A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 755 Cleaning up the portal
The Ten Virtues Gathered Together.

They were all wearing purple and gold robes; they were all eminent Buddhist monks.

Sitting opposite them,
They were eight prime ministers, all dressed in purple round-necked robes.

This meeting,

Four Gentlemen-at-Arms, eight Grand Masters of Remonstrance, and the heads of the Three Judicial Offices also attended the meeting.

"Which virtuous monk could explain to everyone what the Three Stages Teaching really is?"

Li Yi sat in the main seat, holding a cup of tea, and slowly began this extraordinary meeting.

Zhizang replied: "In general, it encourages people to universally respect, recognize the root of evil, and contemplate the Buddha-nature. Xinxing once practiced asceticism and begged for alms, and worshipped at six times a day. He exerted his mind and strength, and only realized the emptiness of form and the true wisdom."

"The doctrines of faith and practice, through their literal interpretations, often contradict the sacred teachings by a great deal. The Three Stages of Teaching mislead themselves and others, extinguishing the true Dharma!"

This virtuous man's opening remarks were a denial of the Three Stages Sect, directly negating its founder, Xinxing.

What followed was quite lively.
None of the ten virtuous men spoke up for the Three Stages Sect; they all kicked them when they were down.

They had long been dissatisfied with the Three Orders Sect, and now that they had the opportunity, they launched a full-scale attack.

It's often said that the people who know you best are your peers and your competitors, and that's very true.

If you were to ask the eight prime ministers of the Council of State what the Three Stages Sect's doctrines and tenets are, probably few of them could give a clear answer. But if you ask this eminent monk, he knows them all perfectly well.

The Three Stages Teaching has two basic theoretical premises: first, to act according to the root cause; and second, to live in an evil world. These two premises constitute the basic basis of the Three Stages Teaching.

The intention of establishing a teaching through faith and practice is to take the fundamental Buddhist teachings as the guiding principle.

Xinxing believed that since the nature of sentient beings is different at all times, each era should have its own Buddhism that is suitable for the sentient beings of that era, rather than being passed down unchangingly from generation to generation.

When guiding sentient beings, the most important thing is to teach them appropriate methods based on their individual capacities in each era.

This is the karma of ingrained habits, the medicine given in response to the illness.

He divided Buddhism since Shakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment into three stages: time, place, and people.

Now, sentient beings live in this defiled world, and can only learn the universally true and correct Dharma, that is, the universal Dharma. For sentient beings of the third stage of capacity in the Dharma-ending Age, if they want to attain liberation, it is not enough to believe in one Buddha, recite one scripture, or study one Dharma. They must universally return to all Buddhas, all Dharmas, and all Sangha, and must correctly learn all the universally true and correct Dharma in order to achieve true goodness.

He believed that all sentient beings, deluded by reality, possess the potential to become Buddhas—that is, from the perspective of Tathagatagarbha or Buddha-nature—and are therefore all Buddhas. Since they have the potential to become Buddhas, all sentient beings are future Buddhas. He viewed all sentient beings as Buddhas, therefore all sentient beings are Buddhas in the mind of Buddhahood.

All sentient beings in the world are Buddhas, therefore the Four Buddhas are universal Buddhas.

The Ten Great Virtues had a thorough understanding of the Three Stages Teaching, whether it was the doctrine of faith and practice or the later improvements made by their disciples.

Xinxing opposed chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha statues, but he himself copied and compiled the Three Stages Teachings from more than forty kinds of Buddhist scriptures, so that believers would only read the Three Stages Teachings' Buddhist scriptures.

Of course, the Three Stages Sect was able to prosper not because of its beliefs and practices.

The influence of the Three Stages Sect during the Xinxing era was not significant. It was his disciples who established the Wujinzang Temple, using it as the core for propagating the Dharma, coupled with political opportunism.

This allowed the Three-Tier Sect to make rapid progress.

The Endless Treasury was not unique to the Three Stages Sect; similar institutions have existed in Buddhist temples from India to the Central Plains.
Using the money donated by believers as capital, it is used to lend to the poor during famines. No written agreement is required when lending, the interest rate is extremely low, and there is no repayment deadline. It is an act of taking from believers and then helping society.

However, the Wujinzangyuan of the Sanjie Sect, as well as the kitchens and longevity stores of other temples, were all used for usury, using not only the money donated by believers for lending.

They also accepted deposits from believers and merchants, paying low interest rates and then lending the money out at higher interest rates to earn the interest rate spread.

