Datang Library

Lao Gao explained: "According to the description of the general guarding the city, it should be the second year of Zhenguan, the Master Xuanzang who was personally sent by His Majesty to pray to the Buddha in the west, and said that he came back to learn the scriptures."

"Oh? Master Xuanzang? That is a promising eminent monk. When he was young, he made a great wish to obtain the scriptures and bring back the Mahayana Buddhism. I was moved by his persistence and perseverance. I even summoned him and sent him away. After a journey, it has been more than ten years, but he actually came back successfully.

Hurry up, I want to see if this old man has cultivated the legendary golden body. "Li Er was overjoyed, and quickly sent someone to pass it on.

As an emperor, it seems that his biggest hobby is to see anecdotes and strange things. After all, he can't go out and see it with his own eyes. It would be great if someone could tell him about it.

Soon Xuanzang, who was busy with travel and dust, was taken to the Palace of Political Affairs in the palace, "The poor monk Xuanzang pays homage to His Majesty, and wishes His Majesty ten thousand years."

"Haha, Master, don't come here without any problems. It will be more than ten years later when we don't want to see each other again. Judging by Master's demeanor, he really looks like a Taoist monk. I am beginning to be interested in your journey to the West."

Xuanzang took out a roll of brocade silk from his sleeve and handed it over, "The poor monk didn't get much from traveling westward, so he could only record the customs and customs along the way and make a diary. Since His Majesty is interested, I should give it to His Majesty. "

"Oh? Well, well, Master is really my confidant.

I heard from his subordinates that the master retrieved the scriptures this time and achieved a positive result?I don't know what is the difficulty of returning home this time?Tell me, I can help you a little bit. "After receiving gifts from others, Li Er naturally wanted to return something in return, which was exactly what Xuanzang wanted.

Xuanzang combined the eleven rituals: "Amitabha, the poor monk is a monk who doesn't care about those common rituals. He only has one wish, which is that he brought back the Tripitaka of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures this time. It needs to be translated as soon as possible and passed on to the people of the country who worship the Buddha. People, it is also good to guide the people to get rid of suffering and lead to light as soon as possible.

When I entered the city, I heard that there are no Buddhist temples in Chang'an City. I wonder if His Majesty can help the poor monk find a shelter? "

Chapter 924 You Come Back Late

His Majesty Li Er in the Yizheng Hall rubbed the brocade in his hand, which was written with the Tang Dynasty Records of the Western Regions, and thought to himself, this monk will find an opportunity to speak, this meaning is too obvious, you want me to help you build a temple?How can this be?Buddhist temples have been demolished, if they were rebuilt, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the court?

"Master, Shaolin and Wutai are two of the most famous Buddhist temples in the Tang Dynasty. If you want to translate Buddhist scriptures and spread Buddhism, I think that choosing one of these two places is a good place. Those Buddhist temple crimes were detected in Chang'an city back then. Banban’s evidence is conclusive, so it has been dismantled and used for other purposes, and there is nothing I can do about it.”

Xuanzang was not such an easy-talking master, he bowed again and said, "How dare the poor monk bother His Majesty to work hard, as long as His Majesty grants the poor monk a shabby room in Chang'an, the poor monk will have a place to translate Buddhist scriptures and pass them on to the world. "

Li Er sneered in his heart, how many years have Buddhist classics fooled the common people?Now that the people of the Great Tang Dynasty are prosperous all over the world, they are industrious and wealthy, so where do you need your Buddhist sect to save the suffering?If your Buddhism can really save the suffering, I am afraid that Tianzhu Kingdom will not be easily defeated by Datang.

"Oh, what the mage said is not too much. It's just that the mage came back late. Since the government implemented the government affairs a few years ago, everything in Chang'an except the palace is under public administration. Although I am the emperor, I have no right to do so. For personal gain, the use of every inch of land in Chang’an must be approved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and if a mage wants to set up a Buddhist temple here to teach Buddhism, he may not be exempt, so you must go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to report and register in person.”

Xuanzang knew that there was no benefit here, and if he continued to entangle, the gain would not be worth the loss, so he bowed together and said: "Thank you for your guidance, the poor monk will go now."

"The sorcerer has worked so hard all the way, and I admire it deeply. It is my heart to come here to take a thousand taels of silver from my private treasury and donate it to the sorcerer as a gift."

