Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The debate between Buddhism and Nestorianism turned into a magical duel, with both religions exposing each other's shortcomings.

One consequence was that Buddhism's reputation was affected, and Nestorianism received even more attention.

In particular, the protection of Nestorian Christianity by Xu Guangqi and others made many monks realize that:
In order to further combat Nestorianism, it is necessary to sever the relationship between Confucianism and Nestorianism.

Zhi Xu, who came from a Confucian family, said at a Buddhist association gathering:
“When Nestorianism came from the West, it first disguised itself as Western monks, and then as Western scholars.”

“If we don’t expose their disguise, even more people will be deceived.”

"We must dig out the differences between Nestorianism and Confucianism, so that they can no longer pretend to be Western Confucianists."

The monks present echoed this sentiment, as they had been studying Nestorian doctrines extensively during this period.

However, based on the Ten Commandments and other precepts, Nestorianism's prohibitions against murder, adultery, and theft seem to have some similarities with Confucianism.

Finding out their differences will be difficult in the short term.

Just as the monks were in a dilemma, Zhixu ordered someone to distribute a newspaper and said to them:

"Take a look at this article; perhaps it can help you break this deadlock."

The monks, including Yuanxian, looked at the newspaper with curiosity, and some of them read it aloud in hushed tones:

“A Study on the Probability of Second Offenses by Criminals”.

"This is the journal of the Security Academy, specifically for the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

It turned out that what Zhixu had taken out was a newspaper sponsored by the Jinyiwei Security Academy, which was almost exclusively circulated within the Security Academy and related government offices.

It's unclear how Zhixu came to notice the article in the newspaper, but the monks present read it carefully.

This made many monks uncomfortable, because they did not think that the research conducted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard had anything to do with them.

Many people, especially those without academic training, find this style of writing extremely uncomfortable.

Even the monks who came from Confucian backgrounds were the same. Although they recognized every word in the article, they did not understand Zhixu's purpose in mentioning it.

Zhixu addressed the crowd:

"Upon careful examination of the conclusion, this article argues that individuals with prior criminal records are more likely to re-offend."

"Especially in theft, robbery and fraud gangs, the core members are all habitual offenders."

Do you agree with this conclusion?

This aligns with common knowledge; many monks, during their travels, come into contact with people from all walks of life and naturally know these things.

Some monks, recalling the debate from some time ago, had a sudden inspiration and said:
"exactly!"

"Therefore, Buddha saves all sentient beings, and even criminals can join the Buddhist order."

“Once they join the Buddhist order, they will naturally stop committing crimes.”

"Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot"—that's the principle.

The intention is to use this conclusion to defend Buddhism and explain why Buddhism harbors criminals.

This clearly made Zhixu lose his composure, and he immediately reprimanded her:

"The Buddhist temple opens its doors wide, but that doesn't mean it will accept just anyone."

“If you break the law, you will naturally be punished by law before you can collect the money.”

"You must never allow the teachings to override the rites and laws. Have you forgotten the lessons of the past?"

The monks, recalling the emperor's recent repeated mentions of the persecution of Buddhism by the Three Wu and One Zong emperors, which led to the assimilation of Buddhism, fell silent in fear.

They all knew that the current emperor was ruthless towards all religions; when he previously levied religious taxes, he would directly send troops to their doorsteps.

If the Buddhist community dares to defy the laws of the state and violate the rites and music that have been re-established by the emperor, it will inevitably face another blow.

The current emperor, being a descendant of the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva, is generally close to Buddhism. They cannot violate etiquette or offend the current emperor's taboos.

After Zhixu's warning, no one defended harboring criminals anymore. In fact, many high-ranking monks proposed that in order to ensure that monks and nuns must have a clean background, they should be allowed to become monks and nuns.

Monks can be punished criminals, but they cannot harbor people who have committed crimes and are now escaping their responsibilities.

Buddhist temples must not become places of filth and corruption, especially those that obstruct the imperial court's pursuit and invite trouble.

The saying "Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot" has been given a more specific interpretation, avoiding a conflict between doctrine and national law.
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After reaching this consensus, Zhixu continued:
"When you study Nestorianism, have you noticed that Nestorianism believes that humans are born sinful?"

They believe that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God's command by eating the forbidden fruit, and that this is how humankind came into being.

"The existence of humankind is a sin, an inherent sin known as original sin."

"Therefore, Nestorianism believes that everyone has committed sins."

This viewpoint is truly groundbreaking.

After pondering these words and reading the newspaper article, the monks immediately understood Zhixu's meaning:
Since Nestorianism believed that everyone has committed crimes, it meant that everyone was prone to committing crimes again.

This is clearly detrimental to the path towards universal harmony, as the doctrines of Nestorianism are inherently problematic.

