Buddhism, originally founded in India, has become an important part of traditional Chinese culture, and buddhism's connection with traditional Chinese culture was completed in the Heluo region.
1. The Founding of Buddhism
The founder of Buddhism was Gautama Siddhartha, born in ancient India in the Kapilava Acropolis (about the border area of present-day India and Nepal), he was a member of the Shakya people, and after becoming a Buddha, he was revered as "Shakyamuni", that is, the sakya people or saints. The so-called "enlightenment" means to attain enlightenment, and Shakyamuni was also revered as a Buddha, that is, an enlightened person, after enlightenment. Shakyamuni lived around 566-486 BC, corresponding to the late Spring and Autumn period in China, at about the same time as Confucius. Born into the Chatili caste, he was the crown prince of the Kapilava kingdom of Jingyi, and was educated as an aristocrat from the upper class as a teenager. When Shakyamuni was sixteen years old, he married and had a son, the daughter of King Kyabjen. But he was not satisfied with this life of abundance and contentment, but often meditated and explored the path to liberation from the sufferings of the world. He became a monk at the age of 29 and joined the ranks of ascetics.
After six years of asceticism, he did not find the path to liberation, which made him realize that asceticism was useless. So he went to bathe in the Niren Zen River, received the milk offered by the shepherd, and came to Gaya (present-day Bodh Gaya) alone, sat under the Bipala tree (later called the Bodhi tree), and meditated. After seven days and seven nights, I finally realized the truth of the "Four Noble Truths." This signifies that he has truly attained enlightenment, and from then on he has become a Buddha. The Buddha found five of his former attendants in Luyeyuan and spread the Dharma to them, known as the "First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma." Since then, the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha have been sufficient, and Buddhism has been officially established.
From then until the Buddha's death, he was engaged in missionary activities. Among the Buddha's disciples, the male disciples of the monastic family are called bhikkhus and the female disciples are called bhikshunis; the male disciples at home are called WuPosoga, and the female disciples are called Wu Bosga, which are collectively called the four disciples. The Buddha often traveled back and forth between the bamboo forest ashram outside the magadha king's house and the Gion ashram in the acropolis of the Kusaro state house, and the Vulture Mountain south of the king's house was also a place where the Buddha often spoke to his disciples. The Buddha eventually died on his missionary journey in Naga. After the Buddha's death, he was cremated, and the relics he left behind were distributed to various places for worship. Chinese Buddhism takes the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar as the Buddha's birthday, the eighth day of the first month of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar as the Buddha's enlightenment day, and the fifteenth day of the second month of the lunar calendar as the Buddha's nirvana day.
After the Buddha's death, five hundred of his disciples, led by Mahakaya, gathered together the Buddha's life's words and teachings in the Qiye Cave outside the city of Wangshe. The sutras are recited by Ananda, the Vinaya by Upanishads, and the discourses are recited by Mahakashya. At the same time, there is another group of people who have gathered different classics. Later, 110 years after the Buddha's death, 235 years, and about 400 years later, there were three more gatherings.
Second, the introduction and fall of Buddhism
More than a hundred years after its founding, Buddhism split and entered the "period of tribal Buddhism." First, because of the difference in the understanding of doctrine and precepts, it split into two schools, the "Theravada" and the "Popular", and later evolved into a multitude of sects. Around the first century AD, Mahayana Buddhism arose. There are two great schools of Mahayana Buddhism in India, namely the Madhyamaka school pioneered by Nagarjuna and his disciple Devas, and the yogic school pioneered by the Brothers of the Mujah and The Lineage. Beginning in the time of Ashoka in the third century BC, through King Gagisa, Indian Buddhism began to spread outward and became a world religion. Among them, the Buddhism introduced to the Han areas of China and Korea, Vietnam, Japan and other countries is mainly Mahayana Buddhism, called Northern Buddhism, or Han Buddhism. The Buddhism that came to Southeast Asian countries was mainly Hinayana Buddhism, known as Southern Buddhism. The Buddhism that was introduced to Tibet and Mongolia in China is called Tibetan Buddhism. In India, it began to decline from the seventh century AD, began to be invaded by Islam in the late tenth century, and in the early thirteenth century, the burning of the Chaoyan Temple marked the demise of Indian Buddhism. The revival of modern Indian Buddhism was revived from Sri Lanka at the end of the nineteenth century.
Today, Buddhism, which was born in India, has become an important part of traditional Chinese culture. The connection between Buddhism and Chinese culture was completed during the Qin and Han dynasties, and the White Horse Riding Sutra during the Han Ming Emperor period can be regarded as a landmark event for the introduction of Buddhism to China.
There are many theories in the academic community about the introduction of Buddhism. Some people think that Buddhism was introduced to China in the time of Qin Shi Huang, some people think that the introduction of Buddhism was completed at the time of the Qin and Han Dynasties, and some people think that the introduction of Buddhism was introduced in the last years of the Western Han Dynasty. Among them, the idea that Buddhism was introduced to China in the late Western Han Dynasty has also been supported by some literature. The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Shu, Karasuma Xianbei Dongyi Biography No. 30 Pei Songzhi's commentary on the Wei Liu Xi Rong Biography mentions that when the Han Emperor was in the Han Dynasty, there were people from the Western Regions who introduced Buddhism to China: "In the first year of the first year of the emperor's life, qin Jinglu, a disciple of the doctor, was dictated by Yi Cun, the king of the Great Moon Clan, and heard about it in Middle-earth, and did not believe it. [1] It seems that it was just an unsuccessful incoming.
