Chapter 19 Chapter 5 Taoism in the Song and Yuan Dynasties

The emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty all worshiped Taoism, among which Song Zhenzong (Zhao Heng, reigned 997-1022 AD) and Song Huizong (Zhao Ji, reigned 1100-1125 AD) were the most prominent. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Taizu did not particularly gravitate toward Taoism. He paid equal attention to Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, but in fact Buddhism was more powerful.During Song Taizu's reign, China published the first engraved and printed complete collection of Buddhist classics, the Tripitaka. Because it was carved in the Kaibao period, it is known as "Kaibaozang".Although Taizu gave preferential treatment to a few Taoists with high reputations, such as Su Chengyin, Ma Zhitong, Liu Ruozhuo, etc., his attitude towards Taoism as a whole was rather severe.In the fifth year of Kaibao (972 A.D.), Song Taizu rectified the two religions of Buddhism and Taoism, let unqualified Taoist priests return to vulgarity, and ordered that it is forbidden to teach people to enter Taoism casually, and Taoist priests are forbidden to study astronomy and astrology without permission.Probably because of the historical lessons, I am afraid that someone will use it to create political rumors, confuse people, and cause social instability.

Song Taizong Zhao Kuangyi succeeded his elder brother as the second emperor. At that time, this was not in line with the custom of passing the throne from father to son.Therefore, he has long thought of using Taoism.So he instructed the eunuch Wang Ji'en to let the Taoist priest Zhang Shouzhen fabricate a myth about "xu (xu Xu) saint" (the name of the god) descending from the world to manifest his spirit.It is said that there is a god who summoned Zhang Shouzhen from the sky, claiming to be a servant of the "Great Sage Jade Emperor", who came to the world under the order of the Jade Emperor to help the Song Dynasty.It is said that the day before Taizu's death, Zhang Shouzhen sent a message, saying that Taizu had completed the great cause of founding the country according to the command of heaven, and that the future heir to the throne should choose his younger brother.After Emperor Taizong came to the throne, he named the god "General Xusheng", and spent three years building a large-scale Shangqing Taiping Palace in Zhongnan Mountain to enshrine it.In addition to setting up a dojo to worship and pray on a certain day every year, when encountering drought or flood disasters or major political and military events, one must pray for its blessings and disaster relief.Taizong also awarded Zhang Shouzhen the title of Ziyi and Master Chongyuan, and asked him to preside over the Taiping Palace of the Shangqing Dynasty.

Taizong used this myth to publicize it, the purpose is to prove that his succession to the throne is reasonable and legal, and it is the "divine decree" of Emperor Tianyu.It is said that after the death of Emperor Taizong, "Xu Sheng" no longer appeared.Song Zhenzong was not very enthusiastic about Taoism in the first few years after he came to the throne.Every year, as a routine, "Xu Sheng" is sacrificed on time, and statues of gods are placed in the palace, but large-scale Taoist activities are not carried out.From the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (AD 1008), he actively used Taoism to serve politics.In this year, Zhenzong conspired with Prime Minister Wang Dan and Minister Wang Qinruo to compose and direct the so-called "Book of Heaven" descending farce.

At that time, Song Zhenzong had already concluded a peace treaty with Liao, and he had no intention of using troops against Liao to regain lost land, but he was afraid that the people in the country would not accept it, so he wanted to use Taoism to calm people's hearts.Therefore, in the first month of the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (AD 1008), Wang Dan, Wang Qinruo and others were summoned to the palace and spoke to them.The general idea is that the room where Zhenzong himself sleeps is surrounded by blue curtains, and it is impossible to see clearly without lighting candles during the day and night.In the middle of the night on November 27th last year, the room was suddenly full of bright lights. After a while, a man of God descended to the center of the room and told him that it would be best to build a Huanglu dojo in the main hall on the third day of the next lunar month. Three pieces of "Dazhong Xiangfu".Zhenzong did not dare to reveal the secrets of heaven, respectfully fasted and ate vegetarian according to the instructions of the gods and men, built a dojo in Chaoyuan Hall, and waited for the gods to give books for more than a month.Today, I received a report from the officials of the Imperial City Department that there was a strand of yellow silk floating down from the south corner of Zuo Chengtian Gate House, about two feet long, wrapped in something like a book, and the strokes of the words inside could be vaguely seen.This must be the heavenly book that the man of God said last year!

