Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The number of clergy with ordination certificates shall not exceed the number of successful candidates in the provincial civil service examinations, and shall not exceed one-thousandth of the number of households."

"How many people will be eliminated?"

Upon hearing Qian Qianyi's account, Zhixu was immediately stunned.

Because he never expected the emperor to set such strict restrictions.

Nestorian Christianity was not banned; on the contrary, the Buddhist Association suffered a severe blow.

Among the three religions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, the Confucian representative, the City God Way, was newly established on the basis of the original City God system. The number of City God priests has been expanding, so there is basically no need to worry about not being able to obtain a certificate of ordination.

After the decline of Taoism, there were not enough Taoist priests. In addition, they had a deep connection with the City God, so it was easy for a Taoist priest to become a City God priest. They also did not have to worry too much about obtaining the ordination certificate.

Only Buddhism has the largest number of monks among the three religions, with at least over 100,000.

Ji-wook is very worried that not all of these people can obtain ordination certificates.

Qian Qianyi first informed him that this matter had the greatest impact on Buddhism and that Zhixu's help was needed to persuade the Buddhist community.

He said to Zhixu:

"His Majesty is determined to use religion to promote education and hopes that the priests of the Ming Dynasty will go out into the world."

“Look, Western missionaries have traveled thousands of miles to preach in the Ming Dynasty.”

"However, the Ming Dynasty did not even fully control the surrounding areas, including the Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist religions."

"The Emperor was very dissatisfied with this and even planned to require all priests to have overseas missionary experience."

"After much pleading and persuasion, I finally managed to obtain 50,000 ordination certificates, which were then issued to those who already possessed them."

“Those of you who work in Buddhist and Taoist associations don’t need to worry. There will be 5,000 places specifically for you.”

Zhixu finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Qian Qianyi say that.

He didn't want to have to take the ordination exam while bearing the title of a high-ranking monk.

Passing the exam is a given, but failing it is a major disaster.

So after learning about Qian Qianyi's efforts in this matter, he clasped his hands together in thanks, then frowned and said:

“Five thousand places is a lot, but the number of people working in Buddhist associations across the country is much more than that.”

"Moreover, there is also competition from Taoism, and the City God Bureau will also occupy a spot."

"There will definitely be opposition to changing the ordination certificates, so we need to win over a group of people first."

"Should we issue more ordination certificates and recruit influential religious figures from various regions to serve in their respective religious associations to avoid chaos?"

This is indeed a problem. After thinking for a moment, Qian Qianyi nodded and said:
“It’s worth a try. If it proves feasible, I will make the suggestion to His Majesty.”

"As long as the new ordination certificate system can be implemented smoothly, Your Majesty does not mind releasing more quotas."

"As for the proportions..."

Qian Qianyi paused for a moment, then continued:
"The Emperor did not stipulate the ratio of personnel from the three religions, but he stipulated that at least half of the temples must be temples directly controlled by the City God."

"Non-orthodox temples account for no more than one-tenth."

"The remaining 40% will be contested by Buddhist, Taoist, and other righteous gods. It depends on your abilities."

"The final ratio of priests will be roughly similar to the number of temples. Each orthodox temple must be presided over by a priest with a formal ordination certificate."

This was clearly a very impactful policy. Zhixu sighed, thinking about the existing number of Buddhist temples and monks and nuns.

"It seems that our Buddhist community is about to suffer a calamity. I wonder how many of the existing temples will survive."

"However, what Mu Weng said about 40% is not correct. Actually, it should be 50% available for competition, as long as it does not exceed the number of temples under the City God's jurisdiction."

Qian Qianyi was taken aback upon hearing this, but after a moment's thought, he immediately understood what Zhixu meant.

The emperor said that non-orthodox temples should not exceed 10%, but that did not mean that 10% of the places had to be reserved for them.

If there are enough orthodox temples, it is entirely possible to seize all the non-orthodox temples.

Zhixu intended to make amends from them and strive to preserve more Buddhist temples.

Qian Qianyi himself was inclined towards Buddhism, and he said to Zhixu:

"The belief in heretical deities is not protected by the imperial court."

"But as long as they don't violate the relevant laws, the imperial court is too lazy to crack down on them."

“In the future, religious order will mainly be maintained by the City God and the Buddhist and Taoist religions, suppressing the existence of other non-orthodox churches.”

"Whether it's Buddhism or Taoism, the imperial court supports any attempt to destroy mountains and temples. Master Zhixu, just go ahead and do it."

As he spoke, his brow furrowed, and he thought of the emperor's protection of Nestorianism, so he deliberately said:

"Several Nestorian churches were preserved in the interior, which shows that the court did not completely ban Christianity."

"The Court of Imperial Sacrifices will compile a list and implement an access system for temples in various regions. Regardless of whether they are temples of righteous gods or not, if any temple is built without authorization and is not on the list, the Buddhist Association may send missionaries to occupy it."

