Fourth, the influence of Buddhism on Chinese. The spread of Buddhism has caused Buddhist language, Buddhist mottos, and Buddhist verses to penetrate into social life in large quantities. They have lost their Buddhist meaning and gained social significance, and have become commonly used idioms, sayings, proverbs, and idiomatic expressions. For example, "spotless", Buddhists call color, sound, smell, taste, touch and law "six dusts". If you can get rid of all distracting thoughts during practice, Buddhism calls it "spotless", which means very clean when translated into social language. Another example is "a wake-up call", "Five body falls to the ground", "The sea of ??suffering is boundless, turn around and find the shore", "Put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha immediately.", "Be clear about the Tao", "Be consistent with what you say", "Be well-behaved", "Fantasy", "Appear to preach", "Enlightenment", "fiery eyes", "becoming a Bodhisattva", etc. all come from Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist sayings, and Buddhist stories. As for the language derived from Buddhist life, there are even more words, such as "Two monks in two places can't figure it out", "Monk Holding an umbrella - lawlessness", there are even more words derived from Buddhist life, such as "A monk can run away, but he cannot run away from the temple", "The temple is small and the Bodhisattva is big", "Cuddle the Buddha's feet before the battle", "Don't burn incense until you see the real Buddha", etc. .
The fifth is the influence of Buddhist cultural relics and Buddhist relics. Buddhism advocates detachment from the world, so most of the temple buildings are located in deep mountains, forming a situation in which "there are many famous mountain monks in the world". For thousands of years, people from all walks of life have spent huge sums of money to build countless grottoes, Buddha statues, pagodas and temples in order to believe in, worship, respect and protect Buddha, leaving behind many precious Buddhist cultural relics and Buddhist relics. , some are even called wonders of the world. Buddhism has the largest number of existing cultural relics and monuments in China, which can be summarized as follows: A. The four famous mountains of Buddhism are Mount Wutai in Shanxi, Mount Emei in Sichuan, Mount Jiuhua in Anhui and Mount Putuo in Zhejiang. B. The four major Buddhist Zen forests refer to Lingyan Temple in Changqing County, Shandong Province, Guoqing Temple in Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province, Yuquan Temple in Dangyang City, Hubei Province, and Qixia Temple in Nanjing. C. The three major grottoes art refers to the three major grottoes of Yungang, Dunhuang and Longmen. D. The top ten seated Buddhas, here refers to stone Buddhas created individually, excluding those located in grottoes. Most of these Buddhas are carved into the mountains. E. The four reclining Buddhas are mostly carved from rocks, and there are also wooden clay sculptures. There are two large bronze statues, one is the future Buddha at Tashi Temple in Garze City, Tibet, and the other is the bronze Bodhisattva, the Thousand Eyes and Thousand Hands Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, at Longxing Temple in Zhengding County, Hebei Province. H. A golden edition of the Tripitaka. I. Shijing Mountain, another national treasure, is located in Yunju Temple, Fangshan District, Beijing. It is famous for its stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures, hence the name "Shijing Mountain". J. The Buddha's finger bone relics were discovered in the underground palace of Famen Temple in Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province in June 1987. This is one of the most important discoveries in the history of world Buddhism. These Buddhist cultural relics and Buddhist relics integrate sculpture, painting, calligraphy, architecture, and pattern art, and are all imprinted with the politics, economy, and culture of that era. (4)
To sum up, it is proved that Buddhism has had a huge and far-reaching impact on Chinese culture, and Sinicized Buddhism has become an integral part of Chinese culture.
Another example:
Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty believed that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was extremely devout to Buddhism and promoted Buddhism. However, Tang Yongtong in modern times said that among the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty actually regarded him as a person who did not believe in Buddhism. famous.
Why are the views on the relationship between Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Buddhism different? The reason is that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty himself had a contradictory attitude towards Buddhism. After Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne, he worked hard to govern and prosper, and formulated a basic blueprint for the long-term stability of the Tang Empire. In terms of Buddhist policy, he both inherited and developed Tang Gaozu. After years of exploration, he formed a complete set of policies, which had a significant impact on the rise and fall of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty. This article attempts to analyze the relationship between Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Buddhism from two aspects: respecting Buddha and suppressing Buddha.
