Summer is hot, and a heat wave is steaming in the air in Tokyo, but the hot season cannot stop the enthusiasm of believers. Daxiangguo Temple is still bustling with people and pilgrims gather.
After gaining Emperor Liu's understanding and obeying the legal system of the court, Buddhism quietly revived in the Han Dynasty. Their vitality was always so tenacious, and the suppression from secular imperial power only made them depressed for a few years. However,
As long as the restraints on their heads are slightly loosened, they will raise their heads again.
Although Buddhism still has strict restrictions in the current Han Dynasty, whether it is the number of Buddhist temples, the number of monks, or the temple property and monk fields, there is an insurmountable limit set, and even in Buddhist thought and theory, it is not allowed to
Without adding some content about serving the Han Dynasty and respecting Emperor Liu's rule, it can indeed be said that Buddhism has successfully survived those cold winter years.
Buddhism itself may have some suppression from the court, but it is difficult for believers to achieve real restrictions. Without deliberate suppression from powerful powers, the practice of worshiping Buddha among the people has revived again, especially in the past ten years.
When Emperor Liu and his party visited the Shaolin Temple, they once again emphasized the basic principle that religion should submit to the imperial power, but in fact they lifted some of the taboos on Buddhism and brought some long-awaited benefits to Buddhism and Taoism in the world.
The sweet rain dissipated many of the dark clouds that had long shrouded Buddhism.
At least, they no longer force laymen to command experts, and let bureaucrats who do not understand Buddhism do the work of inspecting Buddhist temples. Today's Han Dynasty, in terms of religion, advocates Buddhism and Taoism. This is what Emperor Liu has reached with these "people from outside the country"
On this basis, all other religious groups are regarded as heresies and strictly banned.
Under the will of Emperor Liu, a nationwide cleanup operation was carried out to clean up evil temples of evil gods. Especially those cults that deceive people and induce ignorant people were treated as traitors and killed.
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Of course, religion has its own connotations, and it also involves cultural traditions. It cannot be killed or exterminated. At least among the foreign barbarians, they still worship their gods, and these are not recognized by the court.
of.
It can be said that the assimilation of foreign ethnic groups implemented by the imperial court in terms of religion and culture was not very effective. It was acceptable to let them speak Chinese, wear Han clothes, and perform Han rituals, but it was difficult to let them destroy sacrifices and destroy beliefs.
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Although some tribes believe in Emperor Liu, they are still in the minority. Most people don't care who Emperor Liu is.
In the current border turmoil and ethnic conflicts of the Han Dynasty, some of the imperial court's religious measures were indeed deeply unpopular, which can also be regarded as the source of trouble.
However, Emperor Liu's attitude and will determined everything. He stubbornly advocated unification, and religious unification was also necessary in his eyes. Everything was to maintain his rule, as long as it was in his eyes
The obstacles within should also be eliminated, banned, and banned.
When they "destroyed Buddhism", they deceived people's minds and had evil intentions, which were also the reasons cited by the court. However, they had to admit that compared to those weird and heresies, Buddhist thought was still conducive to stability, and it could also be used to maintain the rule of the court.
An effective tool.
Emperor Liu also understood this truth. Times have changed and the situation has changed. Naturally, there is no need to exterminate all Buddhists like in the Qianyou era. Just like now, those enlightened monks, in addition to their own duties, are also serving in the Qintian Prison in the imperial court. He worked hard and contributed to the "religious unity" of the Han Dynasty.
During the campaign to exterminate Buddha, many temples were indeed demolished and a large number of Buddha statues were melted down, but the rest were all of the essence and had sufficient foundation. After all, according to the current regulations, in principle, in every state of the Han Dynasty, only A Buddhist temple is allowed to exist.
Because there are so few people worshiping the Buddha and offering incense, it is naturally easy to gather together. To the naked eye, this is a sign of the prosperity of the incense. Even if it is a herd mentality, it is still willing to go to the only temple.
Of course, a place like Kaifeng is obviously special, and one temple is not enough. At the same time, the most prosperous temple in the world is undoubtedly the Daxiangguo Temple located in Tokyo. The current Buddhist temple is also at the Daxiangguo Temple.
