Chapter 38 first quarter

As the native religion of China and the most traditional Chinese cultural framework (one of the three religions), Taoism respects Lao Tzu as its ancestor, and Taoist gods also respect the Taishang Laojun (the prototype of Lao Tzu), but the Taoist school founded by Lao Tzu and what later generations call Taoism is very different.The Tao founded by Laozi is a philosophy, a school of thought, and a strategy for governing the country; Taoism is a folk religious organization. There are two kinds of the most primitive practitioners of Taoism. One is the person who presided over the activities of sacrificial activities in ancient times. Later, the Zhou ceremony collapsed. The alchemist of Bulaowan (the most famous is Xu Fu who helped Qin Shihuang go to the sea to find medicine and is suspected to be the ancestor of the Japanese).In the Eastern Han Dynasty, these two types of people tended to merge, and Fang Xiandao was fully combined with Huang Laoxue to form Taoism.

The first recognized Taoist organization was the Five Dou Rice Sect founded by Zhang Daoling in the Shuhan area.The Five Dou Rice Sect advocates longevity morally, and practices the art of self-cultivation. Its main business is alchemy. It implements a membership system, and one-time payment of Wu Dou Rice for membership.Wu Dou Mi Sect was later gradually known as Tianshi Dao or Zhengyi Sect, and was regarded as the most mainstream Taoist sect for a long time. Almost at the same time as the Five Dou Rice Sect, there was also the Taiping Taoism founded by Zhang Jiao. Unfortunately, the fundamental purpose of Zhang Jiao’s founding of the Taiping Sect was not to cultivate Taoism and become immortal, but to overthrow the Liu regime in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He later staged a vigorous campaign. The great uprising sent the Eastern Han Dynasty to a point of no return.

The Taiping Taoist rebellion was a bad thing for Taoism, which was just in its development stage. This made the later feudal rulers have lingering fears about the promotion and popularization of Taoism. Most of them respected Buddhism, which was also introduced to China in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty.Compared with Taoism, the teachings of Buddhism are more systematic and theoretical, and its basic teachings of admonishing all beings to be kind and pure-minded are more in line with those in power to safeguard their own ruling interests.In contrast to Taoism, morality is chaotic, and Taoists are usually concerned with the upper class, obsessed with alchemy to satisfy the dream of longevity of the upper class or the lust in the house, but when facing the lower class, they appear to be more political and organizational, and it is very easy It became a political "trouble", so in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Buddhism developed rapidly, while Taoism seemed cold.

Many Daoists are also aware of this problem and have made their own efforts for the development of Daoism.In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong wrote a large number of Taoist theoretical books, summed up the theories of immortals and alchemists since the Warring States period, and systematized the immortals of Taoism. He became a master of Taoist thought at that time and promoted the development of Taoism; People also felt the insufficiency of the traditional theory of Taoism, bravely innovated, and established new sects of Taoism one after another.During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Yang Xi, Xu Mi, Xu Xun, Wei Huacun and others founded the Shangqing school, emphasizing "cultivating one's nature with one's heart and serving heaven, concentrating one's energy and mind to harmonize the Tao". Opposed to the traditional fangzhongshu of Tianshi Taoism; Kou Qianzhi, the Taoist priest of the Northern Wei Dynasty, also reformed the traditional Tianshi Taoism. The rulers fear and restrict Taoism), and re-establish a set of rules and rituals for Taoism to cater to and maintain the ruling class.

Kou Qianzhi's reform was fruitful, and people called the Taoism he founded Xintianshijiao.The reformed Taoism was recognized by the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Emperor Taiwu of Wei declared that he worshiped the heavenly master, became a Taoist believer, and changed the year name of Taiping Zhenjun. Various reforms laid the foundation for the later prosperity of Taoism. The spring of Taoism comes from the arrival of the Li Tang Empire.Under the influence of the clan concept in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Li Yuan, the founding emperor with the blood of Wuhu, had to find a noble ancestor for himself, so he declared that the royal family of Li and Tang were the descendants of Lao Tzu and Li Er, and at the same time declared that Taoism was the first among the three religions. , Confucianism second, Buddhism third.His descendants have followed the tradition of advocating Taoism. In 736 AD, Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji decreed that Taoist priests should be regarded as royal family members. , using the Taoist classic Zizheng to open a course to select scholars, and set up the professional title of Doctor of Metaphysics.When Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty arrived, Buddhism was banned nationwide and Taoism was respected.

In the Zhao Song Dynasty of the Northern Song Dynasty, Taoism was still highly sought after. Song Zhenzong, the third emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, was a big fan of Taoism.Zhao Heng, who was bullied by the Khitan people, had no choice but to seek sustenance from the Taoist gods, so he forged the heavenly scriptures, made auspicious auspiciousness, and enshrined Mount Tai with the title of "Great Merit"; In the construction of the palace, Taoism flourished for a while, and it was very beautiful. But it was not until Song Huizong Zhao Ji came to power that Taoism really ushered in its peak period.