Xuanzang wondered in his heart, how could it be that His Majesty is a different person after not seeing him for more than ten years?It's filled with the air of a stock market swindler, he is not willing to grant me a piece of land, do you want to get some money to send me away?

Then Xuanzang went straight to the Yamen of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Chang'an. A monk was walking on the street in Chang'an, which was quite eye-catching, because there had been no bald monks in Chang'an City for many years. Back then, Chang'an Buddhist believers abounded. Every household has at least one Buddhist believer, but since many Buddhist temples were exposed to various scandals, the Chang'an monk became a street mouse for a while, and everyone shouted and beat him. Since then, Chang'an's bald head has disappeared.

At the gate of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xuanzang explained that he also received a cold reception when he came here, "Chang'an is very expensive now, and many outsiders can't get in if they are overcrowded. Although you said that you were from Chang'an back then, you are no longer in the name after verification. Besides, you are a monk, ha ha, don’t you know? Monks have a bad reputation in Chang’an, not to mention buying land to build a Buddhist temple. Even if you go out to stay in a hotel, there are very few inns that will take you in. .”

Seeing this situation, Xuanzang was not annoyed, he had already understood the situation when he came, so he naturally knew the situation, "Amitabha, the poor monk is an ascetic monk who has been away for many years to practice, and this time he returned to Chang'an to settle down. His Majesty at the Palace of Political Affairs directed us to register here, and he also gave 1000 taels of silver as security allowance, I wonder if this can grant a place for the poor monk?"

If Li Er knew that he just wanted to spend money for a while, but he was pulled out of the tiger's skin as a banner, he wondered if he would be angry and vomit blood.

As soon as these words came out, the officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs did not dare to be negligent. This is a big man who knows His Majesty.

"In that case, this mage will wait here for a while, and I will go to my family's superior to make a decision."

Regarding the matter involving the emperor, this person directly reported it to Du Ruhui, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the top official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. When Du Ruhui heard it, okay, Monk Xuanzang has returned from learning the scriptures?

Soon, I followed my subordinates to meet this young eminent monk who was very popular in Chang'an at that time, and now he is already middle-aged.

"I am Du Ruhui, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the master is Master Xuanzang who went west to learn scriptures? Since he is a Buddhist, Shaolin Wutai is a good place to go. A virtuous and eminent monk like the master may not be able to find these two places. Why do you want to stand alone in Chang'an?"

"The poor monk's long-cherished wish is to spread Buddhism throughout the Tang Dynasty and overcome all the sufferings in the world. Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and it should be the place of origin. I hope Du Xiang will make it convenient."

Du Ruhui doesn't believe in Buddhism. On the contrary, since practicing martial arts, he has been practicing Tai Chi all the year round, and he has become more and more close to Taoism, so he asked directly: "Hehe, I think the Tang Dynasty was considered a holy place for Buddhism. There were no less than a hundred Buddhist temples, big and small. Basically Every family has at least one person who is a Buddhist believer. Does the mage know why Buddhism was removed from Chang'an overnight? The Buddhist disciples have become street rats, and the Buddhist teachings that the people believed in in the past have been discarded since then?

Today, the master threatens to build a Buddhist temple in Chang'an to spread Buddhism. Doesn't he have any scruples about this? "

Xuanzang didn't look happy or angry, and said calmly, "Asuras in the world come out and kill my Buddhist disciples regardless of black and white. It's just a calamity for my Buddhist sect. There will be retribution for this action sooner or later.

As for poor monks building temples to spread the Dharma, their original intention is not to preach, but to lead people to be good at saving people from suffering, and helping the world does not involve national laws. I don’t know what Du Xiang’s so-called scruples mean? "

What a eloquent monk, Du Ruhui said in his heart, if the Tang Dynasty hadn't exterminated Buddhism before, I'm afraid you would become a pillar of Buddhism and become popular all over the country when you come back from learning the scriptures. It's a pity that you came back late.

"The mage has been away for many years, I am afraid that he is already unfamiliar with the law of the Tang Dynasty. The law of the Tang Dynasty has been amended a few years ago. The world is not allowed to be lazy and believe in religion for no reason. Those who want to cultivate their hearts and correct themselves must be over [-] years old. If you become a monk and become a monk, other people will not be able to become a monk, but if you violate the law, regardless of age, you will be punished.

When the new law was first promulgated, all monks under [-] were forcibly returned to vulgarity and returned to their original farming villages.