The sun was shining high, releasing heat to its heart's content. Even a little exposure would cause night sweats. Wang Yinwu walked out of the solemn gate of Daxiangguo Temple and subconsciously raised his hand to block the dazzling sunlight.
Looking back, we can see the smoke inside the temple, the crowds outside the temple, and the constant hawking sounds of the vendors relying on Xiangguo Temple. The whole scene is lively and prosperous.
However, Wang Yinwu's depressed mood has not been relieved much. Many close people have noticed that Wang Yinwu has been a little confused recently, sometimes restless, and his anxiety has even spread in Wude Division. Of course, most people subconsciously think it is because of the Hexi Eucalyptus situation.
I know that I am suffering in my heart. Wang Yinwu has been suffering for a long time because of Lu Duoxun's incident. Today I went to Xiangguo Temple to offer incense and seek fortune from Buddha.
Wang Yinwu believes in Buddhism, which is not too strange in the Han Dynasty. After all, it is not what it used to be. However, it would still be surprising that a person like him, who has dark talents and is used to conspiracy, is actually a Buddhist believer. Maybe if word spreads, it will still be surprising. .
Of course, such a situation is not uncommon. Among the upper-class dignitaries of the Han Dynasty, there are many similar people. One of the more typical exiles is Tian Qinzuo. He thinks of Buddha in his heart and holds a butcher knife in his hand. He is talking about him. Similarly, the late Hengyang Hou Zhangxun was also a ruthless character who killed many people, but he also had the habit of worshiping Buddha during his lifetime.
To say that Wang Yinwu really believes in Buddhism is not necessarily true. He is just looking for sustenance and some psychological comfort. If that day, Emperor Liu ordered him to lead the Wude Camp to level the Xiangguo Temple, I think it would be the same. There won't be any hesitation.
This visit to the temple to ask for fortune-telling was not fruitless. Although the monk who interpreted the fortune-telling was full of Zen ideas and his words were so cloudy and foggy that it made him dizzy, he still helped him make a decision.
A difficult decision! A decision with an unpredictable future.
Although it is full of risks, compared with being anxious all day long, worrying about gains and losses, waiting passively, and taking the initiative to perform, at least you can still strive for something.
To Wang Yinwu, Lu Duoxun was completely out of control. He was a wild horse that could not be comforted or persuaded. It was a time bomb that could explode at any time and could destroy him. Blast yourself to pieces.
That night, Wang Yinwu had originally made some plans to find Zhao Pu, to reveal a little bit, to remind him, and to try to make things right, but then he regretted it.
He is already very sober and can easily realize that there is no essential difference between looking for Zhao Pu and Lu Duoxun. What's more, will Zhao Pu believe him? Even if he does, I'm afraid he will still be used as a pawn.
After passing the Xiangguo Temple and his party, Wang Yinwu completely realized that for the current plan, there was only one way to find stability and survive the crisis.
But again, this is a road full of unknowns and may still be a dead end. However, Wang Yinwu no longer has many choices.
As for following Lu Duoxun all the way to the dark side, after thinking about it for the past few days, Wang Yinwu had completely given up.
There are vendors selling everything outside Xiangguo Temple. This is already a famous commercial center in Tokyo. Xiangguo Temple is also the Buddhist temple with the most commercial atmosphere in the world. Even the monks' rooms have accommodation fees and goods storage services.
Before Wang Yinwu left, he found a stall selling Buddhist beads and Buddhist ornaments. He casually picked up a string of Buddhist beads, looked at it for a while, without asking the price, put it on his wrist, dropped a silver ingot, and looked at the vendor's blank eyes.
, and left with his entourage.
Wang Yinwu did not return to Wudesi, but went straight to the imperial city. Along the way, he muttered something in his mouth, seeming to be blabbering.
If you speak out, you can hear Wang Yinwu saying: "Your Majesty, I am guilty..."
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report..."
"I beg your Majesty to punish the sin..."
"Your Majesty, minister, minister..."
The more he thought about it, the more panicked Wang Yinwu felt. This decision was indeed a bit difficult for him. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt like his scalp was numb.
Wang Yinwu went in and out of Kaifeng Imperial City as usual, but he had never been as difficult as this time. When he arrived at the Chongzheng Palace, looking at the high platform, his legs felt weak. With great difficulty, he turned around and fled.