Burning Shaolin, Yongzheng did it? The troubled times hide dirt and dirt, the prosperous times bewitch all beings, and the temple is not quiet. This sentence sounds puzzling. In history, Emperor Yongzheng did order the burning of Shaolin Temple, but how could this emperor, known as the "Lord of the Buddha", do such a decisive thing? Could it be that the Shaolin Temple really has some unknown crimes? Or is there another reason behind it? Let's trace the history together and uncover the truth of this mystery.
1. The contradiction between religion and the state
It is human nature for people to cultivate their ancestors and open up the wilderness. However, Buddhism's alternative approach to monasticism and non-marriage and childbearing was inevitably incompatible with the demographic development of an agrarian society. This is nothing less than a bane for the country's economic development.
Tracing back to the historical origin, as early as the Han Dynasty, the philosopher Fan Zhen pointed out in the "Theory of Divine Annihilation" that "Futu (Buddhism) harms the government, and Sang (monks and laypeople) are vulgar". He bitterly said, "Every family suffers from its mulberry, and everyone has no heir." As a result, the soldiers are frustrated in the middle of the line, the officials are empty in the government, the outstanding are lazy, and the goods are lost in civil engineering". It can be seen that some people of insight at that time had clearly seen the harm of Buddhism's "floating map".
Even in the Ming Dynasty, the status of Buddhism in the country did not fundamentally improve. Although Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the People's Republic of China, was born in a monastery and had a close relationship with Buddhism, after the establishment of the capital, he actually promoted Taoism, making Buddhism far inferior to Taoism in terms of courtesy. There are all kinds of signs that there is already a dark tide between Buddhism and the state.
In the Qing Dynasty, this contradiction became even more intense. In order to stabilize its rule, the Manchu regime promoted Buddhism in Mongolia. They treated the lamas well, paid them well, and preached Buddhism in an attempt to dissipate the Mongol power. Unexpectedly, this practice caused a large number of Mongolian men to become monks, not to marry and have children, and eventually caused a sharp decline in the Mongolian population. The Manchu government originally wanted to weaken the Mongols, but it inadvertently tricked itself.
Buddhism has fallen short in alleviating ethnic contradictions, and there are many obstacles in the country's population development. This is the final word of the later "burning Shaolin".
2. The dark side of Buddhism
The rise and fall of Buddhism has always been boundless with the world. Taiping is prosperous, the temple is full of incense, and the monks gather; There are many people who are traveling along the stream. During the Yongzheng period, Buddhism was decadent, full of fraudsters, and there were many dark sides.
At that time, Shaolin was famous and was the crown of the martial arts portal. It's just that in the Yongzheng period, the solemn scene in the temple has long been gone. Thieves and fugitive criminals, a large number of lurking in it, mixed among the monks. They pretend to be pious and recite scriptures during the day, and in the middle of the night, they rob homes and houses, committing fraud. There are poems and clouds, "There are a few empty seats in the Jade Steps, and the cigarettes are ethereal and ten thousand monks." Although there are not enough spring trees left, the incense treasure tree is ten thousand souls", it can be seen that the Shaolin Temple has been absurd and promiscuous.
And Shaolin is still like this, and the small temples in the mainland are even more precarious. As mentioned in the three words and two beats, Baolian Temple used to be a traitor until Wang Dayin struggled to clear it. Another example is the Tianchi Temple in Tongcheng, Anhui Province, which has almost become a nest of fugitives, and Wang Dayin has eradicated more than 200 criminal monks with the power of a hoe.
What's more, the monks used the name of Buddhism to extort money everywhere. There is a poem that praises and says, "There is no incense in the temple, and the monk returns to the lawsuit." The trick is to cheat the money, and the clouds are full of snow marks" It can be seen that his wrist is very good, and the fraud skills are extremely high. There were hundreds of monks in Wuzhen Temple in Beizhili, carrying weapons, gathering thieves, robbing the people along the road, committing murder and evil, and it was difficult to write.
Not only are the monks and laymen mixed, but even the Qing monks are not lacking in decadence and degeneration. It is reported that the abbot monk of Lingxu Temple in Ningxia actually robbed passers-by of money, imprisoned Shuse, and indulged in lust, which can be called ugly. It was not until later that he was exterminated by the Overseers. It can be seen that even Buddhist monks are difficult to stand alone.
It can be seen that Yongzheng burned the temple in the same year, and it was by no means untargeted. There are many dark sides hidden in the temple, and if they are not cleaned, they will surely cause trouble. Completely revealing the ugly face of Buddhism is the first step to clear the door.
3. The Qing monks of the Yongzheng Dynasty rectified
Faced with the ugly side of Buddhism, Emperor Yongzheng was never relentless. He was well aware of the importance of cleaning up the door style, so he issued an order to carry out a comprehensive rectification of the Buddhist gate.
First, Yongzheng ordered the monasteries that had become infamous for their scandals to be severely punished. First, he ordered all the 25 rooms at the door of Shaolin Temple to be burned down, and the monks were moved to Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and other places; Then he sent Li Wenyao, a general of the Chinese army, to lead the officers and soldiers to Ningxia to extinguish the Lingxu Temple case. The former abbot monk of this monastery robbed passers-by of money, imprisoned beautiful women for sexual indulgence, and did all kinds of evil. With the help of Li Wenyao's hoe, he completely wiped out this den.