After hearing Zhenzong's words, Wang Dan and the others shouted long live three times, and went to Chengtianmen to take down the "Book of Heaven".It is said that the scriptures praised Zhenzong, warned him to be "quiet, simple and thrifty", and said that Zhao Song's country will be passed down from generation to generation. Zhenzong then carried out a series of sacrificial activities, and made a big show of offering sacrifices to heaven, earth and ancestors about the fact that the gods descended from heaven.He also invited civil and military officials and Liao envoys to accompany him to hold celebrations.According to the name of Tianshu, the year name was changed to "Dazhong Xiangfu".In April of this year, another "Book from Heaven" descended into the palace.In May, Zhenzong said that he dreamed that the gods and men told each other that in June there would be a "Book from Heaven" descending on Mount Tai.Due to prior arrangements, in June, a "Book from Heaven" unexpectedly descended on the Li (Li Li) Spring in Mount Tai.In the second year, Zhenzong ordered that the day when the book of heaven descended from Mount Tai was designated as the "Tiankuang [kuang] Festival", and Taoist temples should be set up to offer sacrifices and prayers, and Tianqing temples should be built all over the country.Zhenzong created and used the incident of the falling of the book of heaven, which set off a rare fanaticism for Taoism in the whole country.

In October of the fifth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (AD 1012), Zhenzong claimed that he dreamed that a man of gods conveyed the order of the Jade Emperor, asking him to wait for the audience of the ancestor of the Zhao family.It turns out that the ancestor of the Zhao family was the ancient Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor, named Zhao Xuanlang.Therefore, Zhenzong proclaimed to the world that the Yellow Emperor was respected as "the holy ancestor Shangling Gaodao Nine Heavens Commanding Life Baosheng Tianzun Great Emperor".Three years later, the Jade Emperor was respected again as "the Taishang Kaitian holding the talisman Yuli containing the real body Tao Haotian Jade Emperor Datiandi".It was also during this period that the status of the Jade Emperor rose to be the highest god in the sky.

In the Tang Dynasty, Lao Tzu was regarded as the "Holy Ancestor", and the Emperor Zhenzong regarded the Yellow Emperor as the "Holy Ancestor"; Tang Xuanzong pretended to be a god and played ghosts, claiming to dream of a god and man many times, and pretending to have obtained a "Lingbao Talisman" and changed his year name to "Tianbao". The Temple of True Talisman was established throughout the country; Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty also pretended to be a god and played ghosts, claiming to dream of gods and men many times, fabricating lies about the decline of the "Book of Heaven" and changing the year name to "Dazhong Xiangfu", and built Tianqing Temples all over the country.However, Song Zhenzong's purpose of advocating Taoism is quite different from Xuanzong's.Xuanzong was mainly pursuing longevity, while Zhenzong was for the so-called foreign protection of the country and internal security of the people.He directed a series of farces such as the fall of the "Book of Heaven" in order to deify the Zhao and Song Dynasties. Externally, he wanted to scare the rulers of the Liao Kingdom who believed in the fate of the gods, so that they would curb their aggressive ambitions; internally, it could also serve to subdue the people. effect.Therefore, he paid more attention to the traditional Taoist talisman school.This school also actively served the imperial court with the magic of fasting and offering prayers to ward off disasters and exorcise evil spirits.The sect of Taoism that values ​​personal cultivation to become immortals is not valued.

Song Huizong (reigned from 1100 to 1125 AD) was another famous Taoist emperor in the Northern Song Dynasty.Because of his fatuousness and incompetence, he has only been an emperor for more than 10 years, causing constant internal and external troubles in the country and increasing social turmoil.For the same purpose as Zhenzong, he and his minister Cai Jing, eunuchs, and Taoist priests jointly planned the farce of the coming of the gods.In November of the third year of Zhenghe (1113 A.D.), Huizong led all the civil and military officials to worship the sky in the southern suburbs.On the way, he claimed to see towers, pavilions and pavilions not far away, and asked Cai Jing's son what it was.Cai Jing's son pretended to reply that he had seen it too. These towers and pavilions were indistinctly tens of feet above the ground. clear.Huizong personally wrote an article "Revelation of the Advent of Innocence" and promulgated it to the whole country, ordering the construction of the Yingzhen Hall in the capital, and carried out the so-called activities of welcoming the arrival of the gods.

