Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4737: The Dispute between Buddhism and Taoism (Continued)

When Buddhism first entered China, it was not well adapted to the local climate and its spread was slow and difficult, so it tampered with the essence of Taoism for its own use, thus opening up the situation and becoming the most widely spread sect with countless followers.

The Taoists, who used to be indifferent to believers and were willing to believe or not, felt tremendous pressure. However, the Taoist "elite route" was not suitable for popularizing believers, and the Buddhist sect took the lead. The status of the "first sect" was in jeopardy, and they had no choice but to follow the example of their opponents...

The advantage of Buddhism lies in "saving all living beings". Even a beggar can be considered a Buddhist as long as he has Buddha in his heart. The advantage of Taoism lies in that it has been rooted in China for thousands of years and has kept pace with the development of the times. The two have learned from each other's advantages and avoided each other's weaknesses. Today, you have me and I have you, and many places are confusing and difficult to distinguish.

Yuan Tiangang looked resolute: "This is a dispute involving sects, how can we surrender without a fight? We must not become the sinners of Taoism. The Buddhist sect shamelessly stole the Zhongyuan Festival for its own use and created the 'Yulanpen Festival' to compete with Taoism. This has aroused the indignation of the Taoist sect. In the next few days, Master Xihua will come to Chang'an from Donghai to preside over this year's Zhongyuan Festival. Maoshan Taoist Master Pan Shizheng and Louguan Taoist Master Yin Wencao are on their way. Longhushan will also send people to the pass. The Taoist sect is united and will not allow Buddhism to override Taoism."

Fang Jun nodded and said nothing.

Master Xihua Cheng Xuanying is one of the most outstanding figures in the history of Taoism. Perhaps he is not well-known to the outside world, and is not as well-known as Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, but he is a true master of theory. As far as the history of Taoism is concerned, no one can match him. He can be regarded as the most important thinker of Taoism.

As for the Maoshan Taoist Pan Shizheng and Louguan Taoist Yin Wencao, they are the most famous figures in the current Taoist world. The status of Longhushan Tianshi Mansion is even more needless to say...

The fact that the Taoist elites gathered together was enough to show that they had reached the point where they could no longer tolerate the aggressive momentum of Buddhism and were planning to gather all their strength to launch a counterattack.

Yuan Tiangang said: "Taoism has been around since Laozi rode a green bull out of Tongguan and wrote the Tao Te Ching. He absorbed the spirit of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and the moon to achieve the Tao. Duke Yue is the most spiritual person in the world today. He is talented and learned. If he can attend the Zhongyuan Festival ceremony, it will definitely enhance the reputation of Taoism. I have already received your majesty's permission, so I came to invite you."

Fang Jun shook his head. "Whether it's Buddhism's 'cultivating the afterlife' or Taoism's 'cultivating this life', neither is the truth I believe in. My truth lies only in the study of things and mathematics. I follow the laws of the world and see what I see and believe what I believe, not those illusory things of yours. I rejected the invitation of Buddhism before, and now I cannot accept the invitation of Taoism. I'm sorry that I can't obey your order."

He would be crazy to get involved in the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism. There are great gods on both sides, and the fight between the gods is so fierce that waves are surging and mountains are collapsing and the earth is cracking. A mortal caught in the middle can only end up being smashed to pieces.

Yuan Tiangang tried to persuade him: "Erlang is now as powerful as Lord Ying in the military, and his influence on Your Majesty is unparalleled. Why don't you help our Taoism to revitalize it? After all, Taoism is a sect native to this land, and everything is closely related to the people of the world. If we allow Buddhism to grow, can you imagine how sad it will be? Hundreds of millions of Chinese people have become the objects of slavery of foreign sects, disrespecting their ancestors and not caring about the people, offering blood and food to Buddhism only for the illusory afterlife. If this continues, the country will no longer be a country!"

These words are not alarmist. The differences between Buddhism and Taoism put Taoism in danger when facing attacks from Buddhism.

The Buddhist belief is to "cultivate the afterlife", which allows people to be content with the status quo and accept the hardships that come their way. The more hardships they endure in this life, the better their life will be in the afterlife. This gives people who are deeply trapped in suffering infinite hope. The poor place their hopes on the afterlife, while the rich hope that they will still be rich and prosperous in the afterlife. However, all this is illusory and no one can see it, so it is naturally impossible to falsify it.

The main purpose of Taoism is "ascension" and "cultivation in this life". It aims to achieve the goal of "ascension in broad daylight" through all means. Success or failure is right in front of you and can be seen clearly. If no one "ascends to heaven", who will believe it?

The biggest disagreement between the two sides is that Buddhism "widely spreads believers" and "rejects everyone who comes". As long as you "be sincere to Buddha", you can be "saved by Buddha". "Sincerity is effective"...

Taoism is too high-end and never seeks believers. Without some cultural knowledge and family background, how can one understand "the unity of man and nature" and "the origin of the universe"? Therefore, Taoism is high above and puts on an attitude of "believe it or not", and would rather have nothing than have something inferior.

To most ordinary people, Taoism is high and mighty, mysterious and unfathomable, whereas Buddhist temples spread all over the country present Buddhism before their eyes, and from time to time they give out a few bowls of rice soup with the money from loans, leases, and offerings, making it more approachable in comparison.