Building temples, setting up houses, and educating monks
Shortly after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne, in the third year of Zhenguan (629), Shangshe Tongyi Palace became the West Temple. Volume 9 of "Quan Tangwen" There is an "Edict from the Old Residence of Shexingsheng Temple" that says: "... Yuan Pi succeeded the great scholar, and his family was in the district...". Always cherish the teachings of kindness and desire to be kind to them. ...... Always cherish the teachings of kindness, desire to repay freedom, quietly talk about causes and conditions, contemplate and receive the blessings of Zen, and cultivate the old residence of Yi Gong. The system is spacious and suitable for use as a temple to worship gods and increase spiritual blessings. "In order to repay his mother's kindness, the old residence of Tongyi Palace was built as Ni Temple. In November of the same year, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued another "Edict to build temples for the battlefield", which required that temples be built in the year of the battlefield, with the help of the power of the Three Treasures. To save the souls of the dead, the edict said: "..., the sun and the moon will pass away and the river will bully the distance." I am afraid that under the nine springs, I will still fall into the wok. Between the eight difficulties, I will often pick up the ice and charcoal. I will forget about my sins and go to bed. I will think about the reason why I planted a blessed field to help me manage my spirit. Since the founding of the righteousness, the land of armies and horses has been filled with righteous soldiers and murderers. Each military formation has built temples to recruit victorious companions. Hope the Dharma drums are vibrating, change the house of fire into green lotus, listen to the pure Brahma, change the sea of ??suffering into nectar. There is a director who measures the place, establishes the name of the temple, supervises the monks, and builds the courtyard. Report this to the imperial court to express my sympathy." (See Volume 5 of "Quan Tangwen") Building temples for the soldiers of both sides who died in the war fully reflects Tang Taizong's broad mind of treating enemies and relatives equally. According to this The edict ordered that temples be built in the following seven places: Ciqi (stele written by Chu Suiliang) in Jinzhou (the place where King Jingang of the Song Dynasty was defeated), Hongji Temple (stele written by Li Baiyao) in Fenzhou (the place of Jianzhou) and ), Zhaojue Temple (stele written by Yu Shinan) was built in Mangshan (where Wang Shichong was broken), and Hongfu Temple (stele written by Cen Wenwen) was built in Luozhou (stele was written by Cen Wenwen). The temples built by the above imperial edicts were all in war zones. , which plays the role of killing people and purifying people's hearts. At the same time, he not only builds temples on the battlefield, but also "builds Qi Xingdao" for the soldiers he killed in the war. "Quan Tangwen" Volume 4. There is a saying of "setting up a road edict for the war dead": "...I have created a right path since the end of the Sui Dynasty, with the aim of saving the nation. I have fought in the northeast and in the direction of Pingzhen, but... I will punish the barbarians. It's hard to use victory and success, but steal... the holy teachings, the Dharma, the Dharma. ...Plundering the Tathagata's holy teachings, emphasizing benevolence and righteousness, prohibiting rituals, and killing is the most important thing. ……. Today, it is appropriate to sincerely repent of all the cuts that have been made since the beginning of the conquest, and the nearly a thousand people before and after, all for the purpose of building Qi Xingdao. ...hope to resolve the difficulties of the three realms and eliminate the suffering of eternity. I wish to resolve the three difficulties and eliminate all the sufferings of the world. Eliminate resentment and seek the path to Bodhi. "Taizong of the Tang Dynasty built a seven-star dojo for the soldiers who died in the battle. Relying on the merits of the Three Treasures, they can escape from the suffering of countless calamities forever. In the eighth volume of "Quan Tangwen", there is also an edict by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty "for Yu Shinan, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the monk of the Southern Qi Dynasty", Among them, there were five hundred monks who built a Buddha statue.
After the wars in the late Sui Dynasty, Buddhism was greatly affected, the temples were ruined, and the number of monks and nuns dropped sharply. Tang Taizong always thought of making good use of his emotions, so he executed it twice. The edict was issued to spread monks and nuns all over the country. Volume 5 of the "Quan Tang Wen" "The Monk of the World" said: "The second vehicle of karma, relief is the first, the Eightfold Righteousness is to rely on the Lord, compassion... It is appropriate for every state and county in the world to have a temple. When ordering monks to be saved, the total number of monks and nuns is limited to three thousand. States have sizes. The land belongs to Huayi. The number of monks and nuns is limited to three thousand. The number of monks and nuns should be determined by the Secretary. Monks and nuns, regardless of age or age, must sincerely do good deeds. Because the number of monks and nuns has decreased, they have returned to secular life and private life. If the industry can be summoned, it will be limited... "Quan Tang Wen" Volume 8 "Edict of the various state temples to save monks" double: "..., in the capital and all the state temples in the world, it is appropriate to live for five years." People, Hongfu Temple should accommodate fifty people. It can be seen that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty made a lot of contributions to the revitalization of Buddhism. "Building temples to save monks" and "promoting affairs". Among the monks, the official status was strictly stipulated and there were certain restrictions, which contributed a lot to maintaining the solemnity of the mountain gate. At that time, there were temples in **** There are 3,716 seats, and 18,500 monks and nuns can be saved.
