As a critical period in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the Jiajing Dynasty was controversial for its unique religious policies. At that time, Ming Shizong took care of Buddhism and Taoism at the beginning of his reign, but in the later period, he suddenly turned to Taoism, and there are profound reasons behind this change. The courtiers, though often admonished Sejong for his reverence, seemed powerless to reverse this trend. What was the reason for Sejong's radical turn to Taoism after a few years on the throne? What is driving this transformation? The underlying motivation behind this is gripping.
The imperial power gradually stabilized, and the emperor's selfishness was gradually revealed
In the third year of Jiajing (1524), Ming Shizong had been on the throne for several years, and after sweeping away the haze of the eunuchs and eunuch party disputes who ruled in their childhood, the imperial power gradually stabilized. Previously, in the early Ming Dynasty, the ancestors adopted the practice of taking into account the use of Buddhism and Taoism in their religious policies, but also restricting them, so as not to over-expand. However, after Sejong ascended the throne, his attitude towards religious beliefs gradually deviated from the will of his ancestors.
At first, Sejong was involved in both Buddhism and Taoism, and set up palaces such as Qitian Palace and Qingyuan Temple in the Forbidden City for monks to practice the Dharma. However, as the emperor matured, Sejong's attitude towards Buddhism began to change subtly. In December of the sixth year of Jiajing, the Ministry of Rites Shangshu Xianfu Shangshu requested the demolition of the various temples in the Jingshi, but left the Huanggu Temple as a place to settle the old and helpless monks.
However, the Huanggu Temple was built by the Xiaozong Dynasty, funded by the Empress Dowager Cishou Zhang and Sejong's biological mother, the Empress Dowager Cixiao Jiang. Under the resistance of the powerful imperial family, Sejong had to give up. It can be seen that at this time, his rejection of Buddhism had already sprouted, but he lacked the determination to act thoroughly.
During the same period, Shao Yuanjie, a Taoist priest of the Qing Palace on Longhu Mountain, won the favor of Shizong because of the "rain and snow prayer experience", and was appointed to live in Chaotian Palace to specialize in Taoist affairs, and was awarded the title of leading all the Taoist temples in the country. The mansion of Zhang Yanyu, the real person of Longhu Mountain, was destroyed by fire, and Shizong personally sent his ministers to supervise the construction and rebuild, which was very good. It can be said that he is fond of the art of the left way and is diligent in Taoist rituals.
On this occasion, the monk offered a "massage spell" in front of Sejong, but the result was a fake trick to confuse the people, and he was condemned and expelled from the palace. This incident strengthened Sejong's prejudice about the vain and uselessness of the Buddhist method. In the eighth year of Jiajing, fires in the palace were frequent, and Sejong became more and more suspicious, saying that "Buddhism's seeking blessings is a disaster". It can be seen that when his authority was not yet fully established, Sejong's attitude towards Buddhism and Taoism was still reserved, and he was unable to completely exalt himself as a family. But with the concentration of power, their selfishness and preferences are gradually revealed.
Buddhism was given a cold reception, and the prestige of Taoism was rising
In December of the sixth year of Jiajing, the Ministry of Rites Shangshu Fang Xianfu wrote to Sejong, requesting that all the nuns and monasteries in the capital be demolished, leaving only the Huanggu Temple as a place to house the family of Lao Xiang. This is an excellent fatal blow to Buddhism. Although Empress Dowager Cishou Zhang and Empress Dowager Cixiao Jiang came forward to persuade Sejong to give up for the time being, the life of Buddhism in Beijing was also precarious.
At the same time, Shao Yuanjie, a Taoist priest of the Shangqing Palace, was deeply valued by the Emperor because of the "rain and snow prayer and worship", and was moved to Chaotian Palace, leading the country's major Taoist temples and specializing in Taoist rituals. The palace of Jang Yeon-su, the real person of Longhu Mountain, was destroyed by fire, and Sejong sent his ministers to supervise the reconstruction. The spells that are so fond of Taoism are very good, and it can be said that they worship Taoism to the extreme.