"The Buddhist temples that need to be protected should be listed as soon as possible, and their property should be declared and the corresponding religious taxes should be paid in accordance with the imperial system."

"It is best to distribute them in a dispersed manner, and not exceed the number of local City God Temples and temples dedicated to the Mountain God, Earth God, and Water God."

Zhi Xu was naturally delighted by this, and even very glad that the current Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was inclined towards Buddhism.

Knowing about the policy in advance, he was able to take care of temples with whom he had close ties and distribute Buddhist temples in a dispersed manner.

Wherever there are city god temples, village temples, mountain god temples, or water god temples, he intends to arrange Buddhist temples and, within the limits, to arrange as many monks as possible.
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But this is still not enough, Zhixu said:

"There are hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns in Buddhism, and it is impossible to accommodate them all within the quota."

"The only option is to send them abroad to preach and obtain foreign ordination certificates."

"What the old man just said about Nestorian Christianity coming from thousands of miles away to spread its teachings is indeed thought-provoking."

"This humble monk plans to establish a missionary association under the Buddhist Association, specifically responsible for spreading the faith abroad."

"Major temples should donate a portion of their funds to help smaller temples relocate overseas."

This cooperative attitude pleased Qian Qianyi greatly, who praised it, saying:
"The religious tax was modeled after the property tax and was directly included in the imperial treasury as tribute."

"However, His Majesty is benevolent and will allocate a portion of the tax revenue as a religious fund to promote the unity of religions."

"Furthermore, at my suggestion, His Majesty has permitted additional taxes on non-Buddhist deities. It has now been decided to impose an additional tithe on Nestorianism and its followers, with the proceeds going into the religious fund."

“In the future, other churches and believers will also be subject to additional taxes, but believers of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism will not be subject to additional taxes.”

This news also greatly surprised Zhixu.

Because other churches and believers are subject to additional taxes, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, which are not subject to these additional taxes, gain a corresponding advantage.

Unless they have nothing better to do, ordinary people are unlikely to want to pay more taxes.

Unless one is extremely devout, many believers will withdraw from the faith.

Given such a significant advantage, if Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism couldn't defeat the other religions, they should just give up and die. He looked at Qian Qianyi gratefully, and then became interested in the religious foundation Qian Qianyi had mentioned—

This is clearly a huge sum of money, and it will likely grow even larger in the future.

He asked Qian Qianyi:

How are religious funds allocated?

What constitutes promoting the unity of various religions?

Qian Qianyi said:

"The revision and annotation of the classics of various religions, and the elimination of contradictions, naturally constitute the unity of all religions."

"Currently, this money is mainly used to identify the scriptures of various religions, compile examination materials, and replace the old scriptures with new ones."

"If there is a surplus, we will encourage the activities of various religions. For example, missionary work and the promotion of education abroad can also be seen as promoting the unity of various religions."

Speaking of this, Qian Qianyi specifically instructed:
"Your Majesty's purpose in reforming religion is to spread your teachings and promote enlightenment abroad."

"The Emperor ordered all religions to establish missionary funds to support clergy who go out to spread their faith."

"The Court of Imperial Sacrifices will allocate funds to the missionary funds of various religions based on the effectiveness of their missionary work."

“You previously mentioned asking major temples to donate funds, which can then be placed in a missionary fund.”

"I will issue a document to the Imperial Treasury, allowing you to inspect the religious tax collection of Buddhist temples and to view the account books of each temple."

“The Buddhist Association can require major temples to donate at least one-tenth of their income as a missionary fund. If any temple is found to be evading taxes or declaring incorrect amounts of assets, it can be reported to the Taifu Temple and a fine or reward can be obtained.”

“This money will be directly incorporated into the Buddhist mission fund to support missionary work abroad.”

The Buddhist Association was given financial power, allowing them to force donations from major temples, which is essentially a form of taxation.

Zhi Xu was naturally delighted by this, as it meant that the scattered Buddhism would form a core, just like the Jingjiao Church.

During this period, he did a lot of research on the Jingdezhen Church and found that their College of Cardinals, dioceses, and so on were very advanced organizations.

This resulted in the Nestorian Church, despite its internal disputes, being able to project a unified message.

Buddhism is mainly represented by major temples, and some eminent monks are even more famous than the temples and sects.

Zhixu had always taken this for granted and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. It wasn't until he saw how the Nestorian Church, with fewer than 10,000 followers, united as one and displayed great fighting power, that he realized Buddhism had to reform. Otherwise, relying solely on a temple or a high-ranking monk would not be able to defeat the Nestorian Church, whose number of followers would increase in the future.

Therefore, he set his sights on the Buddhist Association platform, intending to transform it from a nominal entity into a real one, turning it from a coordinating and deliberative body into the core of Buddhism.

Obtaining funding was a crucial step; he obtained the power to compel donations from Qian Qianyi.