Three years later, Lin Lingsu, a Taoist priest who liked to brag and talk big, heard that Huizong claimed to have dreamed about the Shenxiao Mansion in the sky. Xiaofu.Huizong is the Shenxiao Yuqing King of the Shenxiao Mansion, also known as the Changsheng Emperor, the eldest son of the Jade Emperor.In order to save the suffering in the world, the Jade Emperor asked him to come to the world to be the emperor.Now Shenxiao Mansion is temporarily managed by his younger brother Qinghua Emperor.It also said that Cai Jing and others, as well as Lin Lingsu himself, were originally immortal officials of Shenxiao Mansion, and they came down to help Huizong govern the world.After hearing this, Huizong asked Lin Lingsu to change his original name and gave him a title.

In February of the second year (1117 A.D.), Emperor Huizong and Lin Lingsu planned to create another incident of the coming of the gods.Huizong claimed that his younger brother Qinghua Emperor came to the palace at night to bring him instructions from the Jade Emperor's father, the heavenly scriptures, etc.He ordered more than 2,000 Taoist priests to be summoned, and Lin Lingsu announced the matter to them.It was also ordered that everyone in the capital, regardless of the officials or the common people, should wear the secret talisman that was said to come from the Shenxiao Mansion.In April, Huizong also instructed Daolu Academy to enshrine himself as "Savior Daojun Emperor".Huizong's director, Tianshen Descends, didn't think it was enough, so he simply claimed that Tianshen descended to earth.

Due to Huizong's vigorous promotion, Taoism once again reached the peak of prosperity.There are many Taoist temples all over the country, and senior Taoist priests, especially those Taoist leaders, have a prominent status, and officials at all levels "meet them as guests".A large number of new Taoist scriptures came out, and the original ones were also collected and sorted out.In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the Buddhist "Tripitaka" was engraved and printed for the first time, and at this time there was the first collection of Taoist classics "Zhenghe Wanshou Taoist Collection". Later, the emperor, who claimed to be a descendant of God, was taken captive by the Kingdom of Jin and died in a foreign country. The Southern Song Dynasty learned the lesson of Huizong's advocacy of Taoism and harming the country. Although it also used Taoism to carry out some religious activities, it did not really pay attention to it.Only Song Lizong (Zhao Yun, reigned from 1224 to 1264 AD) was slightly different.He once summoned Zhang Keda, the 35th generation celestial master of Zhengdao priests, and authorized him to take charge of all religious affairs of Nanfang Zhengdao, Shangqing School (Maoshan School), Lingbao School and other Taoist schools, as well as Taoist temples that directly serve the imperial palace.Lizong also recommended the Taoist scripture "Taishang Induction Chapter" to the whole country, advocating the Taoist idea of ​​retribution for good and evil, and using it to maintain feudal ethics and consolidate his rule. "Taishang Induction Pian" is referred to as "Induction Pian", and the author may be Li Changling from the Song Dynasty.It explains the title of the book: The one who is too superior is also known as the supreme of Taoism.From this, the feeling of the other is moved, and the response of the other is answered. If good and evil move the world, there must be retribution. He also said that there are "three corpse gods" in the body, and the bad things done by this person are recorded all the time.In ancient times, the ten heavenly stems, A, B, C, D, W, Ji, G, Xin, Ren, Gui, were matched with the twelve earthly branches, that is, Zi Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. This set of things was used to calculate the date.It is said that every Gengshen Day, the god of the three corpses will go to heaven to report the records it has made; it is said that the lifespan of this person is determined by the severity of the bad things he does and the crimes he commits.This belief in "relationship between man and nature" and "retribution for good and evil" can be traced back to before the Han Dynasty in history.During the Shaoding period (1228-1233 A.D.), Song Lizong ordered the Taiyi Palace in Lin'an (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang) to engrave the "Taishang Induction Chapter" and distribute it throughout the country, which had a wide impact.This influence lasted until the Chinese society in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.This book has also spread to various parts of East Asia, and it was also reprinted and published in the Edo period of Japan (1603-1867 A.D.).