(2) Promulgate the "Buddhist Sutra" and respect the monks
In order to further "deeply protect" the Buddha, he also specially went to Shao to promulgate the "Buddha Sutra" through". Volume 9 of "Complete Tang Dynasty" has the saying "Edicts on the Implementation of Buddhist Sutras": "..."Study" is what the Buddha said when he was in Nirvana. He admonished his disciples in detail, but it was vulgar and lonely, and he did not advocate it. The way must be hidden. , he ended up speaking in small words, always reciting the holy teachings, and thinking in a grand way... He wrote more scriptures and commentaries, and put them into practice... The five ranks of his officials have been promoted to the governors of various states, and they have been paid to each state. One volume. If there is any discrepancy between the monks and nuns' work and the scriptures, it is advisable to give public and private advice and make them comply.
In this way, everyone, whether in the capital or in the state, will have a scroll of the Buddhist scriptures to inspect the monks and nuns. Whether the behavior is consistent with the scriptures. If not, public and private admonitions should be made to be as pure as the Buddha and to promote the holy religion. Tang Taizong's respect for Buddhism is commendable and he also paid tribute to some upper-level monks at that time. Special treatment was given. For example, in the sixth year of Zhenguan (632), Emperor Taizong ordered Du Shun, the first ancestor of Huayan, to enter the palace. When the master Zhishou passed away in 1988, Taizong ordered a funeral for him, and the court provided funeral utensils. Minister Xin personally went to pay homage to him. Another thing that is particularly noteworthy is the relationship between Xuanzang and Xuanzang who returned from India. On the way, he arrived at Kaifeng and went to see Taizong. Taizong immediately replied to Xuanzang: "I heard that the master came to visit Daoyu and now he has returned. I am very happy. You can come as soon as possible to see me." Monks from the country who are familiar with Sanskrit scriptures can also come. I personally issued an order to wait for the way to Khotan, so that all countries can send troops, and there should be no shortage of manpower, saddles and cavalry. He sent officials from Dunhuang to greet them on the quicksand, and Shan was good at catching up with them. "(See "Zhao Xuanzang Returns to the Kingdom and Enters the Biao Shu" in Volume 7 of "Complete Tang Dynasty"). After Xuanzang arrived in Luoyang, Taizong immediately issued an edict to invite the palace officials to the palace... to talk about the truth and customs... .., from Mao hour to You hour (from five o'clock in the morning to seven o'clock in the evening), I felt that I wasted time, and ended up closing the drum. (Continued with the Biography of Eminent Monks, Volume 4, "The Biography of Xuanzang". Xuanzang asked to find Miao Yinming at the meeting and organize a translation workshop. Taizong said to Xuanzang: "..., make Hongfu Temple, although its location The monastery was small and quiet, and it could be used as a translation venue. The people, things, and officials needed were discussed with Fang Xuanling and ordered to be given (see Volume 5 of Da Zheng Zang, p. 253). So Xuanzang returned to Chang'an from Luoyang and invited famous people. Twelve eminent monks, including Daoxuan, Shentai and Xuanying, proved the meaning and recruited ten people including Zhu Wen to help with the translation. The ministers Yu Zhining, Xu Jingzong and Du Zhenlun also participated in the translation. Xuanzang established the Hongfu Temple. A large-scale translation field started his career of translating scriptures, which had a great impact on the history of Chinese Buddhism. In the 20th year of Zhenguan (646), Xuanzang presented his "Records of the Western Regions" to the public, and Taizong Shao replied ( See Volume 8 of "Complete Texts of the Tang Dynasty" (Reply to the Imperial Decree of Master Xuanzang)). Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also personally translated the scriptures and wrote the "Preface to the Sacred Teachings of the Tripitaka of the Tang Dynasty"... Calmness restrains silence, encompasses thousands of works, and can be interpreted in ten directions. People believe in it and know it (see Volume 10 of "Quan Tang Wen"). In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty read Xuanzang's new translation. "Yogi Dilu" said to the ministers: "I look at the Buddhist scriptures, look at the sky and the sea, and I can't fathom the depth. The master can learn the profound Dharma in foreign lands. I am not as good as the military and the great deeds of the military, and I am not as good as searching for the Buddha's Dharma. Now I am observing it. Zongzhi The origin is far away, and the end is unknown. Compared with the nine streams of Confucianism and Taoism, it is just as confusing as the three religions in the world. The secretary wrote nine articles and distributed them in Yong, Luo, Bing, Yang, Liang, and Yijiuzhou, so that all people in the world could share the unheard meaning. (In the same year, Ci'en Temple was completed.) . Three hundred monks were invited to live there, and Xuanzang was invited to move to the Sutra Translation Institute and take up the post. On the day of Xuanzang's move, Emperor Taizong and the Crown Prince burned incense to see him off. , the scene was solemn and solemn, with tens of thousands of people watching the ceremony. Even before his death, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty continued to discuss Buddhism with Xuanzang, asking about karma and the sacred relics of Buddhist scriptures in the West. > It is not difficult to see from the above two points that due to various reasons, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty believed in Buddhism. He once declared himself a disciple of the Bodhisattva ordination under the package of "Hongfu Temple Zhai Vow", and made vows only for the attainment of elixirs and to take refuge in the Three Jewels.
