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

Chapter 762 This humble monk's Dharma name is Xuanzang
Daxingshan Temple.

The temple was magnificent and the largest in the capital, occupying an entire ward of Chang'an.

Moreover, this is located on one side of the Heavenly Street, with Daxingshan Temple on the left and Xuandu Temple on the right. These two royal temples are situated on the highest point corresponding to the "Nine-Five" of the Six Roads of Chang'an.

When Emperor Wen of Sui built Daxing City, the land of "Nine-Five" (九五) was considered the land of a flying dragon in the sky, representing the supreme ruler, and naturally could not be given to ordinary people to live in. Therefore, along the Heavenly Street, the Daxingshan Temple on the left and the Xuandu Temple on the right each occupied a ward.

As one of the three major translation centers in Chang'an,

Daxingshan Temple was originally built more than 300 years ago during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty. It was originally named Zunshan Temple. When Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty built the new Chang'an City, he moved Zunshan Temple to Jingshanfang in the city. After the new temple was built, it was named Daxingshan Temple, taking the two characters "Daxing" from Daxing City and the character "Shan" from the name of the ward.

During the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty, Indian monks such as Jñānagupta and Dhāgupta came to Chang'an and translated Buddhist scriptures at the Daxingshan Temple. After the Sui Dynasty conquered the Southern Chen Dynasty, many eminent monks from the Southern Dynasties also came to Chang'an, and many of them translated scriptures and spread the Dharma at the Daxingshan Temple.

The emperor, who originally planned to go hunting and relax in the Zhongnan Mountains, was invited to Daxingshan Temple today by Li Yi after being advised against it by Wei Zheng.

The recent crackdown on the Three-Tier Cult

It was fierce.

With the active participation of various sects of the Buddhist community led by the Ten Great Virtues in the encirclement and suppression, the Three Realms Sect couldn't even make a ripple.

Today, Li Yi invited the emperor to Daxingshan Temple because the final battle to eliminate the Three-Tier Sect is to be completed here.

"The third-rank monks of all the three-rank temples and the three-rank academies of various temples in Chang'an City"

More than three thousand people have come to Daxingshan Temple today to take the exam.

Li Shimin looked at the enormous Buddhist temple.
"The Three-Tier Sect has been gaining momentum in recent years, but if we're talking about the most influential temple in Chang'an, it has to be the Daxingshan Temple!"

When Daxingshan Temple was built, it became the largest temple in Chang'an, with a system similar to that of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Its founder, Master Lingzang, was a close friend of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, and was appointed by Yang Jian as the Zhaoxuan Tongseng Guan, who managed all the monks and nuns in the country.

After that, the monk Meng, who succeeded him as the head of the Zhaoxuan lineage, and his entourage, all resided in this temple.

In the seventh year of the Kaihuang era, Huiyuan, Sengxiu, Baozhen, Hongzun, and Tanqian were summoned to the capital and appointed as the Six Great Eminent Monks. More than 300 monks were also brought to the temple for offerings, and they were ordered to practice the Way for the country.

The temple also had a post station, and many Indian monks came here to translate scriptures and spread the Dharma.

"What are the specific contents of the exam?" Li Shimin asked.

"The examination mainly consists of two parts: interpretation of the classics and moral character. The interpretation of the classics is divided into two parts: 'writing the text' and 'writing the text'," Li Yi explained to the emperor. He explained that both 'writing the text' and 'writing the text' were the methods used in the imperial examinations for understanding the classics. 'Writing the text' was equivalent to filling in the blanks, while 'writing the text' was equivalent to understanding the text itself.

This assessment of the Three-Tier Sect,

The imperial court selected ten classic Buddhist scriptures, such as the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the Surangama Sutra, requiring that monks of the third rank who participated in the examination must be proficient in these three scriptures.

You can choose three classics from these ten classics and take the corresponding exam based on your choices.

The examinations for copying scriptures and writing on ink were written tests, while the examinations for moral character involved both an interview and a background check.

Anyway,

Without real skills, one cannot pass this exam, especially since this exam is a unified test for all monks regardless of their status in the temple, and the papers will be graded anonymously afterward.

