Shaolin should be burned, Yongzheng is not faint
In Hong Kong and Taiwan movies, the scene of Yongzheng burning Shaolin Temple has become a classic episode, and many heroes have been derived from it, such as Shaolin Five Ancestors, Fang Shiyu, Hong Xiguan, Huang Feihong, etc.
However, the authenticity of this legend still needs to be investigated, and we still need to go to ** about whether Yongzheng really burned the Shaolin Temple and why he did it.
Yongzheng ordered the Shaolin Temple to be burned down and the monks relocated, believing that the monks in the temple were not real monks, but treacherous people. In the decree, he clearly pointed out that these people have been abducted and deceived, which has seriously disrupted social order and had a negative impact on Buddhism and the state.
The temple has always been considered a mysterious and sacred place, but in reality, it is not as beautiful as one thinks. The ancients once said: "One person does not enter the temple, two people do not look at the well, and three people do not hold the tree", which is a summary of some of their experience in the temple.
Temples are often located in remote areas deep in the mountains, and the monks are not engaged in farming or commercial activities, so what do they live on? Incense? But not everyone will go to the mountains to burn incense; Fate?
But there is no place in the mountains to make a fortune. So, in order to survive, these monks can only rely on robbing and deceiving passers-by? In times of peace and prosperity or troubled times, people usually choose to make a living by farming in market towns or villages, and the people living in temples are either landless vagrants or unemployed vagrants who commit crimes outside, and it is hard to imagine that anyone would choose to eat fasting and pray Buddha and practice here.
Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Emperor Yongzheng to say that most of the temples are traitors. Even in "Three Words and Two Beats", there is a story of a person named Wang Dayin burning Baolian Temple angrily, you can go and see it.
Overall, the temple is not as pure as we think, and it is also a place full of complex human nature and the stresses of life.
Although Yongzheng's cognition is not completely that the temple is full of bad people, he believes that Buddhism hinders the interests of the ruling class, especially Buddhism's advocacy of non-marriage and childlessness, hinders population development, and thus indirectly hinders the economic development of feudal society, which is the fundamental reason why he wants to burn down the temple.
The Han Dynasty philosopher Fan Zhen also pointed out in the "Theory of Divine Annihilation" that Buddhism was harmful to politics, and that the monks sucked up the people's fat and ointment, resulting in the defeat of soldiers on the battlefield, ** emptiness in the government, and people pursued Buddhism without regard for the livelihood of their families, resulting in social and economic decline.
As a hard-working feudal monarch, Yongzheng should be well versed in these drawbacks.
Although Yongzheng's ancestors used Buddhism to weaken the Mongols, have you ever thought that the Manchus** were actually using this belief to maintain their rule. As a result of this policy, a large number of Mongolian men became lamas without offspring, while Mongolian women were forced to marry men of other ethnic groups, resulting in a sharp decline in the Mongolian population.
Historically, Emperor Wu of Liang's belief in Buddhism also led to the demise of the country, as he made Buddhism the state religion, which led to economic chaos in the country and was eventually broken by the enemy. Therefore, the consequences of believing in Buddhism are not always good and need to be treated with caution.
Most of the eloquent monarchs in history were not keen on Buddhism, and there were even four major events of extermination: Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Yuwenjue of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Wuzong Li Yan of the Tang Dynasty, and Shizong Chai Rong of the Zhou Dynasty.
Their sole purpose is to compete for the supremacy of the world by enriching the country and strengthening the army.
The founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a temple, but after the founding of the country, Taoism flourished and Buddhism declined. This may be because he is deeply aware of the disadvantages of Buddhism. Buddhism was not engaged in production, and when the country was in trouble, temples became refuge for displaced people and lawbreakers, and in times of peace and prosperity, a large number of land would be annexed as an excuse to avoid taxes and forced labor, which did not do more good than harm to the rule of feudal society.
So now, what are the monks doing? Everyone is welcome to comment.