It is also believed that there were other ways in which Buddhism was introduced in addition to the traditional Silk Roads. Some believe that Buddhism was first introduced to China from the Maritime Silk Road. It is also believed that the introduction of Buddhism passed through Burma and reached the southwest region of China.
All of the above statements have a certain truth. The introduction of Buddhism should not have been done at a specific time, at a specific place. In contrast to these claims, the traditional "White Horse Riding Sutra" is more widely accepted and can be seen as a landmark event in the introduction of Buddhism to China.
The earliest documentary record of the "White Horse Riding Classic" is Yuan Hong's Later Han Dynasty of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which originated from a dream of Emperor Hanming: "The First Emperor dreamed that the Jin people grew up, and Xiang had sun and moonlight to ask the courtiers. Or: 'There is a god in the West, whose name is Buddha, whose form grows.' What does His Majesty dream of? So he sent the envoy Tianzhu to ask him about his Taoist skills, and he drew his image in China. ”[2]
Later, in Wei Shu Shi Laozhi, there is a more detailed record: "Later Emperor Xiaoming dreamed of a golden man at night, with a white light on the top, flying in the palace, and visiting the group of courtiers." Fu Yi began with the Buddha. Emperor Shulang Zhongcai, doctoral disciple Qin Jing, and other envoys to Tianzhu wrote the futu relics. He was still in Luoyang with Shamen Shumo and Zhu Falundong. China has the method of sand gate and bowing down, and since then it has also been. He also obtained the Forty-two Chapters of the Buddhist Scriptures and the statue of Shakya. Emperor Ming ordered the painting of the Buddha statue, placed on the Qingliang Terrace and the Xianjie Mausoleum, and hung it in the Lantai Stone Room. Huan Zhi also came with a white horse negative scripture, and Han yin established the White Horse Temple in Yongguanxi, Los Angeles. Mo Tan and Fa Lan Xian died at this temple. ”[3]
Emperor Ming's emissaries arrived in the Western Regions, saw two Tianzhu monks, and invited them to Luoyang. Accompanying the two senior monks to Luoyang was the Buddhist scripture "Forty-two Chapters Sutra", which was returned on a white horse. In order to settle the two monks and place these Buddhist scriptures, the Han Ming Emperor built the first official temple in the west of Luoyang City, and in order to commemorate the White Horse Riding Sutra, the temple was named the White Horse Temple. In today's White Horse Temple, there are also the tombs of Semoteng and Zhu Fa Lan. The Buddhist scripture "Forty-two Chapters" has also been preserved intact to this day, and according to Liang Qichao's research, the "Forty-two Chapters Sutra" was not translated according to the original texts, but an excerpt and compilation of various Buddhist scriptures. It expounds the basic teachings of Buddhism and the path to liberation.
The story of the White Horse Riding Sutra is relatively speaking, with a certain divine opposite nature. In modern times, scholars have questioned this statement. From a rational point of view, it is indeed difficult for people to accept this kind of mythical legend. But the truth of history is one thing, and the memory of history is another. Although this statement may have been made up by someone at first. However, at least from the time of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, people have begun to regard this matter as a historical fact. For the next 1,000 or 2,000 years, Buddhists saw the White Horse Sutra as the starting point of Chinese Buddhism. The White Horse Temple also has a very lofty status in the Chinese Buddhist community, and is revered as the ancestral court, known as the source of Shi.
The story of the White Horse Riding Sutra may be a legend, but it is true that Buddhism in the Eastern Han Dynasty completed its introduction. It was in the Eastern Han Dynasty that Buddhism had caught the attention of the supreme rulers. Buddhism first spread among the princes and nobles when it first entered China. It was only natural that Buddhism came to China and first entered the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the earliest Buddhist temples were built under the arrangement of the emperor. What is good on the top will be worse for the bottom. The princes and nobles naturally became the first people to come into contact with Buddhism.