Li Yi heard that this group of virtuous people had been attacking the Third Order Sect for almost half an hour.
He finally spoke.

"I have heard that Huadu Temple and Fuxian Temple, along with other temples of the Three Stages Sect, are soliciting donations and alms everywhere, claiming to be protecting the Dharma and helping the poor and weak."
However, according to the imperial court's investigation, the donations received by the Wujinzang Temple of the Three Ranks Sect were not used to help the poor.
They used it all for usury, calling it a blessing, but it was all sin.

With interest compounded, the interest rate becomes astonishingly high.

When ordinary people are unable to repay their debts on time, they will resort to various forms of debt collection, forcibly seizing property to pay off the debts, or even forcing people into slavery to pay off the debts.

During the famine, they hoarded large quantities of grain but refused to sell them. Instead, they deliberately hoarded and speculated, driving up grain prices to make a profit.

Li Yi brought out the Ten Virtuous Ones and had them attack the Three Stages Sect, denying everything from its doctrines to the Endless Treasury, and then pointing out the many illegal acts committed by the Three Stages monks such as Faya.

This allowed Li Yi to conveniently declare the Third Order Sect a heretical cult and ban its scriptures.

Forbidden Three-Tier Religion
His inexhaustible collection of treasures was confiscated, and the confiscated property was registered. This sum was three cents.

The first portion was specifically designated for the repair of Buddhist temples and statues, and was used exclusively for this purpose.

The second portion is specifically for providing relief to orphans, widows, and the disabled; it is earmarked for this purpose only.

The third portion was used to lend to people in need, regardless of whether they were scholars, farmers, artisans, or merchants. The monthly interest rate was only four percent, and the interest rate could not exceed the principal. There was no compound interest, and this money was also used for a specific purpose.

“The three-tiered courtyards in all temples must be separated from the main courtyards and connected so that the monks of the three tiers can live together with the ordinary monks and not live separately.”

All the scriptures of the Three Stages Sect were classified as apocryphal and were to be destroyed and banned.

The monks of the Three Stages Sect are to undergo a major investigation.

They should be examined for their understanding of Buddhist scriptures and their conduct investigated.

Those who are of bad character must be forced to return to secular life.

Even those of good character must pass an examination to be able to recite Buddhist scriptures and understand their meaning before they can be formally granted a certificate of ordination and become monks; otherwise, they will be forced to return to secular life.

also,

The temple properties of the Three Stages Sect, except for the Inexhaustible Treasury, including temple fields and workshops, were all confiscated. Each monk was given twenty mu of land, and in addition to observing the precepts and meditating, they were also required to observe a long-term vegetarian diet and do labor.

Marrying wives, having concubines, having children, eating meat, and drinking alcohol are prohibited; those who break these rules will be forced to return to secular life.

Each monk is exempt from corvée labor, and his twenty mu of allotted land is also exempt from regular taxes, but he still has to pay two liters of grain per mu for the granary.

The Threefold Sect (Sanjiejiao) prohibits its monasteries and monks from accepting donations of money or other forms of charity. In fact,
Even those monks of the Three Stages Sect who manage to stay will have to switch to other sects.

Of the two or three thousand monks of the third rank in Chang'an, at least 90% must be weeded out this time.

Those who eat meat, marry wives and have children, must all return to secular life.

The rulings announced by Li Yi all stated that they only targeted the heretical Sanjie Sect and did not apply to other sects and temples of the Buddhist community.

Even the confiscated inexhaustible treasury, one-third of which was used as a special fund for the maintenance of Buddhist temples and statues, would benefit the temples as well.

"This time, the imperial court is cleaning up the Buddhist community. It will not tolerate those morally corrupt and immoral monks and will remove them all to prevent them from creating chaos and damaging the reputation of Buddhism."

“We must make every single one of these Buddhist scoundrels, Faya, a prime example!”

Zhizang took the lead in expressing his firm support for the imperial court's decision to rectify Buddhism and purge corrupt elements.

Li Yi instructed the Secretariat to draft an official document banning the Three-Tier Sect and had the Ten Virtuous Ones sign it.

Carrying the document signed by the Ten Virtuous Ones, Li Yi went to see the Emperor.

"They're at least sensible."

Li Shimin flipped through the documents, his face showing no sign of amusement. "I didn't know until I checked, and what I found was shocking."
This Huadu Temple is simply a den of demons.

