"Look at this field. It's not very big. It can't produce enough food to support a hundred monks."
Ma Danna pointed to the fertile fields covered with weeds below and said: "So they must rely on donations from wealthy people and donations from believers to lend money."
"Lending?"
Luo Sang couldn't help but his eyes widened, and Yang Bufan also had a look of disbelief.
"Yes, don't you know?"
Feng Yi asked curiously.
After seeing the two apprentices nodding, Feng Yi shook his head. This is the essence of Buddhism.
In the impression of many people, Buddha is generous and kind, aware of the misery of the world, and compassionate to the world. However, Buddhism is a group that relies on donations from wealthy people and believers to survive.
Because many Buddhist monks are not engaged in childbirth, so they rely on alms for food.
Even the most praised ascetics survive by relying on food donated to them by the common people.
Including the most well-known Journey to the West, didn't Tang Seng also ask his three apprentices to go from house to house to beg for alms?
In the minds of many Buddhists, almsgiving is the most normal thing.
On the other hand, as for Taoism, except for a small number of third-rate alchemists who defraud and deceive others, most Taoists rely on their ability to make a living.
They help people read Feng Shui, ward off evil spirits, catch ghosts and kill zombies. The worst thing they do is sell peace charms and ward off evil spirits. Have you ever seen any Taoist believer holding a bowl to beg for alms?
Even if it's a liar pretending to be a Taoist priest, like Mao Shanming, wouldn't the entire legal field need the help of two little ghosts to defraud money?
Many people say that Taoist priests are arrogant. For this reason, it is difficult for them to eat food that comes from outside.
Monks who take eating and drinking as a matter of course are expected to open up wasteland and cultivate land to support themselves?
It’s simply an international joke!
Even if they were working in the fields, they would use this food to make "vegetarian meals" for wealthy merchants. It was obviously very ordinary food, but they boasted that it was unique in the world and seemed to prolong life and prevent diseases and disasters.
A "benefactor" who is kind and charitable is most favored by Buddhism.
The poor always hope that Buddhism will protect them. The problem is that if you can’t provide food or clothing, why should it bless you?
However, Taoist priests never go out and seldom give lectures. On the contrary, Buddhism is quite enthusiastic about such things and publicizes them widely. It is deeply trusted and loved by the people.
In prosperous times, Buddhism flourished in the world, and Taoist priests hid alone in the mountains; in troubled times, Bodhisattvas paid no attention to matters, and Laojun carried his sword to save the vicissitudes of life.
This limerick can be widely circulated in the secular world, which is evident.
Of course, there are no absolutes in anything. There are Taoist priests who cheat and deceive, and there are monks who serve the country passionately, but the proportion is relatively rare among the total number.
In the prosperous times, Buddhism was flourishing, and many wealthy businessmen donated money and food to Buddhism. The common people also thanked the Buddha for his blessing and donated money very generously.
There is a lot of money for these incense. After ensuring the food, clothing, housing and transportation for the whole temple, there is still a lot of surplus. What should I do with the money?
Lending money!
Buy cattle and give them to poor people for use. They are rented and you need to pay taxes. If you can't pay the taxes in the event of natural or man-made disasters, I'm sorry. I'll use your family's land to pay off the debt.
Or you can lend it directly to someone who is in urgent need of money. Generally, you have to mortgage something. Once the loan is repaid, the house and land will belong to the temple.
As a result, many temples carried out land acquisitions and acquired thousands of acres of fertile land, while the common people were reduced to slaves, cultivating land for generations to pay off debts. When the temples gave them a small portion of food, they still received their gratitude.
The problem is that a lot of the money for buying cattle was donated by these people.
Using the people's money to lend to the people, the loan sharking business was very happy, making money endlessly, and the leeks were cut one after another.
"Ah, I didn't expect Buddhism to be so abominable."
Luo Sang understood and said angrily.
After Yang Bufan came to his senses, he said: "Master, in troubled times like now, the common people have no food to eat and are about to starve to death, and wealthy businessmen cannot come up with money to donate. Buddhism has no one to feed and drink, so it has declined. On the contrary, our Taoism
Killing demons everywhere, just like you, master?"
"It can't be said that the master is here for training. Most Taoist priests still choose a suitable place to be a dojo to help the surrounding people solve their problems, just like your master and Master Zhuge who just parted from us, the first male master
That's how they are."
Feng Yi explained.
"This is interesting."
Ma Danna looked at the temple and said: "It can be seen that this temple used to be very large with many monks. It was obviously deeply loved by the people. How could it become like this?"
"Sister Dana, didn't you just say that Buddhism will decline in troubled times? Do you still need to consider this?"
Yang Bufan asked with a frown.
"Let your master explain it. I think he sees it more clearly than I do."
Madonna pursed her lips and smiled.
Feng Yi didn't refuse, nodded and said: "Feifan, you still didn't observe carefully enough.
This place is located in the center outside the customs. The surroundings are peaceful and peaceful, with no evil atmosphere. It seems that there has never been a war.
If the imperial court was dissatisfied with them, these monks would at least take away the religious instruments, property, scriptures, etc. in the temple before fleeing. Even if they did not take them away, I believe the imperial court would send people to move them.
If you encounter a thief with malicious intentions, there will be no traces of fighting here, at least there will be clues around the walls, but you can see that except for natural decay, everything here is as usual.
Furthermore, even if the monks disappeared suddenly, why didn't the poor people move away the valuable things here? We just saw that whether it is beds and quilts, tables, chairs and benches, or pots, pans, ritual instruments and scriptures,
They all weathered and decayed naturally and no one took them. Why is that?
If we think about the stone tablet outside the temple that was vandalized and the inscriptions that were shoveled down out of resentment, we have reason to believe—"
Speaking of this, Feng paused for a moment, with a flash of coldness in his eyes and said: "I think something sensational must have happened in this temple.
This incident not only caused wealthy merchants to avoid it, but also the common people no longer visited the temple, and even monks from other places did not dare to settle here.
Even poor people who have no clothes to cover and have been slaves for generations don’t want to steal things from the temple for their own use!”
Sensational things related to temples?
Luo Sang and Yang Bufan both lowered their heads and fell into deep thought, while Ma Danna bit her teeth lightly, her eyes flashed, and she clenched her fists tightly.
Seeing the appearance of the three of them, Feng Yi sighed, rubbed his eyebrows and said, "Combined with the sad cry of the woman just now, perhaps the answer is self-evident."
Luo Sang and Yang Bufan were shocked when they heard this, obviously they couldn't believe their ears.
Would Buddhism, which has always been compassionate, allow such a thing to happen?
[Author's digression]: I had dinner and drinks with friends tonight... I came back late, I just finished coding.