It is recorded in the records that Liu Ying, the brother of Emperor Ming of Han and the King of Chu, became the first person to worship the Buddha, and it is recorded in the Book of Later Han that Liu Ying "was more fond of Huang Laoxue in the late festival, fasting and sacrificing for the floating tu". In the eighth year of Yongping (65 AD), the Han Ming Emperor decreed that the death row prisoners in the world could pay a silk to atone for their sins. Liu Ying, the king of Chu, sent people to Xiangguo to pay for thirty horses of Huang Qibai to atone for his sins: "Entrusted to the auxiliary, the accumulation of evil, the joy and grace, and the gift of silk to atone for his sins." After Emperor Hanming knew about it, he issued an edict commending Liu Ying for the buddha's behavior and returning Liu Ying's veil for Liu Ying to use to provide for the monks and nuns: "The King of Chu recited the whispers of Huang Lao. The Shrine of Shangfu TuzhiRen. Fasting in March. Swear by God. Why doubt? When there is remorse! It was also redeemed to help the feast of Ipsai and Sangmen. ”[4]
By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Huan of Han became the first emperor to record the ritual buddha. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty records that Emperor Huan of Han "erected the ancestral hall of Huang Laofutu in the palace". At that time, a minister named Xiang Kai wrote a letter criticizing Emperor Huan of Han, who believed that the emperor of Han Huan, who was extremely poor and extravagant, was not qualified to sacrifice FuTu, and he said: "This way is pure, noble and inactive, good life, evil killing, provincial desire, and luxury." Now His Majesty is lustful not to go, and if he kills and punishes him, and if he obeys his way, will he be rewarded? Or it is said that Lao Tzu entered Yidi as a floating tu. Floating tu is not three-legged mulberry, does not want to live for a long time, and is refined to the extreme. The gods bequeathed a good daughter, and the floating tu said: "This Dange sac is full of blood." 'He who does not expect it, but who keeps oneness, can become enlightened.' Now His Majesty's adulterous woman, the beauty of the world, the sweetness and beauty of the drink, the taste of the single world, why do you want to be like Huang Laohu? ”[5]
From the above two examples, we can know that Buddhism has begun to become popular in the Eastern Han Dynasty, from the emperors down to the princes, there are believers. Moreover, in the edicts of Emperor Hanming, buddhist vocabulary has been used very skillfully, "Upasai" refers to nuns, and "Sangmen" refers to monks. This also shows that during the time of emperor Ming of Han, there were already monks in China. In his letter to Emperor Huan of Han, Xiang Kai can see that Xiang Kai already has a certain understanding of the teachings of Buddhism, and the basic buddhist concepts of good life, evil killing, introspection, and extravagance have been widely accepted by people. Some stories about the Buddha also began to circulate widely.
However, at the same time, we also noticed that at that time, people's understanding of Buddhism was still relatively superficial, often Huang Lao and FuTu were called together, but Buddhism was regarded as a kind of alchemy. It is also easy to understand that when a foreign religion enters people's field of vision, people first look for ways to understand and understand it from the local cultural resources. Later, during the Wei and Jin dynasties, people's acceptance of Buddhist theories was initially borrowed heavily from metaphysical terms, which later generations called "Geyi".
By the time of the Han Ling Emperor, some people began to study Buddhist theories, and the first Buddhist theoretical work" appeared, "Mouzi Theory of Confusion". Regarding who Muzi is, there is a slight controversy in the academic circles, some people say that it is Taiwei Mou Rong, some people say that it is Cangwu Taishou Mouzibo, and some people say that Mouzi and his person are not subject to detail. Putting aside all this, judging from the book itself, it is likely that the pretext is just to avoid disasters. It is recorded in the book that MouZi himself has been active in the Luoyang area for a long time.
In the Treatise on the Confusion of Muzi, Mouzi explains the doubts and attacks on Buddhism, pointing out that "The Buddha is the ancestor of morality and the patriarch of the gods." [6] In the book, Mouzi explains Buddhist theories in the form of questions and answers. He not only pointed out the difference between Buddhism and the Immortal Alchemy, but also clearly explained the difference between Buddhism and Confucianism, and even made it clear that Confucianism was inferior to Buddha. The Theory of Mouzi Theory reflects the initial understanding of Buddhism at that time, and is an important document for understanding the situation of the initial transmission of Buddhism to China and studying the formation and development of Buddhism in China.
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the translation of Buddhist scriptures was also carried out one after another. As early as the time of Emperor Ming of Han, after the high monks Temita and Zhu Falan came to China, they also brought Buddhist scriptures and translated them, which is the Forty-two Chapters Sutra. The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra is the first Chinese Buddhist sutra. The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra consists of forty-two passages that expound the basic teachings of early Buddhism. The text is relatively simple, and the reason is not very profound. In general, its teachings should belong to Theravada Buddhism. However, the Sanskrit version of the Forty-Two Chapters sutra was not found in India, so some people suspected that it was a pseudo-scripture. Liang Qichao believes that this is not a pseudo-sutra, it can be seen as an excerpt from the Indian Buddhist scriptures.
During the reign of Emperor Huan of Han, An Shigao and Zhilou Jiachen came to Luoyang one after another, and they translated a large number of Buddhist scriptures, laying a solid documentary foundation for the development of Buddhism in later generations. It is said that Ansei Takamoto was the son of the Prince of Rest, and after his father's death, he gave way to his uncle and took the opportunity to become a monk. During the reign of Emperor Huan of Han, he came to Luoyang and stayed in China for twenty years. He translated thirty-nine Hinayana texts, including the Four Noble Truths Sutra and the Noble Eightfold Path Sutra. Ansergao not only translated a large number of Buddhist texts, but also his beautiful writing and fluent language pioneered the tradition of "paraphrasing" in the translation of Buddhist scriptures.
Zhi lou jia tan, abbreviated as zhi yue, was a member of the Ōtsuki clan. According to the Records of the Three Treasures, Zhi Lou also came to Luoyang during the reign of Emperor Huan of Han. Zhi Lou Jiachen was very knowledgeable and intelligent. After coming to Luoyang, he quickly mastered the Chinese language, not only to speak, but also quickly master the written expression of the Chinese language. He successively translated thirteen Mahayana texts, such as the Tao Xing Prajnaparamita Sutra, and his translation adopted a "literal translation" method, and the text was extremely simple. The arrival of the Jalokya sutra made Mahayana Buddhism known to the world. After a large number of Buddhist scriptures were translated into Chinese, people could further understand the essential teachings of Buddhism and laid the foundation for the rapid development of Buddhism in the later Wei and Jin dynasties.
