huiwen.
After hearing this, Li Po also thought that this was idealistic Buddhist thought...
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"You came to see me about the temple property of White Horse Temple?"
If those things from Confucianism still have great value in Li Po's eyes and he would read them from time to time, then Buddhism has no interest in him at all.
So he couldn't bear to talk nonsense to others, well, he couldn't say it anyway.
Monk Huizhen was obviously stunned for a moment. His rhythm was wrong. The person he was talking to, even if he was an ignorant commoner, would probably want to ask about his safety, let alone an emperor?
Why did he start talking about worldly affairs at the beginning? How could he do this?
However, the old monk has practiced Zen for a long time and has achieved very good cultivation. He then nodded and said: "To be honest with you, the poor monk came across the river this time because he originally wanted to meet fellow monks in Luoyang. However, since arriving in Luoyang, he has seen the temples empty and the houses collapsed.
The house collapsed.
There are no monks and people to worship the Buddha, there are no believers to cultivate, and the people in Luoyang are devastated, which is pitiful. The poor monk wants to stay here, teach the Dharma and spread the Buddha, guide people to do good, pray for the people, and hope that Your Majesty will consider the suffering of all living beings.
It can help a poor monk achieve perfection."
Living beings? Li Poxin said that you really dare to speak, and asked: "Is this thing also used to see me? The Luoyang magistrate's office is there, and if the temple property belongs to you, it will naturally be returned.
The imperial court has no intention of making things difficult in this matter, or is it that those temple properties are not yours, but you want to take them for your own use?"
As he spoke, his face turned cold and he was not angry.
The middle-aged monk behind the old monk's cultivation was obviously inferior, and he moved a few times uneasily. The young monk's eyes were clear, and he listened attentively without being disturbed.
The old monk was neither sad nor happy, "Your Majesty may have misunderstood. The poor monk and others are different from others. They practice the Heart Sutra. There is not a single thought or a dust. The Dharma Realm has no form. All things are one. Because of its wonderful existence, it is dense.
All phenomena are established head-to-head, with three thousand origins, and the Dharma Realm is unimpeded.
The property of the temple is only an external object, a Buddha statue, just for contemplation.
However, piety is different, and only by teaching the Dharma in the Taoist temple can they gather together. The White Horse Temple is the Taoist temple chosen by the poor monks and others.
Some time ago, the poor monk visited Duke Pei. The Duke thought that the poor monk and others did not contribute to Henan during the chaos, but came to preach Buddhism during the peace, which was unethical and unjust, so he drove them out..."
Li Po laughed when he heard this, and Li Bi turned his face away. Apparently, he agreed with his husband and felt that Pei Ju did nothing wrong.
Coming out of the Mayi frontier fortress, they hated the peach pickers the most.
The old monk seemed to know the truth and lowered his head slightly, "The poor monk and others no longer dare to cause trouble to others, but there are too many people who have died in Henan. Now that Mingjun is in power, although the poor monk and others are useless, they still want to
Do something good for the world.
I heard that Your Majesty was on an eastward tour, so I came to see you rashly, and asked Your Majesty to take pity on the poor monks and others and give them a place to live, so that they don't dare to fight for property, and they only need a little shelter from the wind and rain."
Li Po smiled and said, "Monk is very knowledgeable in human nature. Could it be that Buddhist teachings can also be used here?"
What he meant by being well-mannered was that after they went to see Pei Ju, they didn't go to see anyone else to talk about things. In the words of the old monk, they just didn't cause trouble to others.
Huizhen put his palms together and said Amitabha, as if to apologize to the Buddha, "Although the poor monk is an outsider, he is still wallowing in the world. If he doesn't know the ways of the world, how can he dare to come to see the emperor?"
"
The old monk finally showed some cunningness. In Buddhist terms, it should be similar to fighting a machine gun.
Therefore, the so-called eminent monks must be very thoughtful people. Otherwise, they will only preach some scriptures and explain some Zen ideas according to the script. When they meet those learned scholars, they will definitely be knocked to the ground.
Where can I still be called eminent monk?
As Xiao Yu said, talking to these monks is quite interesting.
Li Po smiled and said: "Monk is very calculating. Even if I grant you a humble room, it will be given by the emperor. It is as golden as the Buddha's body. No one will dare to violate it again."
Moreover, if the monks spread the word for a while and all the monks come to see me, wouldn’t I lose my purity?”
Being able to say this means that Li Po's mood has improved and he no longer wants to hand over a few monks to Dou Yan and take down Dou Yan if he is not satisfied.
The old monk also started to pick up the tea cup and drink tea. Li Po saw this and laughed secretly in his heart. From a psychological point of view, the monk was not as calm as he appeared on the surface. He was not sure why he was so nervous.
Three thousand thoughts in one thought? That’s a mental patient. Everyone is mortal. How can someone with such special powers come to him and speak honestly?
