Buddhism since the Time of the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the White Horse Riding Sutra,
The White Horse Rides the Scriptures
It has made great progress in the land of the Central Plains. To date, Buddhism has become one of the most influential religions in our country. In the millennium from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Fifth Dynasty, Buddhism also experienced four large-scale disasters. A large number of Buddhist temples were destroyed, scriptures were burned, and monks and nuns were restored to the world. First of all, let's take a look at this first extinction of the Buddha, the Northern Wei Taiwu Emperor destroyed the Buddha.
Northern Wei Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao
Map of the Situation of the Northern Wei Dynasty
When it comes to the destruction of the Buddha by Taiwu, it is necessary to mention the two key figures involved in the taiwu extinction of the Buddha: one is Cui Hao, who was born in the Cui clan of Qinghe and the elder of the Three Dynasties of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the other is the representative figure and reformer of Taoism in the Northern Wei Period, the leader of the New Heavenly Master Dao (Northern Tianshi Dao), and the son of Feng Yi Taishou Kou Xiu, Kou Qianzhi.
Kou Qianzhi
Cui Hao
One: The eve of the extinction of the Buddha
In the first year of the Northern Wei Dynasty, in 424 AD, the expectant Kou Qianzhi walked down the Song Mountains and went north to the Wei capital Pingcheng (present-day Datong, Shanxi) to present his masterpiece, the Book of Dao, to Emperor Taiwu TuobaTao. The first dedication of Kou Qianzhi was not taken seriously, and at this time, Kou Qianzhi met a key person- Zuo Guanglu Doctor and Grand Ru Cui Hao. Kou Qianzhi and Cui Hao talked all night and listened to Cui Hao talk about ancient and modern events, and Kou Qianzhi sighed for it. This also laid the foundation for the future cooperation between the two.
Kou Qianzhi was recommended by Cui Hao, and finally got the attention of Tuoba Tao. In the early years of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Tao converted to Taoism, proclaimed himself the True Prince of Taiping, and made people worship Songshan. After that, Kou Qian went straight up to Qingyun and reached the imperial master. Taoism was once developed in the Northern Wei Dynasty. At the same time, there were many monks in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the monks did not pay taxes and did not obey military service. This made Tuoba Tao, who had always been interested in expanding his territory, very dissatisfied, which also laid the groundwork for the later large-scale extermination of Buddhism.
Two: The extinction of the Buddha begins
The 6th year of the Northern Wei Taiping Zhenjun, 445 AD. The Lushui Hu people Gai Wu launched an uprising at Xingcheng (present-day Huangling, Shaanxi). Tuoba Tao personally led a large army to conquest. When the army was stationed in Chang'an, a large number of weapons were found in a Buddhist temple. Tuoba Tao was greatly angered and ordered the monks in the temple to be killed and the temple property to be confiscated. Later, he found a huge amount of property hidden in the temple by officials of neighboring prefectures and counties in the temple, so under the advice of Cui Hao, who also hated Buddhism, Tuoba Tao ordered that the Buddhist scriptures in Chang'an City be burned, the monks in the city were killed, and the Buddha statues in the city were destroyed. Since then, Tuoba Tao has successively issued various edicts to promote the extinction of Buddhism to the whole country, and the extinction of Buddhism has officially begun!
Taiwu destroys the Buddha
Under the high pressure of Tuoba Tao, the princes and ministers, the powerful and powerful were not allowed to raise monks privately, and it was strictly forbidden to hide the things of the Buddhist Gate privately. Since then, Buddhism in the Northern Wei Dynasty has suffered a devastating blow, and history has called it "too martial arts difficult"
Three: The end of the Buddha's difficulties.
Soon after, with the death of Kou Qianzhi and the fact that Cui Hao was suspected of defying the Hu people when compiling the history of the Northern Wei state, the intensity of the extermination of Buddhism gradually decreased. In 452, Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei died, and Tuoba Tao succeeded to the throne shortly after, that is, Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei. Tuoba Tao was a firm believer in Buddhism, and immediately after succeeding to the throne, Tuoba Tao's decree to destroy Buddhism was abolished, and Buddhism was revived in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Taiwu's destruction of the Buddha seems to be an accident of history, but it is actually a historical necessity. Under the background of frequent military affairs in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the urgent need for population taxation, the impact of the Taxation of the Buddha Gate on the population of a regime could not be tolerated by any ruler, let alone the talented Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao. In essence, the extinction of Buddhism is not mainly due to religion or the personal preferences of the emperor, but more to the conflict between the mode of operation of Buddhism and the national economy.