After Buddhism was introduced to China, only Luoyang initially built the White Horse Temple. Later, Buddhist temples sprung up everywhere. For example, during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, JingRong intercepted the taxes of the three counties of Guangling, Xiapi, and Pengcheng, and in the area of Xuzhou, "the temple of the floating tu was raised, and the gold plate was accumulated, and the lower was a heavy building." And the hall is back every week, which can accommodate about 3,000 people. Painted in gold, dressed in brocade". He also often held Buddhist festivals, "Every time the Buddha is bathed, there are many drinks and meals, and the seats are set up on the road." It has food and spectators, and more than 10,000 people." [7] Xuzhou is thousands of miles away from Luoyang, and there are Buddhist temples of this scale, which can be seen elsewhere.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the reason why Buddhism was able to gain a foothold in China and develop further was reflected in the following aspects:
First, at the beginning of the introduction of Buddhism, it successfully relied on the development of Huang Lao's Taoism, and both religious forms and catechism were closely related to the primitive Taoism of the Two Han Dynasties. As mentioned earlier, at the beginning of the introduction of Buddhism, people often juxtaposed Futu with Huanglao. In this process, not only did people have fewer doubts and conflicts about foreign religions, but also Buddhism could be more quickly accepted.
Second, it caters to Chinese Confucianism in doctrine. After all, after two or four hundred years of development, Confucianism has become the core of traditional Chinese cultural ideology. When Buddhism first came into its infancy, it did not attempt to challenge this position of Confucianism. Instead, they also tried to explain some of the Buddhist principles with some Confucian concepts.
Third, it is conducive to the rulers to maintain their rule. In the authoritarian and centralized society of ancient China for more than two thousand years, the development of culture did not need to rely on political protection. Thus, all cultures that cannot serve the ruling class and cannot serve as an instrument of the ruling class to maintain its rule are among those who are being attacked. On the contrary, any culture that can help the ruling class to maintain its rule is supported and encouraged. After Buddhism was introduced to China, it formed a strong complementarity with Confucianism. In particular, buddhist concepts of "three lives" and hell have become binding guarantees for maintaining the confucian ethics.
Fourth, the broad masses of people in the midst of political darkness also need the spiritual comfort of Buddhism. Soon after the introduction of Buddhism to China, the Eastern Han Dynasty fell into the darkness of a long period of alternating dictatorship between foreign relatives and eunuchs, especially in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and the political darkness reached the extreme. The darkness and corruption of politics is a breeding ground for religious generation. Because people can't see hope, it is reasonable to say that good people are good at repaying, but the reality is "straight as a string, dead side, curved like a hook, anti-feudal marquis" [8] When the reality of society cannot be explained by normal earthly principles, it can only be explained by the illusory kingdom of heaven. After Buddhism was introduced to China, not only did the concept of "three lives" explain why people are unequal in real life, but also the Buddhist concept of the paradise world also made people living in the depths of the water see hope and make them see the possibility of their own liberation. Although this liberation is in the distant world of Elysium, it can always give them a little reason to live in the darkness. For different classes of people, the role of religion is different.
Fifth, doctrinal ceremonies are also suitable for China's national conditions. Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, there has been a tradition of polytheistic worship in Chinese society. After entering the Two Han Dynasties, polytheistic worship further developed, and some were incorporated into the national sacrifice system by the government. The teachings of Buddhism also reflect a certain degree of polytheistic worship, not only Elysium has a large number of gods, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats. Even Shakyamuni Buddha himself underwent a process of becoming a man and a god. This is also in line with the characteristics of the belief in Chinese gods and Buddhas since the pre-Qin Dynasty.
Sixth, relatively speaking, there was still a certain degree of proselytizing freedom during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although the cultural autocracy system of the Eastern Han Dynasty has been formed, it has not yet been able to achieve complete cultural autocracy compared with later generations, which provides space for the introduction of Buddhism. In later generations, the government often had a special agency for the management of religion. The spread of any religion is under the close surveillance of the government. On the contrary, after the introduction of Buddhism, the Eastern Han government did not interfere too much.
Generally speaking, the Eastern Han Dynasty was the development stage of Buddhism taking root in China, and in this stage, the Luoyang area was the core area of Buddhist development. The development of Buddhism in the Luoyang area during the Eastern Han Dynasty laid a solid foundation for the further popularization and development of Buddhism in later generations.
Iii. The Development of Buddhism in the Heluo Region during the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties
It is rumored that some people were already monks during the time of Emperor Ming of Han. But there was not enough evidence for that, and at that time the so-called monasticism was only to practice from the teacher and shave. According to records, the real monks in China were in the Three Kingdoms period, in 250 AD, when Tan Ke Jia Luo formally established the altar of ordination at the White Horse Monastery in Luoyang, and China began to have bhikkhus who followed the law. The first Han Chinese monk in the strict sense was Zhu Shixing of Yingchuan.
The Wei and Jin dynasties were a period of rapid development of Buddhism. The flourishing of Buddhism in the Northern Wei Dynasty can be seen in the Luoyang Jialan Chronicle, when there were 1367 temples in Luoyang City. Among them, Yongning Temple is the most brilliant. The Yongning Temple Pagoda was built in the first year of Xiping (516), and Yang Lizhi's "Luoyang Jialan Record" recounts that the Yongning Temple Pagoda is a wooden structure, nine stories high, and can be seen from a hundred miles away. According to other records, the tower was forty-nine or more than forty meters high, and it is 136. About 71 meters, plus the height of the pagoda is about 147 meters, which is one of the greatest stupas in ancient China. The Yongning Pagoda was later destroyed by a heavenly fire, and now the base of the Yongning Pagoda has been discovered by the archaeological department, not far southeast of today's White Horse Temple.