At the age of a mage, according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, he must return to vulgarity. If not, it would be illegal. If I were you, I would immediately surrender myself. Dali Temple took away. "

Du Ruhui's words were like a sharp knife, directly piercing Xuanzang's heart, almost making him spurt blood, how could this be?Who came up with this bad idea in Datang?On the surface, it is to leave a glimmer of life for Buddhism, but in fact it is to cut off Buddhism by the roots.

Chapter 925 Dismal Shaolin Temple

Xuanzang, who knew the benefits and benefits, no longer entangled with Du Ruhui, and immediately turned around and was about to walk towards the palace, but Li Er had no intention of paying attention to him, and sent someone to pass on a special decree, Master Xuanzang's cultivation is profound, and he has been away for many years For practice, he is allowed to shave or become a monk before he reaches the age, but he can only stay in Shaolin Temple to practice before he is 50 years old, and he is not allowed to go down the mountain.

Xuanzang, who got the news, was not as ecstatic as he imagined. Instead, he felt that the dark road ahead was too strong, and he knew that Chang'an could no longer accommodate him, so he had to bow his head temporarily, so he walked towards Shaolin Temple with his hands saluted. past.

At the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, there are basically no people in the small town, and weeds are overgrown on the winding bluestone mountain road. Walking on such a road, Xuanzang has doubts in his heart. Could it be that there are no people in Shaolin Temple now?All these scenes all show the decline of this place.

I also came to Shaolin back then. The bustling scene was not only comparable to a busy city, but also full of people coming and going. How did it become such a scene now?Could it be that the emperor of Chang'an and Du Ru deceived me?

He led the people to the front of the main gate of the ancient temple of Shaolin Temple. The plaque on it was rotten and old, and the original vermilion paint had almost faded away. Xuanzang went up and slowly pushed open the gate of Shaolin Temple. This quiet mountain temple spread.

"Amitabha, where is the master who came to my Shaolin? I have lost my way, and I hope to forgive you." A profound Buddha's chant sounded, and at the same time, a sentence came from the Mahavira Hall of Shaolin Temple.

"Little Monk Xuanzang, I'm here to pay homage to the masters of Shaolin Temple." Xuanzang shouted loudly.

Not long after, an old monk with a white beard came out of the Mahavira Hall and came in front of Xuanzang and his party, "But when you made a vow to go west to Tianzhu to seek my Buddha Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, Master Xuanzang?"

There was a tremor in the voice, and it no longer had the prestige of the Buddha's name that contained inner strength before. It seemed that Xuanzang's visit had excited the old monk.

"That's right, it's the poor monk. Dare to ask the master's name?"

"The old abbot of Shaolin, Tan Bei, congratulates Master on his return from learning the scriptures. Maybe when the Master comes back this time, our Buddhism will really be saved. If there is no more rescuer, I am afraid that we will not have to wait until the Buddha is destroyed. The Dharma will be cut off in the Tang Dynasty." Inheritance." The old monk said with tears in his eyes, very sad.

Xuanzang hurried up to support him, and at the same time asked why.

"Where is the imperial court's unprovoked trouble? It is clearly the Lantian Hou alone. Otherwise, there are many believers in my Buddhist sect all over the place, and even the emperor would not dare to say that the Buddha is destroyed.

But Lan Tianhou is a heretic. He asked countless spies to collect the stains of various Buddhist temples, and later announced that the world called on the people to crusade.

This led to the collapse of the Buddhist building overnight, to such a situation.

My Shaolin Temple was also cut off by its coercive means. The young monks were conscripted to be soldiers, and the monks who did not practice martial arts were also required by the law to return to the vulgar and go home to farm.

Only a group of old and weak after the age of 50 were left to fend for themselves. In order to gain vitality for the Shaolin Temple, his master uncle Huiming was beaten into a maimed body in the martial arts competition ring, and finally passed away.

Over the years, my fellow disciples from Shaolin left behind to death, and even the abbot, Tan Zhi, died in depression. Now, including my old monk, there are only five of them left. "

This... this, how could this happen?Xuanzang was stunned, this sentence can't be regarded as withered, it is simply miserable, Shaolin Temple looks like this, it is expected that Mount Wutai might not be much stronger, so now Buddhism has existed in name only in Tang Dynasty?

"Okay, okay, what a marquis of Lantian, using the name of the country, to carry out the act of exterminating the Buddha, what a fake public good, selfishness and traitors seem to be loyal. If this is the case, my Buddhist sect must not stop here, and I must see you for real.