Because the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty took measures to support and even indulge Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism, they led to the arrogance and breeding of a group of monk parasites who committed evil and consumed national wealth, which brought negative effects to society, increased social instability, and directly affected national income. The phenomenon of "bad government" of Western monks in the Yuan Dynasty was multifaceted, mainly manifested in interference in laws and political affairs, illegal acts of monks, negative economic impact and collision with the religious culture of the Central Plains.
The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty greatly revered Buddhism, especially the Tibetan monks as imperial teachers, which made the momentum of the Sakya school grow day by day. Due to the divine decree issued by the emperor, the Western monks were granted privileges beyond the scope of the law, so that the monks were above the king's law, which led to the monks constantly breaking the law; The judicial body that administers monks was once independent and conducted its own trials, which opened the door for Western monks to break the law and interfere in government affairs in the system. Because Western monks used Buddhism and Buddhist affairs to constantly interfere in and challenge the law, it caused social dissatisfaction, especially among the Confucians in the Han region, who were extremely disgusted with "fan monks".
The reason why the Western monks were able to govern was, first of all, their spiritual influence on the Yuan rulers and the royal family. Because they firmly believed in Buddhism, honored the emperor as their teacher, and gave them the ordination, they made the ruler and the concubine ordained for it and worshiped the emperor. The second volume of Tao Zongyi's "Leaving the Cultivation" received the Buddhist vows, saying that "the emperor of the Dynasty first received the Buddha's ordination nine times, and Fang Zheng Dabao." And those who are close to the attendants shall be nine or seven, and the translation is called the world, and this country is also customary. "It can be seen how important the ritual of ordination is, and it has a great spiritual impact on the khans. Due to the spiritual influence, the phenomenon of Western monastic interference in government involves many fields.
The influence on the employment of personnel in the imperial court "Liu Rong's biography" records: "Liu Rong ... Its predecessors were Qinghai people in Xining... Rong Youying is enlightened, a little longer, and likes to read. At the beginning of the Central Unification, he was recommended by the national teacher and entered the Crown Prince in the East Palace, and was ordered to be in charge of the treasury. Balance and progress. "The emperor is respected by the ruler of the Yuan, and what he thinks is good will be accepted by the emperor, and vice versa. The reason why many people want to get acquainted with Western monks is to get emperors, national masters, and mages to say a kind word to the ruler or powerful minister, intentionally or unintentionally, as a ladder to enter.
Buddhism forbids killing. The meaning of release from prisoners is to pray for the blessings and longevity of the rulers, release heavy prisoners or death prisoners to please the heavens and spirits, pray for the sick, and prolong life, which is an old Mongolian custom and a belief in Buddhism, which is advocated by imperial teachers and others, so release from prisoners has become a routine thing. However, this habit could not be combined with the spirit of the rule of law in the Han region, believing that the release of prisoners would make the judicial system unmaintainable and social stability would also be affected, so it was strongly opposed by Shi Dafu and others. It was also a factor in the loss of power of the Yuan Dynasty.
There are many reasons for releasing prisoners, including for the Buddha, for the emperor's birthday, for the royal family, and for the Western monks. And it is not limited to Buddhist festivals, but also extends to Han festivals such as the Spring Festival. There are also contradictions and prohibitions on the rulers of the released prisoners. Zhongshu Province did not approve of the release of prisoners, but the release of prisoners gradually became the custom, and the emperor, the imperial family, and ministers all hoped to prolong their lives through the release of prisoners. As a result, loopholes in the judicial system were created, which affected the integrity of political affairs, and became an important reason for the increasing decline of the Yuan Dynasty.
Western monks played an extremely important role in the political affairs and social life of the Yuan Dynasty and played an active role. But at the same time, it also brought many negative effects, including the impact on various legal systems, the waste of people's wealth, and the interference in the political affairs of the imperial court and the corruption of social customs. Officials who committed crimes could be pardoned by intercession by the emperor, causing a lot of chaos to the social order. The fact that monks break the law is actually obvious to all. Moreover, there were constantly ministers who asked the emperor for reform on this issue, or criticized the monks of the imperial court, and even had many disputes, but they were never fundamentally resolved.
Monks released prisoners in the name of Buddhist deeds, and the fairness and seriousness of the law were challenged, all of which accelerated the decline of the Yuan Dynasty to a certain extent. After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, Tibetan Buddhist activities in the court often became a negative teaching material for the Ming Dynasty. During the Yuan Dynasty, monks who worshiped Tibetan Buddhism gave great support to Western monks both in political affairs and in economic terms. The Yuan Dynasty's use of monks and the promotion of Buddhist services had a very direct impact on the cost of money.
The Yuan rulers respected all religions equally before accepting any foreign religion, and as long as their monks and priests prayed for the royal family, they were exempted from taxes and conscription in their churches and monasteries. Therefore, in order to gain the favor of the rulers, all sects rushed to pray for the royal family's blessings. During the more than 100 years of the reign of the Yuan Dynasty, Buddhist activities were held almost every year, and by the 30th year of the Yuan Dynasty, a total of 102 Buddhist activities were performed, and by the 7th year of Dade, it had reached more than 500 times. During the reign of Emperor Renzong, Buddhist activities in the court were more frequent.
