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Manichaeism was founded in Persia and its ancestors were Manichaeans. Manichaeism was introduced to China in the first year of the reign of Wuhou (694). Manichaeism lasted more than 400 years from its founding in the 3rd century to the first year of the Tang Dynasty, and it has long been widely spread in the Western Regions.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > Manichaean glory moment in China</h1>
Since the Han Dynasty, the Central Plains and the Western Regions have had frequent contacts, merchants, monks, envoys exchanged with each other, and a large number of Westerners settled in the Central Plains, Manichaeism has probably spread in the Central Plains, but it is found in the historical records of the first year of the Extension (694).
Volume 39 of Song Shi Zhipan's "Records of the Buddha" records: "In the first year of the extension, the Persian people were born many times and came to the dynasty with the two sects of false religion. The "Two Classics" in the Erzhu Sutra refer to light and darkness, good and evil, the core of Manichaean teachings. Manichaeism was used by the Tang rulers as soon as it was introduced to the Central Plains, and Wu Zetian used Manichaeism, a foreign religion, as a religious weapon to attack traditional Chinese Confucianism, in order to maintain his rule.
Therefore, Wu Zetian openly recognized the legal status of Manichaeism and made it spread rapidly in the Central Plains. Later Manichaeans saw that Buddhism was the most popular among the various religions at that time, and Thathyism and Buddhism had similarities in content, so they pretended that Tomanicism was one of the Buddhist sects, and they absorbed many Buddhist terms and quoted a large number of Buddhist texts, which led to a sharp increase in the number of believers.
In the twentieth year of the new century (732), Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered the prohibition of the spread of Manichaeism. Volume 40 of Du You's General Code records:
"In july of the twentieth year of the new century, the last Mani was originally a heretical view, falsely called Buddhism, and deceived Li Yuan, and it was advisable to strictly prohibit it. With its Xihu and others are the township law, they should be themselves, and they do not need to be punished. ”
This edict decreed that the prohibition of Manichaeism was mainly for the Central Plains people, but it was not forbidden for the People of the Western Regions to practice Manichaeism.
In the fourteenth year (755) of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's Tianbao, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Emperor Xuanzong fled west, Emperor Suzong succeeded to the throne, and used the Western Regions Hui hui troops to quell the rebellion. In the first year of Baoying (762), the Hui army conquered Luoyang, and the Hui Khan had more contact with manichaean missionaries and began to like Manichaeism, so he invited four Manichaean masters to go back to preach and enshrine it as the state religion, so Manichaeism soon spread in Hui territory, and then reached the point where everyone believed.
Prior to this, Manichaeism was freely spread in the Central Plains, but did not establish its own monasteries. However, since the Uighurs returned Manichaeism, the Hui began to blackmail the declining Tang government to establish Manichaean monasteries in the Central Plains.
Book 41 of the Chronicles of the Buddha records that:
"(In the third year of the Gregorian calendar) the Great Cloud Guangming Temple was built by the Hui Hui to worship the late nuns." The Dayun Guangming Temple was built in the capital city of Chang'an, but the specific address cannot be verified. The Uighurs also demanded the construction of Manichaean monasteries throughout the country. Book 41 of the Book of the Buddha has a cloud: "Hui Hui please place the Great Cloud Guangming Temple in Jing, Yang, Hong, Yue and other states." ”
Volume 19 of the Tang Hui Zhi also records:
"The Uighur Khan ordered the Ming monks to enter the Fa Tang Dynasty, and on June 29 of the third year of the Gregorian calendar, he gave uighur Mani a temple for it, and gave him the title of Great Cloud of Light. In the first month of the sixth year, jing, hong, yue and other prefectures were given, and each set up a great cloud guangming temple. ”
In the fifth year of Emperor Wenzong of Tang's reign (840), the Uighurs broke the Uighurs and killed their khans, and the remnants of the Uighurs moved west. The decline of the Uighurs deprived Manichaeans of the interior of their refuge, and Emperor Wuzong of Tang ordered the prohibition of Manichaeism in the third year (843), confiscating monastic property, and expelling the missionaries.
According to Volume 49 of the Tang Huijiao:
"Three years of Huichang Edict, Mani Temple, Zhuang Mansion, Money and Things, and Commission meritorious envoys, as well as the Imperial Official's Platform, Jingzhao Fu Sent Officials Inspection Point, repaired merit in the mansion outside the capital, and tightened the crown belt. The Manichaean Temple committee Zhongshu Menxia Article is sparsely heard. ”
According to Book 217 of the New Book of Tang:
"Commandments of the Uighur camp meritorious envoys, in the erjing people with the crown of the crown, there is a si to receive Mani out of the elephant burned in the Tao, the official of the bourgeoisie."