He said that his ultimate pursuit is to realize the nothingness in his heart, to experience wonderful joy...to realize Bodhi, and to achieve enlightenment as soon as possible. In the "Zhongming of Daxingshan Temple", he also claimed to be the incarnation of the "Golden Wheel Heavenly King", taking it as his own duty to enlighten all living beings. The sound of clouds and drums, and the sound of elegant chants, are as far away as the sound of Sanskrit... Yuanhai I have achieved immeasurable blessings, square stones are easy to sell, and my wish is immeasurable. (See "Quan Tangwen", Volume 10, etc.). Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty implemented a policy of support for Buddhism, which led to the rapid recovery and development of Buddhism in the early Tang Dynasty. Temples were restored to glory, monks and nuns were educated, translation centers flourished, and sects were established, creating a vibrant scene.
(3) Suppression of Buddhism
In the early years of Tang Taizong's accession to the throne, and in his later years, his attitude towards Buddhism was somewhat contradictory. That’s it. Although he protected the emperor's affection, he also adopted a somewhat restrained attitude towards Buddhism. Volume 8 of "Quan Tangwen" "Derogating Xiao Yushou Shao" said: ... As for Buddhism, there is no intention to follow it. Although there are regular scriptures of the country, it is a fake custom. As for Buddhism, which has no intention of following it, even though it has the country’s standing scriptures, it is just a fake practice that is harmful to the customs. As for Liang Wu, he was devoted to the Shi family, his writing skills were better than the monks, he spent his wealth on the monks and nuns, and spent his manpower on the pagoda... but he had no time to serve the country, so he was given a small reward. How wrong is it? Xiao, a descendant of Emperor Wu of Liang Yu believed in Buddhism and was demoted under Taizong. In this "Shao Ban Shu", Taizong also solemnly stated that Buddhism was not a belief he respected, and listed the results of Emperor Wu of Liang and others who believed in Buddhism. "The only people I like are Yao and Shun. Zhou, the way of Confucius. (See "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" Volume 192, "Tang Ji" VIII, Taizong). Not only that, but also restricting and suppressing Buddhism in practice Before taking the throne, he burned down the monasteries in Luoyang and destroyed all Taoist temples. At the beginning of his reign, he also inspected the monks many times and eliminated some monks and nuns who were not doing their job properly. Although Shaoling was also sentenced to death. However, the number of monks in the world is strictly restricted and emphasized. The total number of monks must be limited to three thousand. ., If the official document is not refined, it will be a loss for the Qingmiao, and the foundation of discipline is to do nothing." Anyone who pretends to be a monk, falsely claims supernatural powers, or seeks money by illegal means will be punished. "Make sure to improve your Dharma" (see " "Complete Tang Dynasty" Volume 5 "Saving Monks in the World")
In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty used administrative power to intervene in the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism and stipulated that female Taoists should be ranked above monks and nuns. "Shuo Xinyu - Shao" says: "Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered female Taoists to be crowned above monks and nuns. "
"Shishuo Xinyu - Shao" said: "Taizong of the Tang Dynasty ordered female Taoists to be crowned above monks and nuns, and to be the Bodhisattva ordained disciples of Emperor Shaosheng." Suddenly he did the opposite and announced : "From now on, fasting, performing rituals, and the titles of Taoist priests and female Taoist priests can be performed before monks and nuns." "Before monks and nuns". (See Volume 6 of "Complete Tang Dynasty"). The debate on the issue of Taoism before Buddhism and later Taoism that occurred during the Zhenguan period centered around the Taoist priest Shao Shu who escaped into Buddhism. It caused a great social uproar, and the wise monks and Fa Lin , Fachang, Huijing and others. Empress Wu petitioned the emperor to take back his orders, but in the 14th year of Zhenguan, Taoist Qin Shiying accused Fa Lin of slandering the royal family and was demoted to death (see "Quan Tang Dynasty"). "Articles" Volume 6 "The Recluse Falinshao of Qi State")
(4) Analysis of Tang Taizong's attitude towards Buddhism