The scale of the temple built in the Yuan Dynasty, the attention paid attention to, and the cost were huge that other dynasties could not match. The reasons why the rulers built the temple were: (1) to increase the beauty of the Yuan capital; (2) To pray for the royal family and the country; (3) It is used to appease Usizang and Buddhist subjects, and is also a concrete manifestation of the policy of religious restraint. After each emperor of the Yuan Dynasty came to the throne, he had to build a new temple.
Not only that, there was also a Buddhist temple within the palace. The construction of temples, the maintenance, repair, and addition of existing monasteries, as well as the establishment of large and complicated institutions, added great difficulties to the Yuan Dynasty's finances. The cost of building the temple has had many negative effects. The abuse of labor brought about by the construction of the temple and the extravagance of social customs. The construction of a large number of temples not only wasted countless national dollars, but also abused countless labor services, causing burdens on the people. There is also the tragedy of using soldiers to build temples, and inviting death because of advice to build temples. The use of soldiers to build temples has reduced their morale and may have contributed to the increasing loss of morale of soldiers. Moreover, the construction of the temple caused a popular revolt due to excessive labor, which was opposed by many ministers.
Due to the Yuan emperor's extreme belief in Buddhism, the amount of rewards for temples and monks was large and varied. Such a huge expenditure was undoubtedly a major reason for the waste of the Yuan Dynasty's treasury. The heavy burden of the state finally fell on the people, increasing the tax burden of ordinary people.
When the country was stable in the second year of Dade, according to Prime Minister Youcheng, the state had a revenue of 19,000 taels, 60,000 taels of silver, and 3.6 million spindles, but the annual expenditure was more than double the income. A large number of construction and maintenance of monasteries, imperial halls and Buddhist deeds, rewarding monasteries and senior monks, writing sutras in mud and gold, and giving tribute to Western monks have wasted people's fat and people's ointment, bringing a series of side effects.
In the maintenance, repair and addition of temples, it became a major burden on the economy of the Yuan Dynasty. During the second year of Dade's state stability, according to Prime Minister Youcheng, the state's annual income was 19,000 taels, 60,000 taels of silver, and 3.6 million spindles, but the annual expenditure was more than double the income; Not only that, the ruler's rewards for the temple were dazzling, and the social atmosphere was extravagant, which was one of the reasons for the decline of the Yuan dynasty.
Cultural exchanges developed in the Yuan Dynasty. In addition to Tibetan Buddhism, there are also Christianity, Judaism, plus native Taoism and Han Buddhism, which are rich in religious culture. As one of the foreign religions, Tibetan Buddhism mainly spreads among the Ushi, Mongolian and Fearful ethnic groups, and has little influence on the Han people. If the Mongols and Semu people in the Yuan Dynasty were ethnic groups dominated by political affairs, then the Han people were ethnic groups dominated by culture. Foreign culture did not have an important impact on Han culture, but after Tibetan Buddhism was introduced into the Central Plains, there was still a lot of collision with Han culture.
The rulers often gifted large amounts of land to the western monks, making the lords of the monasteries the owners of large estates. The large number of monks and monasteries has also led to the development of the monastic economy. The Yuan court officials accorded Tibetan Buddhist monks high treatment, and they owned a large amount of land and wealth, so the Yuan government often juxtaposed lamas and monks with rich and wealthy officials and people. It was precisely because the Western monks enjoyed privileges in all aspects, and in the eyes of the Han people, it was the ruler's excessive veneration of Buddha that led to the decline of the Yuan Central Committee.
Some literati preached that antipathy to Tibetan Buddhism and empathy for Confucianism were used as value criteria for judging the good or bad of the Yuan rulers. They hope to prove from the article that the Yuan emperors were not skeptical of Tibetan Buddhism, and thus that the rulers and Confucian intellectuals reached a consensus.
The first mention of Yang Lian Zhenjia in the "Yuan Shi Shizu Ji" was in the twenty-first year of the Yuan Dynasty. At the beginning, it was recorded that "the gold and silver treasures collected by Yang Lianzhenjiafa and the Song Tomb of Jiangnan were repaired to the Tianyi Temple". He served as the chief regent of Jiangnan Sect for more than ten years, and became a sought-after and prominent figure at that time. But the Han literati had already reached the point of hatred for Yang Lian Zhenjia's behavior. There is also a record that even the monks hated Yang Lian Zhenjia's behavior. It is said that a famous monk was famous for his freehand painting and alcoholism, and once Yang Lian Zhenjia invited him to taste a famous wine, and the famous monk not only did not drip alcohol, but shouted and called him a "robber". For Yang Lian Zhenjia's destruction of the imperial tombs of the Southern Song Dynasty, accepting bribes, and coveting beauty, etc., it is unreasonable for Han Confucians to be "heretical".
