Foreign religions are above the imperial power and have absolute authority over national politics, such as the pope. Unlike the situation in other countries, religion in China has never dominated the political life of the country with absolute authority, forming the so-called "state religion". On the contrary, the subordination of clerical power to secular power, or the close coordination between clerical power and secular power, is a prominent feature of Chinese religious history.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the state of Buddhism in the north and south was not consistent. In the Southern Dynasty, it was "Shamen who does not worship the king". According to the teachings of Buddhism, when a person leaves home and converts to Buddhism, he only worships the Three Jewels and does not respect his parents and kings, and his surname and age are also divided into monks and laymen. However, Buddhism in the Northern Dynasties had a strong national political color, that is, Buddhism was more closely subordinate to secular power, and praying for the prosperity of the country and the blessing of the emperor was the primary righteousness. For example, the Yungang Grottoes were excavated at the foot of Wuzhou Mountain in the west of Datong City, not because Wuzhou Mountain has been a sacred mountain for the emperor since Emperor Wei Ming and Yuan Emperor. Emperor Ming Yuan took the monk Faguo as the Taoist system, and ordered "Shamen to guide folk customs". It was this monk named Faguo who, as the supreme Buddhist head of the Northern Wei Dynasty, took the lead in paying homage to the emperor. He famously said: "Those who can conquer the Tao are also masters, I do not worship the Son of Heaven, but worship the Buddha's ear." ”
The reason for paying homage to the current emperor is that the emperor is not only good at Taoism but also "able to flourish", which is conducive to the smooth development of Buddhism. After the death of Emperor Taiwu, the first abolition of Buddha in Chinese history, Emperor Wencheng issued an edict in the first year of his accession to the throne (452 AD) "There is a stone statue of the emperor, so that the body of the emperor is like the emperor." It is completed, there are black stones on the face and feet, and the sunspots on and off the emperor's body are the same." As soon as the wind opens, it becomes more and more blazing. Longmen Binyang three holes, that is, Xuanwu Emperor Jingming in the early years (AD 5) for Gaozu, Wenzhao Empress Dowager each dug one, and later for Sejong to dig a together called "Binyang three holes".
From the beginning of Emperor Wen of the Western Wei Dynasty for Empress Wen Yi Fu's "digging wheat for the niche and burial" (now the 43rd cave of Maiji Mountain), the northern grottoes also have the function of digging caves for mausoleums. The grottoes of Xiangtang Mountain in the North Qi Dynasty, that is, the cave was dug to accommodate the coffin of Gao Yang. This custom was followed until the Longmen Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty. If so, it is not difficult to understand that some well-known large grottoes were built at the initiative of the emperor.