Not only that, but various Buddhist activities are also unprecedented. For example, the "walking elephant" in Luoyang City. Legend has it that the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni, was born on the eighth day of the first month of April, and the "Biography of the Dharma Manifesto" and the "Nanhai Transmission" record: The Buddha was born from the right flank of his mother on the night of April 8th, and after Shakya's death, posterity hated not being able to see the true face, so every year on this day, the Buddha was born, or the statue of the prince patrolling the city, carrying a car, circling the city and beyond, and the audience worshipped and prayed, called "walking elephants", to express their reverence for the Buddha.
This custom also existed during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and according to the Luoyang Jialan Chronicle, before the elephant was performed, all the statues of the Beijing master were gathered at the Jingming Temple, with a total of more than a thousand bodies. Along with the elephant travel, a grand religious celebration is also held. Luoyang Jialan Ji Vol. 1 "Changqiu Temple" Tiao Ji Temple has a "six-toothed white elephant negative Shakya statue", like when it came out, "swallowing the sword and spitting out the fire, and tengjun side." The edge of the building on the rope, strange and unusual, strange costumes, crown family city. Like a place to stop, the viewer is like a block. There are often dead people." [9] Volume II "Zongsheng Temple" Tiaoji Temple has a statue of a body three feet high and eight feet high, "this image is out, the city is empty, the fire is brilliant, and the unique table is unique." Magic tricks and miscellaneous music, less than Liu Teng. Joto shinu, many come to this temple to watch also." [10] On the day of the elephant, more than a thousand torsos entered the Xuanyang Gate in turn, and before coming to the imperial palace, the emperor scattered flowers on the gate tower to pay homage.
The reason why Buddhism in the Central Plains during the Northern Wei Dynasty was able to develop so greatly was due to the following two points:
First, a large number of believers joined. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Central Plains were the most intensive areas of war, and the people lived in deep waters and could not see hope, but could only seek liberation in Buddhism. It was the conversion of a large number of people that gave a solid foundation for the development of Buddhism. Compared with the continuous theoretical innovation of Southern Dynasty Buddhism, Buddhism in the Central Plains paid more attention to practice. Buddhism in the Jiangnan region has obvious aristocratic overtones, while Buddhism in the Central Plains has a very obvious popular nature. Relatively speaking, Buddhism in the Jiangnan region is manifested in the upper echelons, while Buddhism in the Central Plains is popularized among the people.
Second, the flourishing of Buddhism is, of course, inseparable from the advocacy and support of the rulers. Recognizing the important role of Buddhism in maintaining their ruling order, the rulers began to transform Buddhism into an important instrument of rule, and the government directly gave Buddhism the task of "patrolling the people and educating", "applying folklore", and appeasing the people. Some important Buddhists are also often involved in political life. At the same time, the government also strengthened its control over Buddhism, appointing monks to manage Buddhist affairs and support the development of Buddhism. For example, in August of the first year of emperor Xiaowen's reign (476), at Yongning Temple, "there were more than 100 monks and nuns in the Good Family, and the emperor shaved his hair, and gave monkly orders to take monastic ordination." In the sixteenth year of Taihe (492), he also ordered that "on April 8 and July 15, listen to one hundred monks and nuns in the great state, fifty in the middle state, and twenty in the lower state, thinking that it is normal, and writing the order." The monks were also under the administration of the government, and in the tenth year of Taihe (486), because of "foolishness and luck, pretending to be humane, in order to avoid losing lessons",[11] ordered strict clearances, dismissed undocumented monks and nuns, and ordered the local monastery masters Veena to conduct an examination and cancel the monastic status of anyone who did not meet the conditions. In the second year of Xiping (517), the imperial court once again reaffirmed its control over the monks. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the government came forward several times to formulate the "monk ban". In the seventeenth year of Taihe (493), Emperor Xiaowen also personally ordered the Shamen tong monks to establish the forty-seven articles of the monastic system.
At the same time, Buddhism also took the initiative to move closer to the rulers. According to Indian Buddhist customs, shaman monasticism, disrespectful to the worldly, whether emperors or parents, do not worship. Therefore, it is clear that the monks worship the king are not in line with The Buddhist teachings. In order to reconcile this contradiction, Fa Guo, the first supreme monk of the Northern Wei Dynasty, put forward the statement that Emperor Daowu of Wei "that is, if it is today, Shamen should be full of courtesy", and he also explained to people, "I am not worshipping the Son of Heaven, but the ear of the Buddha"! [12]
After experiencing the rapid development of the Wei and Jin dynasties, Buddhism finally ushered in the peak of its development in the Tang Dynasty. As one of the political and economic centers of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Luoyang was also a place where Buddhism flourished. Especially during the Wu Zetian period, this was even more so, when she was still an empress, she donated her own fat powder money to repair the Great Buddha of Lushena. In the process of ascending the throne and becoming emperor, Buddhism provided her with theoretical support, and it became a natural thing for Wu Zetian to vigorously support Buddhism. She once built a magnificent paradise in Luoyang as a place for her to worship the Buddha. It was in this historical context that The Sui and Tang dynasties began to emerge as Sinicized Buddhist sects.
