Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 368: Debate among Three Religions
Huike followed his master Bodhidharma into Yongle City. He was surprised that this important city in Guanxi did not have the luxury of other cities in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Instead, it was as simple as a military fortress.

But simplicity is just the architectural style. In fact, the commerce in Yongle City is very developed. The shops along the street are very fresh to the master and apprentice who are used to the market. It is indeed very convenient to buy and sell goods without going to a special market, which makes the whole residential area more popular.

Huike followed his master Bodhidharma to Yongle Temple, where the abbot of the temple received Bodhidharma warmly.

Seeing Bodhidharma's face, the abbot of Yongle Temple asked enthusiastically:
"Is Your Excellency from the Western Regions?"

Bodhidharma did not directly answer the question, but asked in return:
“Are there many monks in the Western Regions?”

Bianwen smiled and said:

"Of course. Now monks from various sects in the Western Regions have come to Yongle City. They are all staying in this temple temporarily."

Hui Ke asked curiously:
"Is there any activity going on?"

Bianwen smiled and said:

"You two really caught up. General Su is planning to organize a debate among the three religions. These Western Region monks are here just for this."

"A debate among three religions?"

The debater said:

"The Three Religions are naturally Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. This debate is to determine the status of the three religions and to bring the dispute over the orthodoxy of Taoism to the surface."

Huike understood immediately and looked at Bodhidharma excitedly.

This kind of debate had actually been presided over during the reign of Emperor Xuanwu. Naturally, the result was that Emperor Xuanwu, who was a devout Buddhist, ruled that Buddhism was the winner. This led to the golden period of development of Buddhism in the Northern Wei Dynasty for twenty years.

Xiao Yan of the Southern Dynasties personally presided over several debates between Buddhism and Taoism. At that time, Xiao Yan even personally debated with the Taoist master Tao Hongjing. In the end, Tao Hongjing was unable to defeat Xiao Yan and had to admit that Buddhism was first. This also established the dominant religious position of Buddhism in the Southern Dynasties.

Nowadays, people in both the north and the south worship and believe in Buddhism, so there is no reason why Guanzhong should not believe in it. Moreover, there are many well-known monks in the Western Regions. On the contrary, Taoism has been declining since the death of Kou Qianzhi.

But this time it is slightly different. In the past, it was a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, that is, a religious dispute. Why did General Su Ze want to drag Confucianism into it as well?
Although Confucianism can also be considered a religion, it is still very different from the popular Buddhism. Confucian beliefs are often only spread among the scholar-official class, and Confucian scholars do not reject Buddhism.

Bodhidharma frowned. If it was just a debate between Buddhism and Taoism, with the current power of the Northern Taoist sect, they would definitely not be able to win the debate against Buddhism.

But if we add Confucianism into the mix, the result will be hard to predict.

However, this great general Su Ze was not from a noble family, and logically speaking, he did not have a deep belief in Confucianism.

Hui Ke looked at his master and still felt that this was an opportunity to make a name for himself. If his master could win the first prize in this debate among the three religions, then his master would instantly become a famous monk throughout Guanzhong.

This is also very helpful in spreading Master’s practice method.

However, Bodhidharma also felt that this was an opportunity to use this debate among the three religions to get a glimpse into Su Ze's attitude towards Buddhism. He nodded and said:

"It happens to be a grand event. It is the fate of our master and disciple. I wonder if the host, monks from other places like us, can participate?"

Bianwen smiled and said:

"Since this is a debate among three religions, of course everyone can participate. These monks from the Western Regions are here to help."

"But according to the new regulations of the Government Affairs Hall, all monks who come to stay must register for temporary certificates of ordination. If you two haven't done so before, you still have to go to the Buddhist and Taoist Department."

"The monks and Taoists?"

Bianwen nodded and said:

"It is an institution under the Government Affairs Hall that is specifically responsible for monks and Taoist priests. They need to be registered with the Monks and Taoist Priests Department. Only after obtaining a temporary certificate of ordination can they spread the Dharma in the northwest. In addition, in the future, if they want to build a temple and recruit disciples, they also need to register with the Monks and Taoist Priests Department."

Hui Ke didn't understand this time, so he asked:
"Becoming a monk is a personal matter, but we need to file a record with the Buddhist and Taoist Affairs Bureau? Doesn't this mean that believers in the northwest need General Su's approval before they can become monks?"

Bianwen smiled and said:

"At present, to accept a disciple, you just need to register it. The Buddhist and Taoist Department will not refuse to issue a certificate of ordination. Moreover, this certificate of ordination has many benefits. For example, our Yongle Temple grants monk land according to the monks with ordination certificates in the temple. Of course, the more monks with ordination certificates, the better."

"Besides, now that I have the certificate of ordination, I am a monk recognized by the General's Mansion. It will be easier for people to believe me when I preach the Dharma."

"The ordination certificates are not strictly checked, but if the two masters want to build a temple in the future, they must register with the Buddhist and Taoist Affairs Bureau. Otherwise, it will be considered as obscene worship and will be destroyed if discovered."

Hui Ke nodded after hearing this. It sounded like the certificate was good. It sounded like he was an officially certified monk, which would be more convincing when preaching the Dharma.

I just didn’t expect that building a Buddhist temple in the northwest would be so troublesome. No wonder there is only one Yongle Temple in the huge Yongle City.