The difference in the core concepts of both sides makes Buddhism easier to accept...

Now, with Xuanzang's retrieval of Buddhist scriptures from India, the prestige of Buddhism has risen to a new level, and it has firmly suppressed Taoism, which is supported by the royal family. This has made the knowledgeable people in Taoism realize the huge danger, so they plan to fight back.

"The ice is three feet thick, and it didn't freeze overnight. The reason why Taoism is lagging behind today is not overnight. If we want to turn things around, we can't rush for success. This will definitely be a long and arduous process. With all due respect, I don't think Taoism can regain its dominant position."

"Please enlighten me."

"It's a very simple truth. Although Buddhism also has various factions, the core beliefs are the same. On the other hand, Taoism has countless factions such as Zhengyi, Lingbao, Shangqing, Louguan, etc. The most terrible thing is that although each faction has a unified 'Tao', their understanding of 'Tao' and how to achieve the ultimate 'Tao' are different and even contradictory. Although Taoism is powerful, it is independent and cannot gather all its strength. This is the main reason for the gradual decline of Taoism."

To put it bluntly, Buddhism advocates "leaving the world" but is actually "entering the world". In order to expand the sect, it does not hesitate to lower itself and even plagiarize the essence of Taoism. Taoism seems to be "entering the world" but is actually "leaving the world", flying above the clouds, away from the people. Even when they come down from the mountains to save the people in troubled times, they often choose wise leaders to assist them, and never bother to even look at ordinary people among the grass. They have long forgotten the ideas of "mobilizing the masses" and "a single spark can start a prairie fire" of their founder Zhang Jiao.

Yuan Tiangang shook his head and sighed, having nothing to say. Even he himself stayed in the Imperial Astronomy Bureau all day, enjoying the court's offerings to pursue his own knowledge. When had he ever cared about the inheritance of Taoism?

When Emperor Wu of Han abolished all schools of thought and promoted Confucianism alone, many schools with a long history were swept away and their inheritance was cut off. Taoism managed to survive by relying on its alchemy that could enable one to ascend to heaven and arouse the emperor's desire for immortality.

Afterwards, Taoism produced many talented people, but almost all of them were focused on "ascending to heaven". They ignored worldly affairs and devoted themselves to seeking the truth and immortality. As a result, Taoism gradually declined and was overtaken by Buddhism, which was introduced from foreign countries.

Now that they have come to their senses, they will naturally fight back.

*****
There are many hot springs in Mount Li. When building this manor, Fang Jun instructed the craftsmen to choose a location where there is a spring, and to build houses above the springs like the royal villas. The hot spring water flows out from the springs and fills the bathing pool made of white marble. After the water is full, it flows out along the drainage trough and into the greenhouse not far away.

The night falls and the sky is full of stars.

The water in the bathtub was rippling and the mist was rising. Gao Yang's pretty face was flushed as she leaned on her lover's broad chest. Her beautiful eyes were slightly closed, and her skin, which was whiter than frost and snow, was slightly pink. Her beautiful upper body was exposed above the water. Even though she was a mother, her beautiful figure had not changed at all, just like when she was a girl.

Fang Jun reached out and took a glass from the coffee table beside the bathtub. He filled the glass with bright orange-red grape wine and shook it slightly. The ice fish added to the wine made a crisp sound when it hit the wall of the glass. He held the glass to Gao Yang's red lips. Gao Yang took a big sip, and the cold wine went down his throat. He let out a long breath and finally came to his senses.

She reached her bare hands under the water and groped for a pinch. As her lover cried out in pain, she weakly said, "Did you sneak off to Pingkangfang to fool around recently? I don't know where you learned these disgusting moves. You're making me suffer."

"Do I need to learn this? My husband is gifted, one in a million. Your Highness should have laughed at the advantage behind closed doors. Not everyone can have such a blessing."

"Bah! You can still brag about such a dirty thing?"

"Your Highness, this is wrong. Husband and wife should respect each other in the most basic human relationships. If sex is not harmonious, it will naturally affect the relationship. Over the years, resentment will inevitably arise. Sleeping in the same bed but having different dreams is not a good thing."

This woman is not easy to get along with. If I can't handle the relationship between husband and wife well, she might have an affair one day, just like in history. Even if I kill her and her lover, I can't wash off the green oil color on my hat...

But now there is naturally no expectation of such a situation. There are many reasons for one spouse to betray, nothing more than sexual discord and difficult life. Now these two hidden dangers do not exist. He is even more majestic in bed, with complete control of the momentum. Bian Ji was even driven away to Lingnan by himself, and everything is going well.

Although they were an old married couple, Gao Yang still couldn't stand such unabashed words. She pinched her husband again and changed the subject: "Both the Buddha and the Taoist are here to look for you. Is there going to be some big change?"

Fang Jun kneaded his full breasts with one hand: "Since Buddhism entered the Middle Earth, the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism will continue, but it is actually difficult for both sides to eradicate the other side. Either the east wind will prevail over the west wind, or the west wind will prevail over the east wind, that's all. However, while the two sides are fighting, it is very likely to affect the court and the situation in the world, and the court will definitely need to take action to balance it. You will see, this time His Majesty will definitely come out to support Taoism in person, and this fight will intensify, and even affect the whole world."