The examiners consisted of three groups: first, visiting monks such as the Indian monk Bopo from the Daxingshan Post Station Monastery; second, eminent monks from major temples in Chang'an, including the Daxingshan Temple; and third, monks from other temples such as the Daxingshan Temple.

The third group consisted of court officials.

This exam paper will be reviewed three times by these three groups of people.

"How many of the three thousand monks from the Three Ranks Sect in Chang'an do you think will pass?" Li Shimin asked.

Li Yi's elaborate and grand examination this time was somewhat unexpected.

"I estimate that about 30% of the candidates will pass the written test, but if there is an oral test and background check, the chances will be at most 10%."

In fact, Li Yi had no intention of passing it.

He planned to select one out of more than three thousand monks of the Third Rank Sect.

In the end, only about thirty were selected, and those who passed were granted monk certificates.

Mastering three out of ten Buddhist scriptures is no easy feat. From its inception, the Three Stages Sect (三阶教) forbade its monks from reciting other Buddhist scriptures. The Three Stages Sect had its own scriptures, although they were compiled and edited from dozens of other classic Buddhist texts.

But it's not the original work after all.
If you only read the three levels of scriptures, it will be difficult to understand the three Buddhist classics.

Moreover, the Three Stages Sect is now a den of iniquity, with monks busy collecting rent, lending money, taking wives and concubines, having sons, eating meat and drinking alcohol, living a carefree life. Who has time to study the scriptures diligently?

A group of eminent monks and virtuous masters greeted them at the temple gate.

Li Shimin treated them very politely and even prepared gifts for them, giving each of them a purple-gold kasaya.
He even bestowed upon the Ten Virtuous Ones a nine-ringed tin staff.

Other famous monks were also given robes and staffs.

The emperor often spoke privately to Li Yi about the harm that the temple economy was causing to the country, but he was always very polite to these eminent monks whenever he met them.

This time, the imperial court launched a heavy crackdown on the Three-Tier Sect.
The emperor became increasingly courteous to these virtuous people.

The people, unaware of the truth and lacking political understanding, genuinely believed that the emperor was also a devout Buddhist. In reality, it was all political maneuvering, a tool used by the emperor.

You could even say it was nothing more than a performance.

It's simply a matter of attacking one faction, winning over another, dividing and conquering them one by one.

For Li Shimin, a master of strategy and tactics, this was too simple.

just,

How many people in the world can truly understand and see through this?

Today, the gates of Daxingshan Temple are filled with the three main leaders of over a hundred temples of all sizes in Chang'an: senior monks, abbots, and chant leaders.
They felt that the emperor's presence was truly impressive.

Come witness the elimination exam for monks from the three religions; this is their victory, their glory.

The purple-gold cassock and nine-ringed staff bestowed by the emperor further dazzled them.

Daxingshan Temple occupies a very large area.

It accommodated more than 3,000 third-level monks who were taking the exam.
Those who do not attend the exam will be considered to have voluntarily returned to secular life.

Accompanied by a group of monks, the emperor toured the examination hall.

More than 3,000 monks took the exam at the same time, which was a magnificent sight.

In order to maintain order in the examination room

The emperor also specially dispatched two generals of the Imperial Guards, Hou Junji and Zhou Xiaofan, to lead the Imperial Guards to the temple to maintain order today.
Before entering the examination hall, the monks were searched to strictly check for any illicit items and prevent cheating.

"Your Majesty, of the 3,731 monks who were supposed to take the exam today, 3,657 actually attended. 74 monks did not arrive on time and are considered to have voluntarily withdrawn."

During inspections, over one hundred people were found to have engaged in cheating, including bringing in scriptures; all of them have been disqualified from the exam.

Hou Junji reported to the emperor.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Let's begin the exam."

The two exams on pasting scriptures and writing interpretations were actually quite simple; the Mingjing exam was conducted in the same way.

The fill-in-the-blank and comprehension sections will test knowledge from the Three Classics, and the questions will be optional.

But today,
Many monks, after receiving their exam papers, began to scratch their heads in frustration. Li Shimin looked them over...
His face looked ugly.

"What kind of monk can't even understand the three classic Buddhist scriptures?"

"Get all those who are looking around out of the room and disqualify them from the exam!"

A large group of monks who indulged in drinking and eating meat were driven out.

