Chapter 17 How can this be known?

Chapter 17 How can this be known?

Chapter 17 How can this be known?

Yuan Lang's pretentious attitude was directed at the air, and he looked a little embarrassed.

His impression of Pei Yuan has always been average.

At first I thought this guy was a complete waste, but after Han Qianhu saw through his talent and pointed it out, I thought he was a scam.

As for now, it’s even more disappointing.

Han Qianhu saw this, chuckled, and asked Yuan Lang, "How are your preparations going?"

Yuan Lang replied sullenly, "I checked and found that a general named Zhao Jiuming had just finished a mission. He has eight good fighters who can follow me south."

Han Qianhu responded and said, "The person behind Mei Qiniang is most likely the witch. That person is very evil. You should take a few monks with you."

Yuan Lang asked in confusion, "It's troublesome to bring those monks with you on the road, why not wait until I return to Nanzhili and make arrangements. There are plenty of useful people there."

Captain Han did not reply.

After a long while, Yuan Lang saw that Han Qianhu was still silent and was about to withdraw his plan.

Then Han Qianhu said calmly, "We still have to send people from the capital. In recent years, the emperor has been worshipping Buddhism. Not only the concubines and eunuchs in the harem, but also many civil officials and nobles have followed suit."

"What is our work?"

"We secretly spy on temples and Taoist temples to investigate evil cults. Openly, we are responsible for issuing orders to temples, supervising the monks' business, and taking charge of the tax collection."

"Those Buddhist sects are gradually gaining power and have colluded with many powerful people. How could they like us, the Taoist priests who are oppressing them?"

"If we don't take advantage of it now while we still have the strength to do so, once they get used to it, we won't be able to control them anymore."

After hearing this, Yuan Lang immediately understood Captain Han's idea and said solemnly.

"I understand... From now on, if there is trouble in the south, I will ask the temples in the north to send people. If there is trouble in the north, I will ask the temples in the south to send people."

Pei Yuan listened attentively from the side, and he understood a little bit why Cheng Zhihu was so domineering.

Although Buddhism expanded rapidly in the Ming Dynasty, its fundamental management system did not relax at all.

In other words, these behaviors, which were tolerated by the emperor, were only tacitly approved at the social level, but no institutional reform was carried out at all.

Once an emperor wanted to tighten restrictions, all this prosperity would collapse like a bubble.

In fact, according to history, Buddhism is now sprinting towards its most prosperous stage.

In a few years, a new Taoist monarch will emerge who will surpass the "Daqing Dharma King".

Its full name is, "The Great Supreme Daluo Celestial Immortal Purple Extreme Immortal Longevity Saintly Wisdom Bright Spiritual Unity Yuan Zheng Ying Yuxu General Master Five Thunders Great True Person Xuandu Realm Longevity Emperor!"

Of course, it’s not over yet.

", the Ming emperor, Zhu Houcong."

At present, to what extent is the Buddhist management system strict?

Let’s first talk about the restrictions on the temples themselves.

The restrictions on the temple itself have been clearly stated in the previous chapter, and the imperial edicts of successive emperors also clearly state them.

From a legal perspective, all the temples and monk properties that are being built everywhere are illegal buildings, and the Ming Dynasty can take them all back in one go.

Now let’s talk about the requirements for temple managers.

Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that "whenever there is a vacancy in the position of abbot of a temple or monastery, the monks and Taoist officials shall recommend someone who has good moral conduct and is familiar with the scriptures, and send him to the Monks and Taoists to be examined, and then submit a report to the Ministry of Rites for approval."

What does that mean?

In other words, if one wants to become an abbot, one must pass the public institution examinations organized by the Buddhist Records Department and the Taoist Records Department.

During the Chenghua period, further requirements were put forward for this item.

"When there is a vacancy in the abbot of a monastery that provides financial support, the monks must be nominated by the monks' office to guarantee a monk registered in the monastery, and the monks must send the guarantee to the officials for verification and approval, and then issue a certificate. It is not allowed to make false guarantees. Those who have already asked for a guarantee, even if they have a certificate, will also be investigated."