That place was once the site of Xinxing's missionary work, but surprisingly, there were hardly any good monks to be found there.

Not only did the monks misbehave, but the numerous eunuchs and servants in charge of affairs in the temple were the same.

"When Hou Junji and his men raided Huadu Temple, they reported that the money, silk, gold and silver treasures donated by believers in the Wujinzang Courtyard of Huadu Temple were piled up like mountains, and the amount was countless."

It is said that believers often compete to donate, so much so that there is often no need to wait in line.

Pei Xuanzhi, who managed the Wujinzang Courtyard in the temple, was a lay Buddhist. When Xinxing was the abbot of Huadu Temple (then called Zhenji Temple), Pei Xuanzhi followed him from Hedong to Zhenji Temple in Chang'an.

He was very devout, strictly observed the precepts, and diligently practiced his spiritual cultivation. He was responsible for cleaning and sweeping in the temple, a job he did for more than ten years.

For this reason, he was later put in charge of guarding the Endless Treasury.

However, this person secretly stole gold, stealing a little bit every day, accumulating it over time.

This time, Hou Junji and his men unexpectedly discovered that this person had stolen gold during their sudden raid on the Wujinzang Courtyard of Huadu Temple.

They initially thought he had only stolen a small amount, but during interrogation, they learned that he had been stealing continuously and had actually stolen several thousand taels of gold from the Wujinzang Temple.

This guy had already stolen enough gold and planned to take it all and never return, going back to Hedong to live a life of wealth and anonymity. But he was caught red-handed.

He even wrote a poem during his trial.
A sheep is herded under the wolf's chin, a bone is placed before the dog. Unless one is an Arhat, how can one avoid stealing?

A mere eunuch, the caretaker of the Wujinzang Temple, stole several thousand taels of gold in just a few years, and no one noticed.

This reveals the chaotic management of Huadu Temple and the immense wealth of Wujinzang Temple.

Otherwise, how could such a large sum of gold have gone unnoticed?

A universally acknowledged good-natured person turned out to be a master thief.

There isn't a single good person in this temple.

Faya and others married wives and concubines, had children, and even kept female entertainers.

Not only that, they also had an underground cave where they would lure and imprison young and beautiful women who came to offer incense, then use them for their own sexual pleasure.

Once they'd had their fill of playing with them, they'd be handed over to human traffickers to be sold to places like Lingnan, Sichuan, or the northern frontier. Those who resisted to the death often met with brutal violence.

"It's time for the Shamen (Buddhist sects) to be reformed."

Li Yi was prepared for this and wasn't surprised at all.

"Your Majesty, proceed slowly and do not rush. First, clean up the Three-Tier Sect. After it is cleaned up, then take the opportunity to abolish the power of the Ten Virtuous Monks to manage the affairs of the monks and nuns, and transfer the power to manage the temple affairs under the Ministry of Revenue."

From now on, the title of "Great Virtue" will only be an honorary title, awarded to some eminent monks, and will no longer be a monastic official title.

Take it one step at a time.

After the management of monks and nuns is centralized under the Ministry of Rites, ordination certificates for monks and nuns will be issued nationwide, and they will be subject to assessment, and even restrictions will be placed on the number of temples, monasteries, and monks and nuns.

As for strengthening the management of monks and Taoist priests,

They were forbidden from eating meat, forced to observe a strict vegetarian diet, prohibited from lending money or operating workshops, and forbidden from acquiring land, among other things.

These things cannot be rushed.
One step at a time.

It was done too hastily.

That would be considered the suppression of Buddhism. Although there have been four anti-Buddhist movements in history, they were all too hasty and had endless consequences.

Don't always think about achieving everything in one fell swoop.
The idea of ​​a quick victory is not advisable.

Those who need to learn from teachers should be mentally prepared for a long-term battle; there's no need to rush.

Now, the Three-Tier Sect is a great opportunity. Other sects represented by the Ten Virtues are all willing to cooperate in dealing with the Three-Tier Sect. This is a rare opportunity.

After the Three-Tier Sect forbids it,
This naturally caused the hole to be torn open.

Many temples today share the same problems as the Three-Tiered Sect temples. Their most harmful aspect to the country is, of course, their land grabbing, tax evasion, and concealment of a large population as tenants and servants.
And activities such as usury that seriously damage the national economy.

Compared to that, things like eating meat, drinking alcohol, and taking wives and concubines are nothing.

(End of this chapter)