4. Zen Buddhism and Shaolin
There are many foreign religions that have spread to China in history, but many religions are like meteors that cross the sky, gradually disappearing in the long river of history and have not been able to survive. Buddhism, on the other hand, not only survived in China, but also flourished in China. For the popularization of Buddhism in China, the Dutch scholar Xu Lihe once wrote a book called "Buddhism Conquers China". In fact, it was not Buddhism that conquered China, but China that conquered Buddhism. An important reason why Buddhism can survive in China is that Buddhism has achieved Sinicization. The symbol of the sinification of Buddhism is the emergence of some Sinicized Buddhist sects. These sinicized Buddhist sects were conceived in the late Southern and Northern Dynasties and flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Zen Buddhism is the most typical representative of this.
Meditation is a way to practice becoming a Buddha. "Zen" is the abbreviation of the Buddhist "Zena", a transliteration of sanskrit. There are also those who translate it as "renunciation of evil" or "jungle of merit". It translates to "mindful practice" or "meditation" and is a Buddhist method of practice. Buddhists believe that meditation plays a key role in the whole process from "mortal" to "becoming a Buddha", without which "mortals" cannot achieve the state of "becoming a Buddha". In the late Southern and Northern Dynasties, some Buddhist sects began to advocate meditation, emphasizing the need for dual cultivation of wisdom and wisdom.
Referring to the origins of Zen Buddhism, Zen Buddhism itself says that its origin can be traced directly back to the Buddha himself. According to the Sutra on the Determination of the Buddha by the Great Brahma King, once the Buddha spoke at Lingshan, he did not say a word, but held a golden pineapple flower, and the Mahakaya leaf heart would break his face and smile. So the Buddha declared, "I have the Dharma Eye Treasure, the Nirvana Mind, the Reality Without Phase, the Subtle Dharma, the Imposition of Words, the Teachings of the Outside World, and the Instructions to the Mahakashya." [13] Zen Buddhism was also taught outside the hindu world in India until the appearance of the twenty-eighth generation of the patriarch Bodhidharma.
Bodhidharma is said to be the third son of King Nantian Zhuxiang. He came to southern China in the seventh year of Xiao Liang's reign (526 AD) and came to Jiankang the following year to meet Xiao Yan, the Emperor of Liangwu. However, Dharma did not agree with Emperor Liangwu's claims, and he did not agree with Emperor Liangwu's claim of overhauling merit. So "a reed crossing the river" came to the north, that is, he folded a reed and stepped on it to cross the Yangtze River, and settled in the Shaolin Temple in the winter of that year. Therefore, the Shaolin Temple is also known as the ancestral court of Zen Buddhism. It is said that Dharma was on the wall of the Shaolin Temple for nine years, and during the Republic of China, the warlord Shi Yousan burned the Shaolin Temple, and the stone was also burned. Legend has it that Dharma later passed away in his 150s, but of course these stories have too many legendary elements. Dharma's teachings focus on "teaching people peace of mind by looking at the wall." Dharma is the first ancestor of Zen Buddhism in Middle-earth. According to legend, he was later buried in the Kongxiang Temple in Shaanxi County.
Dharma is said to have faced the wall at the Shaolin Temple, which did not attract the attention of the monks at first. Later, a monk named Shen Guang came to the Shaolin Temple and asked Dharma for zen teachings. However, Dharma did not pay attention to him, but blindly continued to face the wall. It wasn't until it snowed heavily in winter, and the divine light stood outside Dharma's house all night, and the snow did not reach his knees, that Dharma began to talk to him, and Dharma told him that only by doing difficult things, he could only become a Buddha. So Shenguang quietly cut off his left arm, and Dharma took him as an apprentice and changed his name to Huike, who was the second ancestor of Zen Buddhism. The Lixue Pavilion in the Shaolin Temple is said to commemorate the second ancestor Huike.
In Chinese history, the development of Zen Buddhism can be divided into four periods. From Dharma's entry into China to the Six Patriarchs Huineng is the beginning of Zen Buddhism, known as early Zen Buddhism. From the six ancestors huineng to the five sects and seven schools, this is the development period of Zen Buddhism, which is about the late Tang Dynasty to the early Southern Song Dynasty. Since the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty, The Linji Sect of Linji advocated "Talking Head Zen", and Cao Dongzong Hongzhi Zhengjue advocated "Silent Illumination Zen", as for the middle and late Ming Dynasty, this is the mature period of Zen Buddhism, which can also be called the middle Zen Buddhism. As for the rise of Pure Land Buddhism in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Zen Buddhism was gradually not needed by society, and it was the decline period of Zen Buddhism, also known as late Zen Buddhism. In modern times, another monk Huiyun has strongly advocated the revival of Zen Buddhism.