This passage means.

In order to become an abbot, in addition to taking the civil service examination, one must also provide a certificate of no criminal record. The appointment of abbots was changed from the original registration system to an examination system.

Once a criminal record is discovered, even if the person has already taken up the position, he or she will be reviewed again.

Therefore, people like Fangzheng, Xuanci, Kongwen, who often appear in Jin Yong's novels and participate in social fights, can never even think about rising to power in a proper way.

Next, there are restrictions on ordinary monks.

In the Ming Dynasty, monks were divided into three categories: Zen, lecturer, and teacher, and each was required to focus on his own profession.

Zen refers to Zen monks; Jiang refers to monks of other sects.

These two types of monks are only allowed to study Buddhism in the temple.

Teaching refers to the business department that can pray for the living and perform rituals for the dead.

In order to facilitate distinction, there are strict regulations on the color of the robes of these three types of monks.

The first two are well versed in Buddhism and are good at various high-end debates and lectures.

The latter is mediocre in Buddhism and has more contact with secular things.

——But very rich.

But the first two are the mainstream in the Buddhist structure.

As a result, the monks of the Zen and Dharma sects were somewhat broken.

They couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

——What’s wrong with the Ming Dynasty? It must be a problem with the system, damn it.

But no one from their superiors paid any attention to them, so they could only think about it in vain.

According to Zhu Yuanzhang's strict regulations, even "religious" people were not allowed to appear in secular places casually.

He also required monks not to run around the market and villages under the pretext of begging for alms.

"If there are such people, they will be captured and brought to the authorities to be punished for undermining the ancestral customs."

And since you have become a monk, just be a good monk.

If someone covets money or secretly marries a woman, everyone can "beat him and humiliate him, and ask for money. If he doesn't have money, he will be beaten to death."

In the tenth year of Yongle, Zhu Di also reiterated the Hongwu prohibitions, saying that those who do not abide by the precepts and corrupt morals will be killed without pardon!

In the seventh year of Xuande, "the prohibition of Hongwu was announced", monks were not allowed to beg for alms, and "those who violated it would be punished."

In the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign, the emperor issued a notice again, demanding that "everywhere prohibition be imposed, and those who violate it be punished according to the law" because monks and Taoists "many have corrupt ideas, do not follow the traditional customs, mix with the secular world, and damage morals."

How can the monk avoid contact with the world and not disobey the emperor's edict?
The answer is Taoist Zhenji.

According to the court regulations, almost all the temple's interactions with the outside world must be handled by Taoist Zhenji.

Even official matters such as the temple's payment of land taxes had to be handled by Taoist Zhenji.

If the ideal temple of the Ming Emperor is compared to a prison, then Taoist Zhenji is the jailer.

He is the one who, if he finds a monk breaking the prohibitions, can "beat and humiliate him", "demand money", "beat him to death without mercy", and "kill without mercy"!
In today's social atmosphere, it is all too common for monks to violate prohibitions.

The result of the Ming Dynasty emperors indulging themselves in Buddhism while reinforcing the ropes was that, although Buddhism was now flourishing, with the emperor's faith, the harem's support, and the officials' imitation, as long as these Taoists went crazy, they could use their embroidered spring swords to chop all the way from the Main Hall to the Sutra Repository.

Even if the whole process ends in a river of blood, it is still legal!
Therefore, in the novels written by people in the Ming Dynasty, when Guanyin Bodhisattva set out from Lingshan to look for someone to obtain Buddhist scriptures, she had to first register with the Taoist priest at the foot of the mountain.

It’s not that the writers in the Ming Dynasty were too crazy, but in the cognition of the people in the Ming Dynasty, this was a natural thing.

It’s just that Han Qianhu is not that kind of idiot.

The monks in the temple want to make money, and the Taoist Zhenji, who is the supervisor, also wants to make money. Aren't they working together?

(End of this chapter)