In the eighth year of Jiajing, fires broke out in the inner palace for many years, and Sejong became more suspicious of Buddhism as a place where "seeking blessings and disasters turned into disasters", and further deepened his vigilance against Buddhism. At this time, after Tao Zhongwen, a famous family, Taoist priests with extraordinary Taoist attainments began to watch on Emperor Sejong.
Tao Zhongwen was taught by Song Confucianism and Zhu Zhiyu since childhood, and later learned the Tao of Longhu Mountain. In the twenty-second year of Jiajing, Zhang Wei said that Tao Zhongwen "can reach the words of Confucianism and Buddhism, and Taoism is brilliant", and Sejong then extended Tao to Beijing and wrote the "Taoist Collection Compendium" for him. Later, he invited Taoist masters such as Wang Qinruo and Wang Shouren to compile Taoist books, which were specially explained for Sejong, and Tao Zhongwen was also reused, often talking about reasoning in the palace.
It can be seen that with the estrangement of Buddhism, Sejong's favor for Taoism is increasing day by day. He favored Tao Zhongwen and other famous Confucian scholars, and spared no expense to hire them to write Taoist books, solve doubts, and personally listen to their explanations of Taoist scriptures, which were regarded as treasures. In contrast, Buddhism fell out of favor in the eyes of Sejong, and was instead regarded as a decrepit and deluded person.
In addition, Tao Zhongwen did his best to curry favor with Sejong. He slandered the courtiers for being greedy and domineering, and said that Sejong's longevity was only a hundred years, and he must follow the Taoist art of life to keep the country for a long time. Sejong was convinced of this and further loosened his faith in Buddhism.
In the thirtieth year of Jiajing, with Tao Zhongwen's further recommendation, people in the Taoist sect such as Wang Xi and Yuan Hongdao were successively recruited to Beijing, compiled Taoist books, and presided over many activities of advocating Taoism. At the same time, the Buddhist temple was severely demolished, the nuns had nowhere to stay, and the entire Buddhist sect almost existed in name only. Such a stark contrast shows how much Sejong's favor for Taoism had reached at this time.
The Great Ceremony of Zen Confession, the highest honor of Taoism
In the first month of the 32nd year of Jiajing, Sejong sent an envoy to the Confucian Mansion in Qingzhou, Shandong, to implore Confucius, a descendant of Confucius, to bring his ancestral seal and sacrificial vessels back to Beijing from Qingzhou. This is to prepare for the upcoming Zen Ceremony. After Kong arrived in Beijing, Sejong greeted him and held a banquet to entertain him. In October of the same year, Sejong was enshrined in the Forbidden City, and the ceremony was very grand.
The ceremony of sealing Zen comes from the royal important matter, and it is quite grand since the Han Dynasty. However, this Taoist canonization of Zen is far from being comparable to the old precedents of the previous dynasties. On the same day, the Forbidden City erected incense high, hung the dragon flag, and went straight from Donghua Gate to Qianqing Gate for hundreds of zhang. Every three zhang a case, incense candles, porcelain, are extremely magnificent and majestic. Emperor Sejong personally presided over it, and the people who accompanied him were Wang Shouren, Tao Zhongwen, Wang Xi and other masters of the main road.
Kong Dezeng and his eldest great-grandson Kong Zhen were placed on the crown of Confucius, sitting on the main throne and presiding over the sacrificial ceremony. On such a grand occasion, the Confucius Temple was praised to show that Sejong admired Taoism and Confucianism. At the same time, Zhang Weifen was ordered to supervise the "Feng Chan Tao Sutra" written by Wang Qinruo and other famous Taoists, which was specially read and recited, which shows that Sejong was deeply attentive to this Feng Chan ceremony.
Sejong not only built a Taoist temple named "Fengtian Chenji Palace", but also housed all the sacrificial objects at a cost of more than 300,000 taels of silver. What's even more admirable is that this scale has exceeded the sum of all Buddhist temples and palaces in the capital. The ritual utensils used that day were also newly made, costing a total of 30,000 taels of silver, which was unprecedented in the world. The monks of the forbidden Buddhist temples are not allowed to appear in the capital, and the violators will be severely punished.