Tang Taizong's attitude towards Buddhism was inconsistent. In fact, his attitude towards Buddhism was inconsistent. In the ideological world, Buddhism had developed for six or seven hundred years in the early Tang Dynasty. It had been coordinated with ancient Chinese culture, had a large number of believers and a social foundation, and the theory of Buddhism was far better than that of Confucianism. The Taoist family is more advanced than Confucianism. The ideas of reincarnation and retribution are deeply rooted in people's hearts and have far-reaching influence on politics. Some famous scholars such as Xiao Yu, Xiao Qiong, Li Baiyao and Du Zhenglun have also converted to Buddhism. , Cen Wenwen, Yu Shinan, Du Ruhui, Pei Ji, etc. all believed in Buddhism devoutly. When Fu Yi rebelled against Buddhism, Xiao Yu and others came forward. Economically, the number of monks and nuns enjoyed exemption from labor and monasteries increased, and they owned a large number of monasteries. Land and labor affected the court's source of income and military service. Many reasons shaped Tang Taizong's attitude towards Buddhism. This was not only a matter of faith, but also had a stronger political overtone.
The saying that Taoism precedes Buddhism is actually due to Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, who claimed to be a descendant of Li Dan, who insisted on elevating the status of Taoism because: "I am of the same lineage, from the lineage of other sects. From the lineage of Laozi, from the perspective of lineage, Laozi is his The ancestors of Taoism, and more importantly, the descendants of the founder of Taoism were used to enhance the prestige of the Li and Tang royal families in order to combat the arrogance and arrogance of the old Shandong gentry. Therefore, on the surface, this is a religious issue of Taoism before Buddhism, but It contains complex ethnic and political issues. Its purpose is to facilitate the rule of the Tang Dynasty. This is undeniable.
In terms of controlling the construction of temples, we know that in the Tang Dynasty. It was still in its infancy, and the impact of the Sui Dynasty uprising was still scarred. There were less than three million registered households in the country, a large amount of land was deserted, and there were no people inhabited, and the roads were in depression (see "Old Book of Tang"). Volume 71 "Biography of Wei Zheng") Therefore, for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who was talented and hardworking, increasing household registration and developing agricultural production were top priorities. Therefore, he was particularly sensitive to the excessive number of monks and nuns, and strictly controlled the number of monks and nuns. This is to prevent the development of Buddhism from exceeding a certain limit. The current situation is that the development of Buddhist monks and nuns cannot exceed a certain limit. In the past, monks and nuns were also vigilant against evils such as political interference and rebellion. This time he revised the temple rules so that monks and nuns must abide by them. In short, he only adopted some restrictive policies towards Buddhism in order to eliminate or minimize the negative impact of Buddhism on the country. At the same time, he vigorously promoted the principles of compassion and charity. He vigorously promoted the Buddhist principles of compassion, charity, and repayment of kindness by the Four Saints, so as to give full play to the role of Buddhism in helping the king realize his royal power. He Shao ordered the construction of temples on the battlefield and the establishment of Buddhist temples to practice Buddhism, which all illustrate this problem. After the failure of the Liao expedition, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had a deep belief in Buddhism, which was directly related to his implementation of recuperation, the economic prosperity of the country in the late Zhenguan period, and the easing of economic conflicts in the monasteries. Therefore, as an emperor, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had his faith. There are two sides to the Buddha and suppressing the Buddha. Some measures to suppress the Buddha are beneficial to his rule, but they also have the identity of the monarch to rectify the order of monks and nuns and improve the quality of monks and nuns. This is illustrated by the large number of monks during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
For other information, please see: http://www.plm.org.hk/qikan/mnfx/1992.1/199201f21.htm