In this way, Master Bodhidharma and his disciples settled down in Yongle Temple.

But soon, rumors about this master and disciple spread.

First of all, the master and disciple never recited scriptures or attended the morning classes at Yongle Temple.

Sometimes Bodhidharma would sit in a corner of the Buddhist temple and stay there for the entire day.

Huike was even more puzzled. This was a disabled monk with only one arm left. No one knew why Bodhidharma would accept such a disciple.

He did not practice at all all day, and like his master, he never read Buddhist scriptures. Instead, he read more Confucian classics and Taoist classics than anyone else. Some monks also ran over to ask Huike what kind of Buddhism he was learning. Huike just pointed at himself and said:

"We are cultivating the Dharma for attaining Buddhahood."

All the monks thought Hui Ke was joking. Even the Bodhisattva Emperor of Southern Liang only dared to say that he was a Bodhisattva, and did not dare to say that he was a Buddha.

A monk laughed and said:

"Master Huike may never become a Buddha in his lifetime if he practices like this."

The monks burst into laughter.

Hui Ke said seriously:
"That's not certain. Maybe you won't become a Buddha in several lifetimes, or maybe you can become one right away."

Everyone was puzzled, Hui Ke pointed at himself and said:

"Everyone has Buddha in their heart. As long as they comprehend the truth, they can immediately become Buddha. But enlightenment is so difficult!"

Everyone even thought that this master and disciple pair were a pair of crazy monks.

However, this master-disciple relationship only caused some discussion. Soon, the Buddhist disciples of Yongle Temple began to gear up for the debate on the three religions. As long as they could win the debate, Buddhism could dominate the northwest.

The estimated time for the debate among the three religions was two months later, and a large number of monks and Taoists began to gather in Yongle City.
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Su Ze's general's mansion also began to become lively, and the whole Yongle City knew that General Su's only sister was about to get married.

But what surprised everyone was that General Su's only sister did not marry a son of a noble family, but married an unknown survivor of the Six Garrisons, Dugu Xin.

The gentry were a little worried about this. Su Ze was not very close to the gentry. Was this a signal?
But this concern was soon dispelled. Princess Chenliu hosted a banquet for the women of the aristocratic families in Yongle City at Baizhang Tower, inviting them to help prepare for Su Yuyao's wedding.

After this banquet, many women from the city's noble families also saw Dugu Xin's appearance.

They went back and told their husbands that if they could grow up to be like Dugu Xin, family background would no longer be meaningful, and the idea of ​​General Su squeezing out the gentry was just pure fantasy of you grown men!

This suave Dugu Lang suddenly became a prominent figure in Yongle City.

Even Dugu Xin's clothing and his habit of wearing his hat at an angle became a popular trend in Yongle City.

Dugu Xin had no objection to this marriage, and his friends came to help him organize the wedding.

"Brother Dugu!"

"Chen Chong?"

Dugu Xin looked up and saw a young figure who was obviously tanned appeared in front of him. This was Chen Chong (Hou Mo Chen Chong) who came to Yongle City with him that year.

"Why are you back?"

Dugu Xin remembered that Chen Chong was studying at Chongwenguan and quickly passed the examination there.

Because he was too young, Wang Sizheng specially asked General Su for permission, and only then was he approved to serve as the military commander in Wanqi Chounu's army.

Did Wanqi Chounu follow Yu Jin to the expedition to Lueyang? Why is Chen Chong back now?

Chen Chong had just returned, and he quickly said:
"I returned to the shogunate with the military commanders to report my work and achievements. As soon as I got back, I heard that Brother Dugu's wedding was approaching, so I came here after finishing my business."

Dugu Xin was also happy to see his old friend. He had a good relationship with the Houmochen brothers. When he was in Yongle City, he often interacted with Chen Shun and regarded Chen Chong as his own brother.

"He has become darker and stronger. It seems that the food in the barracks is good."

Dugu Xin was originally worried that Chen Chong would not be able to adapt to the life in the military camp, but now it seems that he was worrying too much. The Chen brothers are all born warriors. Last time, he heard from Chen Shun that the young Chen Chong has already achieved two "top" results. He is really brave.

"Tell me about the battlefield."

Because Dugu Xin was unable to go to the battlefield this time, he pulled Chen Chong into the inner room and asked him about his experience in the army.

Chen Chong recounted his military experience in detail, from when he and Wanqi Chounu fought the Turks in the north of Gaoping, to when he followed the army south to participate in the Battle of Jieting. Since Wanqi Chounu was a peripheral force, he did not gain any military merit, but Chen Chong and other military officials had repeatedly discussed and reviewed the course of the Battle of Jieting, and they explained it very clearly to Dugu Xin.

Regarding the Battle of Jieting, Dugu Xin himself also held the position of shogunate secretary and had read a lot of related battle reports.

He was interested in another thing Chen Chong said.

"Turks have appeared north of Gaoping Town?"

Chen Chong nodded and said:

"These Turkic tribes are better equipped than the Rouran people, and have more horses than the Gaoche people. They should not be underestimated."

Dugu Xin seemed to be thinking about something, not knowing whether his memorial would be taken seriously by General Su.

The lottery will be announced at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning, and Fei Niao will use random numbers to draw. Please pay attention to this chapter at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. After Fei Niao announces the winning results, please leave your steam account name.

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(End of this chapter)