Second, Yongzheng ordered the establishment of a nationwide monk registration system to strengthen the supervision of monks. All monks must register with the government and have proof of identity before they can stop and practice in the monastery. Once a monk violates the law and discipline, he will be immediately expelled from Buddhism. At the same time, the government will also strictly review the identities and origins of monks, and prevent suspicious people from pretending to be monks and infiltrating the monasteries.
Thirdly, Yongzheng ordered to limit the excessive construction of monasteries to prevent Buddhism from growing in the country. In his edict, he bluntly stated that "it is forbidden to build temples too much", that the people are not allowed to build temples without authorization, and that existing temples must also be strictly controlled in scale and not expanded. Curb the spread of Buddhism in China at the source and prevent its influence from expanding.
It can be said that Emperor Yongzheng's series of rectification measures are undoubtedly thunderous for Buddhism. However, from the perspective of the state, this is a necessary move to maintain social stability and eliminate the common trend. Only by thoroughly eradicating the ugly side of Buddhism and rebuilding righteousness can we conform to the great plan of national development.
Fourth, the far-reaching layout of the world's strange plots
Looking at the various practices of Yongzheng to burn Shaolin in the year, it is actually not a whim, but has a deep meaning. Behind this, there is a far-reaching layout of the Yongzheng Dynasty's grand conspiracy.
First of all, weakening the power of ethnic minorities and consolidating their rule is a major focus of Yongzheng. As we all know, the Qing Dynasty was established by the Manchus, so how to maintain the dominance of the Manchus in the Central Plains is the top priority in front of the Yongzheng people. Buddhism is prevalent in Mongolia and other regions, and supporting Buddhism is undoubtedly a shortcut to weakening the power of Mongolians and other ethnic groups. However, later Buddhism developed too violently in Mongolia, which caused a large number of Mongolian men to become monks, and the population plummeted, which was very unfavorable. This is the final word for Yongzheng to burn the temple.
Secondly, vigorously advocating agricultural culture and encouraging childbirth is also a major topic of Yongzheng. The agriculture of the country is noble and the people are prosperous, which is the foundation for maintaining the long-term peace and stability of the country. Buddhism, on the other hand, advocates that men and women do not marry and have no children, which is destined to be contrary to this. Yongzheng, as a generation of Ming Jun, naturally puts the prosperity of people in the top priority. Therefore, he repeatedly put forward the idea of "agricultural culture", encouraging the people to work diligently, not to be confused by Buddhism, and to pay attention to giving birth to offspring. It can be said that he is sympathetic to the needs of the people and quite far-sighted.
Thirdly, it is the ultimate goal of Yongzheng to promote the good and eliminate the disadvantages and maintain the long-term peace and stability of the country. He was well aware of the many disasters and troubles in the history of Buddhism, so overcoming the disasters and eliminating the followers of Buddhism could bring long-term peace and stability to the country. According to reports, Yongzheng once decreed that "the national religion should be praised, and the likes of Buddha are tantamount to demons." It can be seen that he is already wary of Buddhism. Through a series of measures such as burning Shaolin and rectifying monks, it is precisely to curb the spread of Buddhist followers in monasteries and avoid causing social unrest. This is indeed an important part of Yongzheng's philosophy of governance.
Looking at this series of practices of Yongzheng, it can be said that it is a far-sighted consideration for the long-term peace and stability of the country. Although his actions were somewhat sharp, they were undoubtedly for the sake of the long-term interests of the country and the nation, and he was by no means blindly acting in anger. This kind of wisdom in governing the country is still worthy of our reflection and reference.
Fifth, the profound lessons of history
In the Yongzheng Dynasty, Buddhism was hit hard like never before. The Shaolin Temple was burned down, the monks were severely punished, and the monk registration system was strengthened. This series of measures has undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Buddhism. But on a deeper level, it also reflects the conflict between religious and secular power.
Throughout history, the contradiction between religion and secular power has a long history. As early as the Han Dynasty, there was a philosopher Fan Zhen who bombarded Buddhism as "harmful to government and vulgar". In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang also supported Taoism and was indifferent to Buddhism. At the root of this contradiction is that religious beliefs are often at odds with worldly interests. The monks pursued a pure land and advocated non-marriage and barrenness, while the secular government longed for prosperity and prosperity. The contradiction between these two concepts is difficult to reconcile completely.
Even in the early Qing Dynasty, the Manchu regime fostered Lamaism as a stopgap measure to weaken Mongolia. But when Lamaism developed too violently in Mongolia, causing a sharp decline in the population, this contradiction finally surfaced. It can be seen that no matter how far religion develops, it is difficult to fundamentally eliminate the contradictions between religion and secular power.
In the Yongzheng Dynasty at that time, this contradiction was already white-hot. Buddhism is corrupt and degenerate, and it is a serious threat to the ruling order of the country. Therefore, Yongzheng adopted iron-fisted measures to severely suppress Buddhism in an attempt to reverse the situation. However, this practice is also the result of the contradiction between imperial autocracy and religious belief.
So, by burning Shaolin, did Yongzheng really completely eradicate this scourge? The answer seems to be no. Although Buddhism was severely damaged in the Yongzheng Dynasty, it was not completely peaceful in the following dynasties. It can be seen from this that this contradiction between secular power and religious belief is destined to be a cliché and difficult to completely resolve. Only under the premise of maintaining the rule of the country can we weigh the importance and find a relative balance point.