Book 42 of the Book of the Buddha records that:
"Three years after huichang, the temple of the end of the world and the abolition of the order. Seventy female nuns in the capital died. In the exile of the Hui, most of the dead are dead. ”
In the 110 years from the 20th year of the new century to the third year of Huichang (732-843), Manichaeism was passed back to the Uighurs, so that the Tang rulers accepted Manichaeism and allowed the establishment of monasteries in the capital and Jiangnan, so that Manichaeism could quickly break through the Chang'an region and spread to the whole country, until it declined in the interior during the "Huichang Dharma Difficulty".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="58" >2, from Manichaeism to Mingism</h1>
In the fifth year of Tang Huichang (845), Tang Wuzong destroyed Buddhism, and Manichaeism was banned by the authorities, and since then it has been transferred to the folk and gradually evolved into a secret religion. Manichaeism was first used as a secret religion by the people to rebel against official tyranny for five generations.
According to the Chronicle of the Buddha:
"In the sixth year of Liang Zhenming, Chen Zhou's late Nun gathered a crowd to rebel, and established mother B as the son of heaven. The imperial court sent troops to capture him. His disciples do not ru meat wine, gather obscenity at night, paint the devil king sitting, buddha as a foot washing, cloud Buddha stop Mahayana, I am superior. ”
The same is recorded in the History of the Old Five Dynasties. This can be said to be a proof that Manichaeism as a folk religion was believed by the lower classes and used against the government.
Since the transfer of Manichaeism to the people, it has been mixed with Elements of Buddhism and Taoism, and was called Mingjiao in the Five Dynasties. Manichaeism's activity area during the Song Dynasty was mainly in the south, especially in the two Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
The Chronicle of the Buddha quotes Hongmai's YijianZhi as describing Manichaeism:
"Taste the "Yi Jianzhi" cloud, eat vegetables and demons, and the Three Mountains (Fujian) are particularly blazing." The leader of the purple hat and wide shirt, the woman black crown and white dress, called the Ming Church. "Its sutra name is two sects and three worlds." Two sects, light and dark also. The Three Worlds, past, future, present also. ”
From Hong Mai's notes, we can see that manichaeism in the Song Dynasty, also known as Mingjiao, was centered on Fujian and incorporated into the content of Taoism and Buddhism, but still preserved its original teachings, which is the theory of two sects and three worlds. The second is light and darkness, and the third is the primary, middle, and after the world, that is, the past, present, and future.
The greatest obstacle to the introduction of Manichaeism to China was Buddhism. Buddhism had established itself as an authentic religion at this time, and could not tolerate the emergence of religious sects that contradicted its teachings, so Buddhism called Manichaeism a cult. There is a difference between Mo and the devil, but since then in the eyes of the official or Buddhists, Manichaeism has become a demon, entered a state of secrecy, and can no longer preach the scriptures in society in a just and bright way.
Although Manichaeism is known as the Devil Religion and is ashamed of the Orthodox Church under the heavens, the number of believers in the Song Dynasty is increasing, and "the Manichaean believers in China gradually organized their own churches, inherited the sect style, and revived in the Southern Song Dynasty."
The prosperity of the Southern Song Dynasty demon religion was not limited to Fujian, but also expanded to the two Zhejiang Provinces, according to Li Xinchuan's "Records of the Year since Jianyan": "In the two Zhejiang Prefectures, there is a custom of the devil. ”
Before the Fang La Uprising, the Demon Sect had "built a house in the village where it lived, and called it zhaitang", at that time, the law was still wide, the Demon Sect was not too powerful, and after the Fang La Uprising, the official government restricted it severely, but the Demon Sect was more prosperous.
Those who do evil deeds", in every township or village, have one or two demons, called the devil's head, and admit the surnames and names of the villages, and they are in harmony with the alliance and the party of the devil." All the devils do not eat meat and the family has a problem, and the people of the same party contribute to each other's relief. If you don't eat meat, you will save money, so it is easy to be enough."
The demons mentioned here are not necessarily Manichaeans in the strict sense of the word, but they are most likely a variant of Manichaeism. Regarding Mingjiao, Lu You has a detailed record:
"There are those who have learned the left Way in Fujian, which is called the Ming Sect, and there are also the Ming Sect Scriptures, and there are many engraved copies, and after taking the official title of the Tibetan Lieutenant Colonel in vain, they will burn frankincense, and the food will be red mushrooms, so both things are precious." To the sons of the Sect of Scholars, the multitude said to themselves, and today they went to the Ming Sect to fast.
Yu Yu said, "Why swim with this demon?" Then he said, "Otherwise, there is no one else between men and women who are demons, and those who do not teach men and women are enlightened." '”
Judging from the above materials, the Ming Sect formed by the Song Dynasty, especially the Southern Song Dynasty, Manichaeism and Manichaeism to join Buddhism was very powerful, and it absorbed people from all walks of life to participate, not only scholars, but also the vast number of peasants were deeply believed, but the upper level of Mingism was mostly the intellectual class, and the lower level was the poor peasants. The Fang La uprising was actually a peasant uprising led by the lower classes of the Ming Sect.
The Ming Sect was very powerful in the two Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, and from the literature, it seems that there is no unified religious organization and a religious leader to lead. The Ming christians in various places acted only according to their cultural knowledge and the degree of understanding of the Teachings of the Ming Sect. The general peasants' understanding of the doctrine is more popular, and in this way, Fang La calls for "Oh Vegetable Matter Demon", and the reason for this is very clear. Therefore, we can say that the "devil" that Fang La is doing does refer to the Ming Religion, not to other folk religions.
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