"Taoists pay attention to doing something without doing anything. Confucian scholars talk about benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom and trust, but that is not the case for poor monks and other Buddhas. Causes and effects are good and evil, there is no sign, and the heart is unhindered. They only care about the suffering of all living beings. May the world be unified.
Heading towards the Western Paradise.
What I seek from Your Majesty today is not a place to live, but the good of all living beings. If the poor monk and Your Majesty create good causes today, they will surely bear good results the next day."
"Hey, who can tell clearly about good and evil? If the monk goes to the Western Paradise next day, can you take a look at it for me? Are the people living there the most kind people?"
The old monk blinked his eyes a few times, probably thinking that these words were very unlucky, but his answer was still so clever, "Buddha illuminates thousands of worlds, and whoever has good thoughts in his heart will never find a paradise. Your Majesty, you are impressed."
For example, if a poor monk can preside over the White Horse Temple, that will be my paradise."
Li Po didn't have any sense of self-consciousness, and he was not interested in the monk's method of spiritual victory. Huh, who can't say that the peace of mind is my hometown? But how many of them can really do it?
"Since it's a matter of sowing melons, sowing beans, and reaping beans, I promise you that it's okay. I just hope that the monks won't lie to me. If the White Horse Temple gets a bad reputation, don't blame me for cutting down the mountain and destroying the temple, causing other monks to suffer.
.”
The old monk lowered his head and clasped his palms together, "I would like to thank Your Majesty, poor monk."
Li Po restrained his smile and said, "Let's not thank you for now. Monks practice Zen and teach Buddhism and guide people to do good. I won't stop you. I will also give you food and clothing."
White Horse Temple... The reconstruction of the White Horse Temple will be decided by the Luoyang government. I will grant you a hundred acres of fertile land for the monks to cultivate. The tax will be similar to that of the common people. The monks will not find it harsh, right? Or maybe it will disturb the monks from studying the scriptures.
pleasure?"
Collecting taxes from monks? This is asking for money from the Buddha... The old monk finally raised his head in surprise, but when he met the emperor's majestic and scrutinizing eyes, he immediately understood that this matter could not be violated.
"Your Majesty gave it to me, and the poor monk dare not refuse it."
Li Po nodded and added: "With the temple property, it is enough for the monks to live. We can also send some money and food to the temple every month to prevent the harvest from being poor and the monks starving to death."
But Henan is in ruins and the people are homeless. People have just lived a peaceful life for a few days and have little savings. The monks are not allowed to accept any offerings from the people. If they violate the prohibition, they will be severely punished according to the law.
Also, I have personally given you the title of abbot of White Horse Temple, so you should no longer call it Tiantai Sect or Fahua Sect. I have also heard of some Buddhist sects. There are many factions and there are many meaningless disputes.
Since you are in Luoyang, you must think about the people of Luoyang and even Henan. From now on, Baima Temple will be the authentic sect of Luoyang. If the monks in the temple call themselves a sect, they will be disrespectful to the Buddha and may be expelled."
The old monk was really shocked this time. He was able to pick up some tricks and talk about human nature and philosophical things. The Buddha taught the Dharma and described the lotus flower blooming from his mouth.
What it actually means is that Buddhist disciples are very eloquent and will never be at a disadvantage in a verbal dispute.
But when it comes to policy-related practical matters, how can a monk who spends all day chanting sutras in the temple and is full of fantasy know anything about it? Unless he has been an official before.
The old monk couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, why...the sect is basically nothing to the poor monk..."
Li Po shook his head and said perfunctorily: "We are all people who worship Buddha, how can we still have sectarian views? We have gathered together to form a sect, and there are many people and strength. What do we want to do?"
The White Horse Temple is my sanction, so we have to make three chapters of the law. It cannot become a place outside the law like in the past. Is this true, the monk said?"
The old monk finally realized that he seemed to have come to the wrong place this time.
The first one involves Buddhist temple property. The property of each temple comes from donations from various parties. The bigger the temple, the richer it is. In the past, they did not have to pay taxes.
They are Buddhist disciples, and they only need to be responsible to the Buddha. They do have the meaning of being outside the law. All kinds of civil service, military conscription and other matters have nothing to do with the monks.
A long time ago, there was no need to worry about this, because most of the monks had no fixed abodes and no property. They were people who had left their nationality and lived by alms, just like refugees.
Later, the government gradually put some control over them and asked them to record their monk status. When they settled in any temple, they had to sign up for identification.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many temples were built. Many monks no longer advocated asceticism and gathered in temples to enjoy blessings. For example, if the founder of the Fa Hua Sect, Monk Zhiyi, could have written so many Buddhist works if he came to beg for alms.
?
In the words of later generations, only people from wealthy families can have the leisure to think about philosophical issues...
As the temple's property increased, the monks became more lazy and imitated the nobility, hiring people to plow their fields without having to pay taxes, and living a happy life...