But it is worth noting that such a person who hates illness deeply has received Kublai Khan's special favor. Moreover, Yang Lian Zhenjia's son Yang Darkpu was still reused as an envoy of the Xuanzhengyuan. This special favor is no accident, in the eyes of the Mongol Khan, there is no Tibetan Buddhism south of Jianghuai, because of the arrival of Yang Lian Zhenjia, he vigorously advocated the construction of Tibetan Buddhist temples and popularized Tibetan Buddhism to Jiangnan. In the excavation of the tombs of the emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was supported by Kublai Khan, and Tibetan Buddhism had the art of disgust with victory, using Buddhism to suppress the undead of the Southern Song Dynasty, prevent the Southern Song Dynasty from reviving, and embody the authority of the new dynasty.
And for Yang Lian Zhenjia, Fa Ling could not only obtain a large number of jewels, but also gain the favor of Kublai Khan, and also establish the authority of Tibetan Buddhism in Jiangnan. All of Yang Lian Zhenjia's positive actions in Jiangnan were regarded as typical examples of the implementation of Kublai Khan's policy and were commended. It can be seen from this that the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Jiangnan is precisely due to the different views that the ideological collision occurred.
During his reign, Kublai Khan focused on religious policies, allowing various religions and sects to coexist and giving preferential treatment. However, he also has a distinction between the importance and thickness of various religious denominations, and has different degrees of preferential treatment in political affairs. This is manifested in the fact that Tibetan Buddhism is placed above various religions and sects, and has special advantages in political affairs and economy; In the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism in the "Han Land", Buddhism was favored and Taoism was suppressed. Taoism, as an indigenous religion, was valued during the time of Genghis Khan, and its power grew rapidly, which caused disputes.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Tibetan Buddhism had many collisions in the religious culture of the Central Plains, which were due to ideological differences and language barriers. As a result, Han Confucians could not accept what Tibetan Buddhism had done, and regarded them as "Hu" and "heretics." First, show the difference in thought. In terms of religious etiquette, Buddhist affairs, etc., they are not in line with the traditional Han concept of etiquette and are dissatisfied.
In the eyes of the Han people, as a monk, Yang Lian Zhenjia covets beauty and cannot tolerate it. It is relatively common for monks to drink alcohol and eat meat. The habit of drinking and eating meat by monks in the Tubo period is also related to the cold climate of the local area, and they rely on eating meat and drinking wine to ward off the cold wind. The food customs of Tubo have brought great changes to the monk customs in the Hexi region.
By the Western Xia Dynasty, the Dangxiang people ruled Hexi, and the Dangxiang people and the Tubo people lived together, and there was a saying that "about the Tubo of the Dangxia, the customs are similar". The Tubo monks changed the daily habits of the Xixia people to a certain extent. Wine has become an indispensable ingredient in the political life of the Xixia people, such as military merit rewards, banquets for ministers, and liaison with tribes; In the Western Xia period, it was also quite common for monks to drink and eat meat, and in the "Wen Hai Baoyun", there is a record that the emperor invited heavy ministers to eat wine and meat at the National Teacher's Academy, indicating that it has become a custom for Western Xia monks to drink and eat meat. Even later Hexi monks in the Yuan Dynasty gradually became customs.
The practice of monks marrying wives and having children was also very common at the time. The "Records of the Kings of Tibet" contains: "The Western Xia monk Chabada, living in Tibet, built the Angren Monastery in the north, Zi Dorji Gunpo, and Sunnan Kadipa. "Many of the Western Xia monks in the early Yuan Dynasty had families, and this custom also had an impact on the monks of the Yuan Dynasty. During the Yuan Dynasty, the monks of Hexi enjoyed the right to the first night, and the custom of marrying wives and having children was still maintained. The "Yuan Shi Shizu Ji" recorded: "Until the winter and October of the 19th Yuan Dynasty, the monks, Taoists, and Yeli Kewen who had wives and rooms in the western part of the Yuan River paid taxes with the people."
In the Yuan Dynasty, due to the prevalence of monks drinking and eating meat, marrying wives and having children, and the emperor's fanaticism in advocating Lamaism, this led to the extravagance of the life of some lama aristocratic monks. By October 28, Kublai Khan had promulgated the "Edict that Monks Are Not Allowed to Leave Wives": "Monks who have daughters-in-law, officials and sorters of Xuanzhengyuan, and repairers of every broken temple." Planting, the number of seeds, the bottom of the story. Admire this. All this shows that the life of the lamas, aristocratic monks has reached an extremely decaying level. It is also unacceptable to the culture of the Central Plains.
There is also competition and collision between Han monks and lamas, not only in doctrinal differences, but also in language barriers, Han Chinese do not understand Tibetan, and Tibetans need to learn Chinese or use translation. Not only that, but there was also an interpreter between the lamas and monks and the Mongol rulers, and the monk Garuna was ordered to discuss the scriptures with the national teacher, "the national teacher is not in the West, and the words are not compatible." But Tibetan Buddhism is similar to Mongolia's indigenous religious thought, so there are not many differences. However, there are many differences between Han Confucianism and Taoism in ideology and culture from Tibetan Buddhism, and because the language is not connected, there is less communication, so the cultural collision is more and more intense.