Pan Guiming said in "Chinese Buddhism": "Indian Buddhism only has Zen buddhism and no Zen Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism is purely a product of Chinese Buddhism. Its real founder is Huineng. [14] Since it began with Dharma and was transmitted to Huineng through Huike, Sangha, Daoxin, and Hongnin, Huineng is known as the Six Ancestors of Zen Buddhism. It is said that Hirohito wanted to pass on the Dharma and ask the monks in the temple to express their opinions. The Theravada disciple Shen Xiuzuo said, "The body is like a Bodhi tree, and the heart is like a mirror platform." Always wipe diligently, do not cause dust. But Huineng, who was illiterate, asked others to help him write a poem: "Bodhi has no tree, and there is no platform for Spiegel." Originally there is nothing, where to stir up dust? [15] The song was greatly appreciated by Hirohito, so he passed it on as a mantle and asked him to flee to the south overnight. Later, Huineng spread Zen Buddhism to the south and officially became a monk in Guangzhou. Huineng advocated epiphany, which was summed up by later generations as "putting down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the ground." His claims were recorded, also known as the Six Ancestral Tantras. Huineng's claims are more easily accepted by people, so they are revered as Zen orthodoxy.
Zen Buddhism also later diverged, with the Nanyue Huai Rang lineage dividing into the Yang Sect and the Linji Sect. The Qingyuan Xingsi lineage was divided into the Cao Dong Sect, the Yunmen Sect, and the Dharma Eye Sect. Later, Emperor Jizong divided the Huanglong and Yang qi factions. So they are called the "Five Houses and Seven Sects".
Zen Buddhism advocates not writing, but pointing directly to the human heart, and seeing nature to become a Buddha. So Zen Buddhism does not advocate chanting the Buddha, nor does it need to study the Dharma, or even become a monk. Zen Buddhism offers cheaper, direct tickets to heaven, which is naturally very popular. As Mr. Li Zehou summed up, one of the characteristics of Chinese culture can be summarized as "music culture". Therefore, asceticism does not meet the taste of Chinese. Chinese also do not like too abstract thinking, like to accept more specific image thinking. Therefore, the public cases and fighting machines proposed by Zen Buddhism are also more suitable for the tastes of scholars. As a result, Zen Buddhism was widely spread, especially after the tang wuzong destroyed the Buddha, and the other schools collapsed, while Zen Buddhism flourished.
V. The Influence of Buddhism on Heluo Culture
Although Buddhism is a foreign religion, after nearly two thousand years of digestion and absorption, Buddhism has successfully achieved transformation and become an important part of traditional Chinese culture. The Heluo area is an important area for the development of Buddhism, so it has also left a lot of Buddhist imprints in the Heluo culture. The influence of Buddhism on Heluo culture is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
(1) The influence of Buddhism on ideology and culture
As a representative of Indian culture, Buddhism has a strong speculative color. The ancient Chinese ideological and cultural tradition represented by Confucianism does not pay much attention to the precision of speculation and the rigor of logic. Confucius put forward Confucian ethical claims, but they did not argue for it. By the Han Dynasty, Han Confucianism, represented by Dong Zhongshu, began to try to use "heaven" as the foundation of Confucian ethics. With the decline of theology, this attempt was not entirely successful. The arrival of Buddhism has obviously filled such a gap. Although many Confucian scholars have passionately opposed the rapid development of Buddhism, in fact, they have been more or less influenced by Buddhism and have absorbed some beneficial theories from Buddhism. Later, the emergence and development of rigaku was largely due to the introduction of Buddhism. For example, Hua Yanzong had a huge influence on Cheng Zhu Lixue. Lu Wangxin, on the other hand, has a distinct Zen overtones.
As for the influence of Buddhism on Taoism, it is more comprehensive. Whether it is religious theory, order organization, religious ceremonies, puritanical precepts, religious architecture, etc., Buddhism has had a huge impact on Taoism. I won't go into it all here.
Of course, Buddhism has also fully absorbed the content of Confucianism and Taoism, and realized the transformation from a foreign religion to a local religion. Finally, an ideological and cultural system closely integrated with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism was formed.
(ii) The influence of Buddhism on traditional politics
In ancient Chinese society, political influence was everywhere. And the development of any ideology and religion will also be influenced by politics. Similarly, these ideas and religions also affect the operation of traditional politics to a certain extent.
Soon after Buddhism came to China, it began to take the upper route, and the early Buddhists included Liu Ying, the younger brother of Emperor Ming of Han, and later Emperor Huan of Han. China's rulers also saw the value of Buddhism in maintaining their rule, and they hoped to achieve the goal of eliminating rebellion from the invisible by promoting Buddhism. The development of Buddhism in China, except for a few setbacks, which is often referred to as the "three martial arts and one sect" dharma difficulty, was supported by the rulers. Successive rulers have regarded Buddhism as an important tool for maintaining the ruling order, and even looked from Buddhism to find theoretical bases favorable to their political strategies. For example, Wu Zetian is to Buddhism. At the same time, Buddhism was also controlled by the rulers, who always hoped to bring Buddhism into the orbit of their rulers. Therefore, the rulers never gave up on the transformation of Buddhism.
(3) The influence of Buddhism on traditional arts
The influence of Buddhism in the field of traditional Chinese art is very extensive. As far as literature is concerned, the influence of Buddhism is everywhere. No one can count how many poems, operas, and novels are related to Buddhism. Not only the content, but also the influence of Buddhism in terms of the development of literature is also enormous. For example, the emergence of Vinaya was first of all due to the development of phonology, and the development of Chinese phonology was closely related to the ancient Indian declarative science that accompanied Buddhism. The emergence of Song and Yuan novels also has a great relationship with Buddhist folklore.