With Cai Jing as the housekeeper to fill the treasury with silver, one of Zhao Ji's expenses was to repair the Taoist temples in the world. At that time, there were many famous temples in the world, such as Shangqing Palace, Dongxiao Palace, Chongfu Palace, and Mingdao Palace. Zhao Ji's hand was rebuilt or expanded. And the governors of his empire usually have a vain job-promoting a certain palace, and when they offend the emperor, they usually go to Taoist temples to be housekeepers. Cai Jing, Lu Huiqing, Zhang Shangying, and Han Zhongyan have all held this position. job title. The gain of Taoism must be the suppression of another major religion, Buddhism.At that time, Taoism was extremely prosperous, and some small temples offered Taoist gods in the temples in order to deceive incense (in fact, in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the trend of Confucianism and Taoism was obvious, and everyone was absorbing some beneficial teachings from the other side for their own use. , including some historical figures who are highly admired by the people into their own gods), and make some Taoist dojos.Zhao Ji was very dissatisfied with Buddhism's behavior of selling sheep's head and hanging dog meat. In the second year of Zhenghe (AD 1112), he publicly announced that "Buddhism will build water, land and prayer halls. If Taoist gods are involved, monks and nuns will The theory of violating the system; the master knows but does not act, and is guilty of the same crime", which clarifies the solemnity and exclusiveness of Taoist gods and various Taoist activities, and then clearly stipulates that "Taoist priests are ranked above monks, and women are crowned above nuns", It clarifies the overwhelming advantage of Taoism over Buddhism.

A group of Taoists became living gods in Zhao Ji's eyes and were highly respected. Wei Hanjin, Xu Shenweng, Liu Hunkang, Yu Xiangu, Wang Laozhi, and Wang Zaixi all became famous figures. But no one can compare to Lin Lingsu. Lin Lingsu, whose real name is Lin Ling, was born in Yongjia, Wenzhou. He was born in a poor family and could read a little.It is said that Su Dahuzi once asked Xiao Lin what his ambitions were. Lin Ling said that people in the world always want to be enshrined as marquises and erected temples. Blindfolded, he looked at him differently. Lin Ling wandered around after leaving Sumen when she was young, and stayed in Buddhist temples and Taoist temples. However, the experience of being a monk was not pleasant. She was often punished by her master and left in anger.Lin himself is characterized by his alertness, eloquence, and ability to fool around.

In the sixth year of Zhenghe (AD 1116), Lin Ling was summoned by Zhao Ji after being recommended by alchemist Xu Zhichang, and they fell in love at first sight.Zhao Ji asked Xiao Lin what kind of Taoism he knew, and Lin Lingsu opened his mouth and said that he knew the heavens above and the underworld below, not to mention the vicissitudes of the world.Afterwards, Daoist Lin introduced the appearance of the kingdom of heaven to Zhao Ji, saying that there are nine heavens in the sky, and the heavens are the highest. Wenhua official, Cai You is Yuanyuan Baohua official, Zheng Juzhong, Liu Zhengfu, Sheng Zhang, Wang Ge and other giant eunuchs all have famous positions in Shenxiao, and Liu Guifei Liu, who has been favored by Zhao Ji recently, is nine Concubine Hua Yuzhen'an (the above-mentioned people probably gave Lin Daoshi a red envelope beforehand).

Zhao Ji was convinced, and rewarded Daoist Lin with the name "Lin Lingsu" and the title of Mr. Tongzhen. He built a Tongzhen Palace next to the palace and gave it to Taoist Lin, allowing him to enter and leave the palace freely, and ordered all the people in the world to build it. The Shenxiao Longevity Palace, opened the Shenxiao altar in Kaifeng, passed on the scattered talismans, and spread Taoism to all people in the empire, pushing the imperial Taoist practice to the climax. Seeing Lin Lingsu doing so well, disciples all over the world flocked to her. In its heyday, there were more than 20,000 disciples, and they were still paid by the government.Everyone understands that following Lin Daochang, he is well-clothed and well-fed, and his wealth is boundless.Under his influence, the empire set up Taoist officials and Taoist posts according to the ranks of officials. There were officials such as temples, morning attendants, school registrations, and scriptures, which were equivalent to the government's waiting system, editing and writing officials.Lin Lingsu has the highest official position and the most titles. He was bestowed on Mr. Tongzhenda Lingyuanmiao, Jinmen Yuke, Dazhong Doctor, Chonghedian Shichen, and was ranked after the consul in the court.

