Wu Zong destroyed the Buddha like that
In 845 AD, Tang Wuzong launched the "Buddha Extermination Campaign", demolished more than 4,600 monasteries, and ordered 2650,000 monks and nuns returned to the laity, others asked him the reason, Tang Wuzong said: "I don't destroy the Buddha today, the ancestral foundation is afraid that it will be destroyed, and the people of the world will be overwhelmed!"”
Li Yanyuan was the fifth son of Tang Muzong, King Ying, and had no hope of inheriting the throne. In 840, his brother Tang Wenzong was killed, and the eunuch Qiu Shiliang and others considered the need to support an honest puppet emperor, so they made Li Yan emperor, that is, Tang Wuzong.
After Wuzong ascended the throne, he was still addicted to alchemy on the surface, but secretly attacked the eunuch group headed by Qiu Shiliang. In 843, Qiu Shiliang was defeated and forced to leave Chang'an, and the power of the eunuchs was weakened. At the same time, the local feudal towns grew and threatened the rule.
Wuzong adopted a policy of Huairou and delegated power to the three towns of Heshuo to temporarily quell the rebellion. The town of Zelu was suppressed by force. After the conquest, the towns finally surrendered.
The Uighurs from the north also frequently invaded the frontier. In 844, the Uighur Khan personally led an army of more than 100,000 troops southward, once approaching the city of Chang'an. Emperor Wu adopted a policy of tenderness, providing food to the Uighurs while rallying the forces of the whole country to fight to the death. After a fierce battle of land and land, the Tang army finally defeated the Uighurs and forced them to retreat north to the steppe.
In terms of internal affairs, Wu Zong severely punished the filthy officials and stipulated that those who would be punished with death for a certain amount. With the assistance of Li Deyu, the national strength was restored, and it was called "Huichang Zhongxing".
However, in 845, Wuzong began to implement the so-called "Buddha Eradication Campaign". He believed that the temple was vast but tax-free, which was not good for the national treasury. Therefore, he ordered the demolition of thousands of monasteries, the return of hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns to the laity, and the seizure of monasteries to enrich military expenses.
The movement dealt a devastating blow to Buddhism, leading to its decline. Someone asked Wuzong the reason, and he said, "If I don't destroy the Buddha today, the ancestral foundation is afraid of being destroyed, and the people of the world will not bear their suffering." "Wu Zong believes that Buddhist temples do not pay taxes but occupy a vast area, and many traitorous monks still oppress the people, so they must be rectified. In fact, Wuzong himself also favored Taoism, which was one of the reasons for the destruction of Buddha.
However, Wu Zong's act of exterminating Buddha was also criticized by some. Minister Li Yu bluntly pointed out that do not take the Buddha and the old people to different theories, and good and evil will be rewarded. Although Wu Zong's move can temporarily replenish military spending, it will also have a negative impact in the long run. Li Yu asked Wu Zong to judge the situation and not to advance too hastily.
Wu Zong's extermination of the Buddha did solve the problem of some traitorous monks, but it also made many monks who really practiced homeless. Without much thought, he ordered the destruction of Buddhist temples, which led to the decline of Buddhism and the turmoil of the believers. This has undermined the status of Buddhism in the hearts of the people and is contrary to the golden mean.
Wu Zong believed that since the Buddhist temple did not pay taxes, its property should be confiscated to supplement military expenses. But critics argue that temples have also done many good deeds for the people and should not be abolished lightly. Wu Zong should have engaged in dialogue with the Buddhist community and try to urge them to take the initiative to pay taxes, rather than directly ordering the demolition of the temple and the restoration of the laity.
In the winter of 845, Wuzong became seriously ill, and he realized that he might be too impatient to destroy the Buddha. The crown prince Li Yu asked Wuzong to restore the Buddhist temple, but it was too late. The following year, Wuzong died, and his son Tang Xuanzong succeeded to the throne and issued an order to restore Buddhism.
But Buddhism has not been able to regain its former glory. Historians believe that Wu Zong's reign was relatively short, and his merits and demerits are still controversial, and although his extermination of Buddha had a positive effect, it also had a negative impact in the long run. The achievements and mistakes of his reign should be objectively evaluated.
Author: Wang Gongjian.