Since then, at the beginning of the festival, the imperial court will follow the old practice of the Buddha and hold a grand Taoist Jiao festival in the Fengtian Chenji Palace, which far exceeds the specifications of the previous dynasty and is extremely expensive. The imperial poems and inscriptions all show the high worship of Taoism. This has been the case for many years, and the prosperity of worship and the number of ceremonies are really rare in ancient times.
Ming ancestor was an official to the cabinet before his death, and he recorded in the book "Tao Shuo": "Tao Zhongwen is a congenital mixed Yuan Dao, and he pretends to be a Taoist. He has not eaten meat dishes for many years, and there is an internal supervisor in charge of internal affairs. The major affairs of the DPRK and China are all decided in detail, although the thieves often decide on the affairs of the army. When the lord is very virtuous, the monks and Buddhas are unkempt and stomp on the ground, and the Taoist priests are dressed beautifully, and the personnel are in front of them. It can be seen that Taoism has reached such a height and standard in the court at this time.
Since then, the Taoist patriarch Lao Tzu has been revered as "Taishang Laojun" and titled "Moral Heavenly Master". Hundreds of "Five Old Palaces" have been established in the mountains of Wuyue, dedicated to the worship of Lao Tzu. Sejong even ordered civil and military officials to obey the customs of ordering orders and asking for peace, all of which came from the rules of Taoism. It can be seen that at this time in the Ming Dynasty, Taoism has reached an extremely superb status, and it is incomparable.
帝王迷恋,Taoist fusion dynasty
Throughout the middle and late Jiajing period, Sejong's fascination with Taoism had reached a point of madness, not only establishing an institution in the palace to manage Taoist affairs, but also closely linking Taoism with the national plan, trying to use Taoism to dominate the political direction of the Ming Dynasty.
As early as the 32nd year of Jiajing, King Sejong decreed in the cabinet to set up a "Taoist Museum" to specially hire Taoist people to compile Taoist books and preside over Taoist rituals. With the accession of Tao Zhongwen and others, the power of the Taoist Pavilion has expanded day by day, and it has become a special institution second only to the cabinet.
All decrees related to Taoism were drawn up by the Taoist Museum and approved by Sejong himself. For example, the appointment and dismissal of people in the Taoist sect, the establishment and abolition of Taoist temples, and the establishment of Taoist priests are all handled by the Taoist Museum. In the later period, even internal affairs had to be approved by the Taoist Academy. It can be said that Taoism has directly penetrated into the highest decision-making level of the country.
In addition to setting up a Taoist museum, Sejong frequently issued instructions to civil and military officials, ordering them to abide by various rules of Taoism. For example, every holiday, it is necessary to prepare sacrifices to say goodbye; Those who have reached the age of 60 and have not yet "lived their lives" must "live their lives" in accordance with the Taoist rituals, etc., all of which show the supreme respect of Taoism by Sejong.
In the early years, there was a lot of criticism among the government and the opposition about Sejong's Taoist superstitions. However, in the middle and late periods, under the continuous operation of the Taoist Museum and Tao Zhongwen, the opposition gradually subsided. Except for the defense of a few intellectuals such as his protégé Zhang Xuan, the rest of the ministers all obeyed their orders.
People of insight such as Zheng Yiyuan said bluntly in Shangshu: "Fall into heresy, indulge in strange arts, distinguish between good and foolish, and there is no difference between right and wrong." However, Sejong turned a deaf ear to their advice and still spared no effort to carry the Daomen, treating them as supreme treasures.
Under the vigorous support of King Sejong, Taoism gradually replaced the position of Buddhism in the government and the opposition, and blossomed everywhere. Not only famous Confucian scholars such as Wang Shouren abandoned Cheng Zhu Lixue and converted to Taoism, but even some literati and scholars also devoted themselves to it.
For example, Wu Shimeng, Cheng Zengzuo and others did their best to flatter in front of Sejong, and tried their best to praise Taoism in order to bestow high-ranking officials with important positions. And for those courtiers who openly criticized Taoism, such as Yelu Chucai, Sejong often severely condemned and denounced them.
