In the eighth year of the common era (527 AD), Xiao Yan, the Emperor of Liangwu, gave up his life for the first time.
There are many emperors who believe in Buddhism in history, such as the Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, but these emperors are more to let the world talk about more, and Xiao Yan is not a simple monk, he also studied Buddhism, and personally explained the "Great Nirvana Sutra". Buddhism introduced to China in the Eastern Han Dynasty entered a rapid development during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it is not surprising to see Xiao Yan's practice why Buddhist temples at that time would quickly spread throughout the north and south of the river.
At that time, there were more than 500 Buddhist temples in Jiankang (Nanjing), the capital of Southern Liang, all of which were luxuriously decorated, and the number of monks and nuns was as high as more than 100,000, and they also owned assets. At that time, there was also a phenomenon that monks had miscellaneous personnel, called "white disciples", and nuns had "adopted daughters". In fact, this has seriously affected the national development of Southern Liang, and the population of the monastery is actually almost half of the total population of Southern Liang.
Therefore, a minister wrote a letter proposing that the white disciples and adopted daughters should go home to work as farmers, so that all aspects could be developed. As a result, Xiao Yan gave the answer with his own actions: renunciation. What sub-solution is this? If he had quietly put on the monk's robes, he would have been out of the house for three days, and when he returned, he would change his era name and pardon the world.
Later, there was also a female emperor Wu Zetian, who would go to the temple every time there was a big move, such as: killing Junchen. This technique is the same as Xiao Yan's, using the power of religion to consolidate his own imperial power. However, Xiao Yan was really addicted to Buddhism, and two years later he gave up his life again, so how long did he stay this time? On the 11th day, the courtiers donated 100 million yuan, prayed to the "Three Treasures", asked for the redemption of the "Emperor Bodhisattva", and returned to the world two days later.
In the eyes of outsiders, is this emperor in the family, ah, where is such a way to play? Xiao Yan really liked to run to the monastery, and later, he became a monk again, and this time the "ransom" was also 200 million yuan. The following year, Xiao Yan became a monk for the fourth time, lived in Tongtai Temple for thirty-seven days, and on April 10, the imperial court paid 100 million yuan to redeem it. At this time, some people understood that this emperor was sending money to the Buddhist temple in disguise.
In this regard, Guo Zushen described: "There are more than 500 Buddhist temples in the capital, and they are extremely poor and magnificent. There are more than 100,000 monks and nuns, and their assets are rich. ”
In fact, the surge in the number of Buddhist believers was inseparable from the general environment at that time, and during this period of constant war and turmoil, the common people put their trust in faith. At this time, if the monarch is friendly with the Buddhist temple, it is equivalent to receiving a lot of support, among which the chip reached is not complicated, that is, money. If the national treasury is directly used to support religion, it may attract criticism from the masses, and if it is "ransom", it is another concept.
Xiao Yan's move can be described as well-intentioned. On the one hand, he tested the loyalty of his courtiers with monasticism to see if these ministers were willing to pay for him; on the other hand, he molded himself into a "bodhisattva emperor" and tried to mythologize the monarchy, which was actually something that many emperors had done, and the later Song Huizong gave himself a Taoist title: The Jade Puritan Sect Lord Subtle Daojun Emperor.
But do you really want to have such a monarch?
Once, twice, three times, the courtiers all paid for it, and the fourth time, it was the money paid by the imperial court. As a result, the "Hou Jing Rebellion" broke out the following year, and Xiao Yan died of starvation in Taicheng the following year. The stone carvings of The Tomb of Emperor Xiao Yan of Liangwu are located in the north of Sancheng Lane, Yunyang Town, Danyang City, Jiangsu Province, south of the tomb of his father Emperor Wen of Liang, and north of the mausoleum of his son Emperor Jianwen of Liang. The three mausoleums are arranged from south to north, in a straight line.
Xiao Yan actually understood very well that when he was able to ascend the throne, he relied on force, why in his later years he was so intoxicated with Buddhism, and more than once expressed his devotion, was there any other factor here besides the monarchy?
It can only be said that Xiao Yan's "entry into the drama" is too deep. The history books say that Xiao Yan could not hear any "contrarian words" in his later years, and his personality became very stubborn and closed. In the process of going in and out of the temple again and again, he was psychologically satisfied. In the court, although he was the king of a country, the courtiers could still refute him; in the temple, although he was dressed in monk's clothes, he was still the emperor, and the important thing was that no one would bother with him anymore.
At this time, Xiao Yan found a certain "resonance" in Buddhism, and he needed to "worship", which could not be achieved in the court, but it was easy in the Buddhist temple. But he also understood that if he did not have the identity of the emperor, this would not exist, so there were successive scenes of "redemption". Spectacular, every time is the price of more than 100 million, Xiao Yan is proud in his heart, but his country has also begun to falter.
Moreover, the tradition of Chinese Buddhism eating vegetarian food began with Xiao Yan. He studied buddhist scriptures very well, found a theoretical basis for vegetarianism, ordered monks to eat vegetarian food, and required monks throughout the country to do the same, including the use of vegetables for worship temples. Xiao Yan devoted a lot of energy to the study of Buddhist theory, which was actually a manifestation of a desire to control: knowing its essence could better serve himself.
It's just that the management of the state doesn't depend on some theory, and someone has to really do things. However, at this time, Xiao Yan completely ignored these things, and the fate of the country was far less important than his own feelings. Therefore, Xiao Yan's several renunciations in his later years should be interpreted as: he is seeking a balance between the inner and the outside, and he longs for the eternity of the cult of personal power.
It's just that all this is politically difficult to do, he needs to change the scene, and the rise of Buddhism just provides a space for him, and he thinks he has found a perfect choice. However, historical facts have repeatedly proved that between the state and individuals, it is often necessary to abandon one party in order to complete one party, and Xiao Yan finally chose his own hobby, so it is equivalent to giving up that throne.
Resources:
[Liangshu Benji No. 1 Emperor Wushang, Liangshu Benji No. 2 Emperor Wuzhong, Liangshu Benji No. 3 Emperor Wuxia, Zizhi Tongjian Liangji]