This will make the Buddhist Association rich, which it can use to print scriptures, publish newspapers, and further expand its influence.

His next step is to control Buddhist associations in various regions and even seize the power to appoint abbots of major temples.

However, this step is a bit difficult, as it requires competing with the Buddhist Registry for relevant power.

Fortunately, the imperial court did not pay much attention to this and rarely interfered with the appointment of abbots in major temples.

Zhi Xu hopes to use his reputation and the Buddhist Association to consolidate power.

The imperial court's rectification of religion and the reissue of ordination certificates became the opportunity for him to reform the Buddhist Association.

He hoped to gain dominance in Buddhism through this matter.
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Qian Qianyi was aware of this, but he didn't care at all.

The imperial court has always rarely interfered in the internal affairs of major religions, and even the current emperor has no interest in appointing abbots.

He was merely following the emperor's orders to strengthen the fighting power of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, so that they would not be utterly defeated when facing foreign churches.

The restrictions on the number of temples and ordination certificates are ostensibly aimed at limiting the three religions (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism), but in reality, they are designed to restrict foreign religious groups.

To avoid Zhixu misunderstanding and to have him convey the relevant information to the Buddhist community, Qian Qianyi casually picked up a plate and said to Zhixu:

"His Majesty's allocation of proportions for temples and priests of various religions this time, while imposing certain restrictions on Buddhism, is generally beneficial."

"Look at this plate; it represents the vast religious sphere. The Emperor allocated half of this plate to the City God Bureau, which is now directly controlled by the imperial court."

"The remaining 40% to 50% was given to the Buddhist and Taoist Orthodox Church."

"Less than 10% of the space is allocated to other churches."

"Now that Buddhism has gained this status, you don't have to worry about it completely declining and being replaced by religions like Nestorianism."

"This is tantamount to fixing the current religious situation, blocking the space for other churches to expand, and they will never have the opportunity to be compared with the three religions."

"You need to make this clear to the people in the Buddhist Association, so that those ignorant people won't object."

Zhi Xu was able to think of this, but he also had doubts. He asked Qian Qianyi:
"The forty percent that His Majesty mentioned refers to the temples of the main gods."

"How can we be sure that the deities worshipped by churches like Nestorianism won't become legitimate gods and also compete for that 40-50% share?"

Qian Qianyi laughed heartily:
"That depends on how you do it."

"If Buddhism and Taoism include enough deities as orthodox gods, the common people will not need other beliefs, and the imperial court will naturally not arbitrarily confer titles upon orthodox gods in the future."

“In the future, the requirements for a true God will become higher and higher. Those who cling to the doctrine of original sin, like the Nestorian Church, will find it difficult to become a true God church.”

When this was mentioned, Zhixu burst into laughter, his face beaming with pride.

His masterpiece was to link the theory of original sin with the theory of human nature being evil, and to cite the Weiwei Temple's paper on secondary crimes, which revealed the differences between Confucianism and Nestorianism in one fell swoop.

Given that even Xunzi was considered a heretic, Nestorianism, which adhered to the doctrine of original sin, was naturally viewed with hostility by contemporary Confucian scholars.

The so-called "Western Confucianism" is no longer mentioned.

Some even demanded that Nestorian clergy wear special attire and no longer be allowed to use the clothing and headwear of Confucian scholars.

Nestorian church architecture was also considered to be of a foreign style, and there were demands to transform it into a Chinese style.

It can be said that everything about Nestorianism is now under scrutiny. Their controversies regarding ancestor worship and Confucianism are similarly met with disdain by scholars.

In their view, clergy are like monks, and it's one thing if they don't worship ancestors or Confucius.

The prohibition against believers worshipping ancestors and Confucius is a radical doctrine.

The religious policy of the Ming Dynasty required freedom of belief, and no one could prevent believers from worshipping the state deity.

Believers also have the right to choose their faith; they can believe in only one deity, or multiple deities, or not believe in any god at all.

Nestorian Christianity does not allow the worship of other gods, and it even prohibits the worship of Confucius and ancestors, which is a completely extreme doctrine.

Even the doctrine of original sin was viewed with hostility by many Confucian scholars who abhorred heresy, who considered it an extreme doctrine.

The talk of an apocalypse is similar to the tricks used by many folk religions to intimidate people's beliefs, and is also considered by some to be classified as an extreme doctrine.

The more the discussion went on, the more people discovered the differences between Nestorianism and Confucianism. Nestorianism's pretense of being a Western Confucian was completely exposed, and its previous attacks on Buddhism and other religions also drew a lot of backlash.

All of this was brought about by Zhixu's discovery of the theory of original sin; he reversed the previous situation. Now, he can be considered a pillar of Buddhism in the Ming Dynasty, and even in the entire religious world.

Even Qian Qianyi needed to consult with him before implementing a new ordination certificate system. (End of Chapter)