After gaining power, Lin Lingsu thought of his old grievances with the Buddhists in the early years, and it became his important goal to attack the Buddhists who were ignorant of current affairs. Although Zhao Ji’s previous Northern Song emperors respected Taoism, they kept a respectful attitude towards Buddhism.But under Lin Lingsu's instigation, Zhao Ji's view of "Bodhisattva" became more and more distasteful, and he felt that the teachings of Buddhism's prohibition of desires and forgetting of parents are really not good. Of course, Zhao Ji, as an artist, would disdain such brutal behavior as the San Wu Jin Buddha, and cultural people have their own ways to punish people.So Zhao Ji issued an edict to first change the names of the Buddhist gods who have been passed down in China for thousands of years. Eight without leakage, the Four King Kong are called the Four Great Hercules. Changing the names of gods is of course not enough. All temples have to be renamed. For example, Daxiangguo Temple has to be changed to Daxiangguo Palace or Daxiangguo Temple; the titles of monks also have to be changed. Parents are not allowed to shave their heads, they must grow their hair and wear hats; the dharma name they take after entering the temple can no longer be called, it will be abolished, and everyone in the monastery will be called Zhang Deshi, Wang Deshi, Li Nvde, Yang Nvde. The empire also reformed the institutions that manage religions. Originally, the left and right streets, which were in charge of religious affairs, were changed to Daodeyuan, which was upgraded to be in charge of national religious affairs; It's a downgrade merger. As soon as this order came out, monks and nuns all over the world were in an uproar. If the Buddhist school was changed like this, can it still be called the Buddhist school?Monk or monk?Although it is not a forbidden Buddha, it is no different from a forbidden Buddha.Not only Buddhists, but many people of insight at the time also publicly expressed their opposition. The later famous general Zong Ze, who knew Dengzhou at that time, adopted a non-violent and non-cooperative attitude towards the reform of religious institutions in the empire, and was dismissed from his post.And more monasteries couldn't bear to watch the Buddhas and gods they worshiped being changed beyond recognition, so they buried the Buddha statues. In 1996, a large cellar of Buddhist statues was discovered at the site of Longxing Temple in Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, and more than 200 carved statues were unearthed. Judging from the chronology of the Buddha statues, it was from the second year of Yong'an in the Northern Wei Dynasty (529 AD) to the Northern Song Dynasty In the fourth year of Tiansheng (AD 1026), there are more than 500 years of Buddha statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Eastern Wei Dynasty, Northern Qi Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and Northern Song Dynasty. Direct relationship. Buddhism has been changed by Lin Lingsu, so it is a piece of cake for Zhao Ji to upgrade his hometown Wenzhou to Yingdaojun Jiedu for Lin Daoshi. Even Cai Taishi, who has power over the government and the public, has experienced ups and downs in his official career, and has become Master Lin's defeated opponent.At the beginning of entering the palace, Daoist Lin gave Cai Taishi some face and reserved a place for him in the Jiutian Shenxiao Palace, but after a long time, Taoist Lin became so favored that Taishi Cai couldn't stand it anymore, and the conflict between the two gradually intensified.Daoshi Lin began to reverse the case for his old boss Su Dahuzi and others, and told Emperor Zhao Ji that those members of the Yuanyou Party were all ranked in the immortal class in the sky, and their positions were higher than mine. How could they be treacherous officials? It is said that he even wrote a poem : Su Huang is not an essayist, but Guan Cai is a minister of the country.There has been no conclusion for thirty years, who is the traitor? During Huizong's era, the new party was monopolizing power, so Lin Lingsu was the only one who dared to reverse the verdict of the old party in public. After that, the relationship between Cai and Lin deteriorated further. On the contrary, it was Cai You, a rebellious son of the Cai family, who got close to Lin Taoist. They teamed up to bring down Cai Jing and Cai Tao for the fourth time. For a while, Daoist Lin wanted the wind to get the wind, and the rain to get the rain. When he met the gods, he wiped out the gods, and when he met the Buddha, he wiped out the Buddha.Seeing the prestige of the former "Sumen disciples" (including Gao Qiu, of course), it is no wonder that the eunuch Liang Shicheng would cry in various public places and call himself the illegitimate son of Su's bearded son, taking pride in his breath of Sumen. After Master Lin arrived, he really didn't know how high the sky was and how thick the land was. When he arrived in the palace, he didn't pay much attention to Prince Zhao Huan even if he met him. He made too many enemies, and Taoist Lin soon suffered retribution.In May of the first year of Xuanhe (1119 A.D.), the flood invaded Kaifeng, and Master Lin was ordered to go to the city to cast spells to recede the water.Master Lin can't retreat, he can only talk nonsense about Taiyi leaving the palace, Kaifeng will be in great trouble in recent years (of course, Master Lin's crow's mouth will really work a few years later), the emperor has to move the capital. Although obsessed with Taoism, as an emperor, moving the capital is not a child's play, Zhao Ji still knows the importance.After this incident, Master Lin's status in Zhao Ji's eyes dropped a lot. At this time, the crown prince also read Lin Daoshi's book at the right time, and all the officials in the court also went downhill. When the capital was moved, Zhao Ji had no choice but to send this magic stick who had been calling the wind and rain in Kaifeng for four years back home. Lin Lingsu left, and the farce he directed became a farce before the collapse of the entire empire, making the ending of the empire full of black humor.