Yuan Xian, who also came from a Confucian background, said even more loudly:

"This is even more evil than Xunzi's theory of the inherent evil of human nature; it can be called the theory of original sin."

"Everyone carries evil within them, so how can they turn to good?"

"This is not a Western Confucian scholar, it is clearly a heretic!"

Xunzi's scholarship has always been an anomaly within Confucianism, and even the current emperor is extremely cautious about quoting him. He demands that schools of thought such as practical learning and science selectively adopt his ideas, rather than accepting them wholesale.

The theory of inherent evil had no place in the Ming Dynasty.

The six characters “人之初，性本善” (At the beginning of life, people are inherently good) are the opening lines of the enlightenment book “Three Character Classic”.

Therefore, upon realizing that Western Confucianism adhered to a theory of original sin, which was even more evil than the theory of inherent evil, the monks immediately understood that this would certainly deal a significant blow to Nestorianism. They also understood the purpose of Zhixu showing them this article—

This is to quote the article's conclusion to illustrate the harm of Nestorianism:

Once the Nestorian doctrine of original sin spreads widely, more people will commit crimes again.

This is clearly detrimental to stability and the pursuit of harmony, so Nestorianism must be suppressed, and even this heresy must be expelled.
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At Zhixu's suggestion, the monks published articles to expound on and criticize the theory of original sin.

Some people were even assigned by him to write academic papers and submit them to academic journals and publications.

Monks in the Ming Dynasty began to receive more comprehensive academic training and improve their theoretical knowledge.

The concept of "original sin" spread widely and became a label associated with Nestorianism.

Some Confucian scholars recognized the deep-seated contradictions between Confucianism and Nestorianism.

These missionaries were not "Western scholars" at all; even if they were, they belonged to heresy.

Heretics are more hateful than heretics; this is a hidden view in many people's hearts.

They can tolerate the spread of other religions, but they cannot tolerate the existence of heresy. Especially with Confucianism today, because of the empty talk brought about by the introduction of Zen Buddhism into Confucianism, many people are extremely sensitive to heresies and false doctrines.

In recent years, there was also an activity to suppress the fanatical Zen sect, which resulted in the deaths of Li Zhi and others.

The rise of Donglin Academy was under the guise of reviving Neo-Confucianism, which can be seen as a revival of Neo-Confucian fundamentalism. These people were also the most vehement in their attacks on heresies and false doctrines.

In this context, Nestorianism, which identified itself as a Western Confucian school, was exposed by Buddhism for its so-called theory of original sin. Many scholars began to realize that this was a heresy even more evil than the theory of inherent evil.

Scholars who had previously remained neutral or observed the situation began to criticize the move.

The doctrines of original sin and indulgences have been studied in depth and are regarded as tricks used by Nestorianism to fool people and collect money.

Some more extreme views even suggest that the spread of Nestorianism should be banned, and that they should not be allowed to spread heresy.

Some people believe that the theory of original sin is extremism and should be targeted for crackdown by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

In this context, at the first court assembly after the New Year, someone raised the issue of banning Christianity.

Many people have come to recognize the deep-seated contradiction between the traditional doctrines of the Ming Dynasty and Nestorian Christianity.

Officials who disliked this or were afraid of the trouble felt that it should be banned outright.

Whether Nestorian Christianity should be banned again has begun to be brought to the forefront.
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Xu Guangqi and others naturally tried their best to defend Nestorianism, and even Zhu Youjian felt that it was not possible to completely ban the religion.

In the current era of the rise of Western civilization, dealing with Christianity and Christians is unavoidable.

Rather than completely banning those who don't understand it, it would be better to support the Church of Christ in Christendom, conduct in-depth research on this religion, and reduce the space for other religious groups to operate.

Therefore, in response to officials' requests to ban religion, Zhu Youjian said:
"Since we have nothing else to do today, let's have a good discussion between the ruler and his subjects: Is human nature inherently good, or inherently evil, or are humans born with original sin?"

Let's start with academic discussions and downplay the issue.

This clearly piqued the interest of officials, and Liu Zongzhou, a leader in academia, was the first to speak out:
Mencius said: "The goodness of human nature is like the downward flow of water. There is no human being who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward."

"Human nature is inherently good, just like water flows downwards; it's an innate principle."

Lao Tzu also said that the highest good is like water, and both Confucianism and Taoism agree that human nature is inherently good.

This view is the mainstream opinion in the Ming Dynasty, but some people have different views. Qian Qianyi, who secretly supports Buddhism, added:
"Buddhism believes that human nature transcends good and evil."

"Master Zhiyi, the founder of the Tiantai school, believed that human nature has both good and evil aspects; this is the theory that human nature is inherently good and evil."

Yang Xiong also believed that human nature is a mixture of good and evil, while Han Yu believed that human nature has three grades: superior, middle, and inferior.