At one time, even the political envoys and ministers were directly intervened by the people in the Taoist sect, and the selection of envoys, the standards of appointment and dismissal, and the scale of rewards and punishments were all handled by the Taoist Academy. This is an unprecedented and absurd scene in the political history of the Ming Dynasty.
What's more, almost all the power of the government has fallen into the hands of the people in the Daomen. Tao Zhongwen, Wang Xi and others can not only be directly related to military affairs, but even the affairs of thieves and military affairs often have to be tried and decided by them. Compared with Dow's domineering, Sejong is more disdainful. In this way, it can be seen how far the influence of Taoism on the politics of the Jiajing Dynasty has reached.
The worship of the Tao is gradually extreme, and disasters are frequent
As Sejong's superstition about Taoism reached its extreme, the worship of Taoism by the entire government and the opposition also showed an increasingly crazy trend. Eunuchs and ministers embraced the Daomen, trying to gain power and benefits by getting close to the Taoist priests. For a time, the status of Taoist priests in the court and the opposition was almost equal to that of the emperor.
The eunuchs were the first to embrace the Daomen. With Sejong's admiration for Taoism, they were able to gain more power and benefits by being close to the Taoist priests. In particular, Tao Zhongwen's protégé Zhang Xuan, because of his great contribution in front of Tao, was awarded the prefect of Datong, and since then he has done his best in the inner court.
For example, the eunuchs Wang Xi, Wang Fan and others were also awarded the title of eunuch leading ministers by supporting Taoism. Others, such as Su Pei, Pei Pei, Tong Zhong and others, under the guidance of Zhang Xuan, have taken control of the important positions of the Gyeonggi military horses and the household banknotes.
For a time, Taoist priests with tens of thousands of dollars in their pockets and jewels abounded. They drove luxurious sedan cars, surrounded by more than ten servants, and went in and out of the Beijing division in a noisy manner, comparable to the civil and military dignitaries.
And those ministers who were not convinced by Taoism were framed by Taoist priests and attacked by Sejong. For example, after the Cabinet University scholar Lu Liuliang reprimanded Tao Zhongwen's grotesque behavior, he was condemned by Sejong. Xu Wei and other literati were also deposed for publicly criticizing Wang Xi's madness.
In the later period, the courtiers were repeatedly framed by Taoist priests. For example, Tao Zhongwen framed the minister for being greedy and wanted to slaughter him. Sejong was convinced that he had to be severely punished. Prisoners who had completed their sentences were also falsely accused of resentment and were re-punished.
In this way, it is not difficult to see that the officialdom has completely degenerated into a Taoist chaotic dynasty. The eunuchs are powerful, the Taoist priests are high, and they are beyond the court, which can really be said to be full of strange winds up and down, and the scholars are out of control, reversing black and white.
At the same time, the worship of Taoism by the government and the opposition also reached the point of madness. In the 36th year of Jiajing, King Sejong ordered that whenever there was a disease or plague, the Taoist priests of Tao Wang and Tao should first go to the epidemic area to pray for the disaster, and then mobilize medical officials to treat it.
Tao Zhongwen and others are arrogant, and they do not hesitate to threaten that their prayers are true, but there are often times when they are powerless. Whenever this happens, it is slandered as an "official disease" and "sacrificed for slaughter". The villagers were pinched one after another, suffering from the sores and plagues, and the disaster did not follow.
The government and the opposition were chaotic, the people suffered, the eunuchs were autocratic, and Sejong also feasted, only caring about the pursuit of immortality, and surrendered all the power of the country to the Daomen, making the national government increasingly deserted and the people miserable.
Although ministers of insight such as Liu Heng and others tried their best to persuade and try to awaken Sejong, it was to no avail. Even the veteran minister Zhang Weifen was helpless against Sejong's partial behavior, so he had to make a deep sigh: "Feng Shi Zi is proud, and he is high in ten thousand times!" Who would have thought that once the fate of the law would be empty, and he would be trapped. It can be seen that the tragic situation of Taoist disasters raging in the later period of Jiajing.
end
In the end, this atmosphere of obedience was finally curbed by the new Mingshenzong during the Wanli period, and the status of Taoism plummeted and returned to its original appearance. But that's another story.