The influence of Buddhism on chinese painting art is also enormous. Buddhism emphasized painting as an important means of propaganda, leaving many famous murals on the road of The spread of Buddhism. After Buddhism entered China, there were also many painting masters, such as Wu Daozi, a native of Henan, who created a large number of Buddhist murals. Chinese the development of object painting has also fully absorbed and borrowed from the Buddhist painting art, such as "Cao Yi Out of the Water", "Wu Belt Dangfeng" and so on. Both the content and the artistic conception of Buddhist painting have an influence on Chinese literati painting.
The influence of Buddhist sculpture on traditional Chinese sculpture is also well known to the world. After the introduction of Buddhism, there were people who "took copper as a person, painted gold on their bodies, and clothed with brocade." [16] The gold and bronze seated Buddha statue of the Later Zhao Jianwu Four Years (338) in the San Francisco City Museum is currently known to have the earliest Buddha statue with a clear date in China. In addition to the single statue, later also the wind of cave statues. Luoyang Longmen Grottoes have become a world cultural heritage, and the Longmen Grottoes have reached the peak of ancient Chinese grotto statue art. And the Lushena Buddha has become the cultural business card of Luoyang City today. Others include Anyang Wanfogou, Gongyi Grottoes Temple, Luoyang Shuiquan Grottoes, etc. are also national cultural relics protection units.
(4) The influence of Buddhism on folk beliefs
As a religion, it is not enough to stay in the middle of the cultural elite, and it is an important reason for Buddhism to flourish forever. Since the Tang Dynasty, the theoretical innovation of Buddhism has basically stopped, but Buddhism is still developing, mainly because of the support of folk believers. Buddhism also had an important impact on folk beliefs.
Buddhist deities have become the object of folk beliefs, worship, and even have entered the family. Many families invite Buddhas, bodhisattvas, etc. into their homes to make offerings. In particular, guanyin statues are more popular. Buddhist deities have also become the primary object of people's prayers, and once they encounter some difficulties and disasters, they all put "bodhisattva blessings" on their lips, and the gods produced in China have been snubbed. Concepts such as three lives and hell have also penetrated deeply into the people, becoming people's basic beliefs, and even to a large extent becoming an important binding guarantee for the maintenance of the Confucian concept of loyalty and filial piety in the folk. Since Kong Meng, he has been advocating people's moral self-consciousness. However, ordinary people clearly do not reach the level of moral self-awareness. Thus, hell, reincarnation, karma, etc., have become the guarantees for ordinary people to obey the ethics of loyalty and filial piety. Some of the precepts of Buddhism are also accepted by many people and consciously observed in their lives. Many lay people eat fasting all year round. Buddhism has also had an important influence on folklore, such as The Laba Porridge is widely accepted, and the Obon Society on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is also a local temple fair in many places. After Buddhism penetrated deep into the folk, many secret folk religions were formed, such as the White Lotus Sect, which obviously has the imprint of Buddhism.
[1] Chen Shou: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, vol. 30. Zhonghua Bookstore, 1959 edition, p. 859.
[2] Yuan Hong, The Later Han Dynasty, vol. 10, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 2002, p. 187.
[3] Wei Shu: Book of Wei, vol. 114, Shi Laozhi, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1974, p. 3026.
[4] Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han Dynasty, 42 Biographies of the Ten Kings of Guangwu, Beijing: Zhonghua Bookstore, 1965, p. 1428.
[5] Fan Ye: The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, vol. 30, "Biography of Lang Yanxiang Kai lie", Zhonghua Bookstore, 1965 edition, p. 1082.
[6] Sangyou: The Collected Works of Hongming, Vol. 1, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2011 edition, p. 15.
[7] Fan Ye: Book of the Later Han Dynasty, vol. 73, Biography of Liu Yu Gongsun Zan Tao Qianlie. Zhonghua Bookstore, 1965 edition, p. 2368.
[8] Sima Biao's Book of continuation of the Han Dynasty, Vol. 13, Five Elements and One, in The Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Zhonghua Bookstore 1965 edition, p. 3281.
[9] Yang Yong's Writings, Yang Yong's Notes: Luoyang Jialan Notes, Vol. 1, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2006, p. 44.
[10] Yang Yong's Writings, Yang Yong's Notes: Luoyang Jialan Notes, Vol. II, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2006 edition, p. 76.
[11] Wei Shu: Book of Wei, vol. 114 Shi Laozhi. Zhonghua Bookstore 1974 edition, p. 3039.
[12] Wei Shu: Book of Wei, vol. 114 Shi Laozhi. Zhonghua Bookstore, 1974 edition, p. 3031.
[13] Pu Ji, Su Yuanlei Dian School: Five Lantern Society Yuan, Vol. 1. Zhonghua Bookstore, 1984 edition, p. 10.
[14] Pan Guiming, Buddhism in China, Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1997, p. 85.
[15] Mr. Guo Shaolin's book Ancient Chinese Religions points out that Huineng's poems are two: "Bodhi has no tree, and Spiegel is not a platform." The Dharma is always pure, where it stirs up dust" and "The body is a Bodhi tree, and the mind is a mirror platform." The mirror is pure, where to stir up dust.". After the Song Dynasty, it was changed to the current appearance. Hefei: Anhui Normal University Press, 2012, p. 33.
[16] Chen Shou: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. IV, Liu Xuan, Tai Shi Ci, and Shi Ye Biography. Zhonghua Bookstore 1959 edition, p. 1185.