"I believe that the three categories of good, evil, and crime are also three grades."

Zhu Youjian agreed with this view and nodded, saying:
"Whether a person is inherently good or evil, there are always some biases."

"A person is born like a blank sheet of paper; how can one distinguish between good and evil?"

"Therefore, when a person is first born, he or she is neither good nor evil, yet he or she possesses both good and evil qualities."

"It is only after growing up and being influenced by those around us that we understand what good and evil are."

Mencius said: "Human nature can be good or it can be evil." The reason he proposed the theory of the inherent goodness of human nature was to cultivate an atmosphere that promotes goodness as a whole. In this way, children will be influenced and will take the initiative to do good, which is conducive to the promotion of education and social harmony.

"Xunzi's theory of the inherent evil of human nature easily leads people to evil, and therefore it has been rejected by people throughout history."

"However, this theory also has some significance. When formulating etiquette and laws, we must guard against the evil in human nature, guide people to do good and improve their morality, and prevent good people from being harmed by bad people."

This was Zhu Youjian's consistent attitude. He had previously quoted Xunzi, proposing that "rites and laws should guard against the evil in human nature" and that rites and laws should be used to guide people toward goodness. Most of his ministers agreed with this point.

Liu Zongzhou said:

"Mr. Dongyan once said: Mencius said that human nature is inherently good, but the reason why it is not good is because people are obsessed with material desires."

"Human nature does indeed have an evil side, and people can be tempted to do evil."

"Therefore, we should use the theory of inherent goodness to guide more people toward goodness."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, and then quoted four sentences of Wang Yangming's teachings, saying:

As Yangming once said: "The mind in its original state is neither good nor evil; the movement of the mind can be either good or evil. Knowing good and evil is innate knowledge; doing good and eliminating evil is the investigation of things."

"It is evident that Mr. Yangming also believed that human nature is neither good nor evil, yet it contains both good and evil."

"Only by knowing good and evil can one know what conscience is."

"To do good and avoid evil is the study of investigating things, and one must attain conscience through practical actions."

"The philosophy of mind incorporates some viewpoints from Buddhism, which is indeed unique, and this is why Wang Yangming was able to be enshrined in the Temple of Confucius."

This was an affirmation of Wang Yangming and his philosophy of mind, and Liu Zongzhou and other followers of the philosophy of mind were extremely excited.

They all spoke up, echoing the emperor's theory that good and evil coexist and that people should be guided towards goodness. This is actually the theory of the inherent goodness of human nature, a theory proposed by Mencius and believed by Confucian scholars.

In the past, the debate over good and evil would have ended there.

But that's not enough now, because a theory of original sin has emerged that goes a step further than the theory of inherent evil.

If even the doctrine of inherent evil is being asked to restrict its spread, what should be done about the doctrine of original sin? Should it be completely banned?
Qian Qianyi said:

"If the theory of inherent evil can lead people to evil, the theory of original sin will lead people to commit crimes even more."

"According to the research of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, criminals are more likely to cross the line and reduce their fear of the law after committing a crime, thus committing crimes again."

"The same applies to the doctrine of original sin. People who believe in original sin are more likely to cross the line and commit crimes."

"I believe that the doctrine of original sin should be prohibited and such fallacies should not be spread."

The court officials responded enthusiastically, expressing strong opposition to the heretical doctrine of original sin.

Xu Guangqi was unable to offer any explanation under these circumstances.

Even Zhu Youjian, after considering it, could only say:
"Whether it is the theory of inherent goodness, the theory of inherent evil, or the Nestorian doctrine of original sin, they can all be considered theories and should not be completely prohibited."

"However, the theories of inherent evil and original sin are indeed detrimental to social stability, and the spread of these two theories should be restricted."

“Especially the doctrine of original sin. Those who believe in it think they have original sin, so treat them as criminals with a criminal record, and make sure to write it down on their resume.”

"The Education Committee formulated relevant laws and implemented this method for all sects that preach the doctrine of original sin."

Upon hearing this decision, Qian Qianyi and others praised it, knowing that although the emperor had not banned religion, he had in fact agreed to their proposal.

If believers in the doctrine of original sin are regarded as criminals with criminal records, how can Nestorianism continue to spread?
Upon hearing the emperor's decision, Xu Guangqi and the others swayed and nearly lost their footing.

They never imagined that their belief in Nestorian Christianity would lead to a criminal record.

How can they still be considered innocent and virtuous?
In order not to be seen as having a stain on their reputation, they vehemently opposed the emperor's words.

However, Qian Qianyi and others strongly supported this view, believing that since they considered themselves to have original sin, they should be treated as criminals.

Qian Qianyi, who chaired the Education Committee, was already planning to formulate more laws to guide people towards good and prevent evil. (End of Chapter)