The remaining monks, though obedient, sat there unable to write a single word. They were illiterate and could not write, so when asked to copy scriptures and their meanings, they could only stare blankly.

I can't copy it,
So all I could do was sit there and wait for the exam to end.

The examination hall over there has strict discipline.

Three thousand monks suffered.

The emperor and a group of high-ranking monks were chatting and laughing.

The eminent monk Prabha, who came from the Kshatriya royal family of Central India, served as a representative of foreign monks in the Buddhist community of Chang'an. He was renowned for overseeing the successful translation of scriptures such as the Ratnakara Sutra and the Prajnaparamita Sutra.

He was personally commended by the emperor.

He was bestowed with the honorary title of Great Translator of Buddhist Scriptures, and was rewarded with a purple-gold kasaya and a nine-ringed staff.

The monks Huicheng and Xuanmo, who translated with him, were also commended and rewarded by the emperor.

Nowadays,

In the presence of eminent monks from various temples in Chang'an,

The emperor bestowed thirteen titles of great virtue, including Great Virtue for Translating Scriptures and Great Virtue for Witnessing the Meaning, and then bestowed each title upon thirteen eminent monks.

One hundred and sixty-nine people were granted titles of great virtue at once.

This appears to be a grand event for monks.
The emperor was so devoted to Buddhism.

Little did they know that this was a calculated scheme devised by Li Yi and the emperor.

Great virtue was originally very rare; there were only six great virtues at the beginning of the Kaihuang era, and later there were ten great virtues.

The Ten Virtuous Ones manage the affairs of monks and religious organizations throughout the country; they are monastic officials.

Later, some eminent translators were added.

However, each of these titles of great virtue is very rare and precious.

And now,
The emperor has just executed Falla, who held three high-ranking titles.

Then, in one go, he bestowed the title of Great Virtue upon 169 people.

Things are valued for their rarity.

When there are too many of these great virtues, they naturally become abused and lose their value.

This is Yang Conspiracy.

The papers were graded on the spot after both exams were completed.

Many of the monks who were grading the papers had just received the title of Great Virtue, and they were all full of energy and spirit.

More than three thousand exam papers were all anonymized.
There's no need to copy, and there's no need for that, since there are three rounds of grading.

A lot of students submitted blank papers, and they were immediately rejected.

Regardless of your reasons, this exam requires you to be able to recite classic texts, copy them, and even understand them.

A blank paper means elimination and forced disrobe rites.

Continue grading.

Many of them couldn't even pass the test of simply pasting scriptures, let alone interpreting them in ink; their understanding of the scriptures was completely nonsensical.

disuse,

disuse,

Of those who can truly pass the test of copying scriptures and interpreting their meaning, less than one in ten can.

These people also need to be interviewed.
Monks who marry, have children, eat meat, drink alcohol, or break their vows are also directly eliminated.

Even monks who handled money and managed property within the temple were directly eliminated. Sanjie Temple had a vast Wujinzangyuan, and although there were many lay Buddhists managing these secular affairs and items, there were also quite a few monks involved in the management.

disuse,

disuse,

Continue to eliminate.

Li Yi had no interest in participating in these things. He browsed around the temple and even went to the post station to see the group of monks from India.

it's here,
He saw a young monk, handsome and refined, engrossed in translating scriptures, who didn't even notice his arrival.

The Indian monk Popo, who had just been bestowed the title of Great Translator of Buddhist Scriptures by the emperor, quickly called the young monk to his feet.

"Hurry up and pay your respects to Prince Wei, Li Pingzhang!"

The young monk, neither humble nor arrogant, clasped his hands together and said, "Disciple Xuanzang greets King Wei!"

Upon hearing that name, Li Yi couldn't help but scrutinize him closely. He was elegant, refined, and polite. Could this be Tang Sanzang?

"Your Buddhist name is Xuanzang?"

The novel *Journey to the West* says that Tang Sanzang was the nephew of Yin Kaishan, a meritorious official of the Lingyan Pavilion.

But when he asked in person, he learned that Tang Seng was twenty-one years old this year. He was born in the second year of the Renshou era of the Sui Dynasty in Goushi County, Luoyang. His secular name was Chen Yi. His family was originally an official family. His father had served as a county magistrate, and his maternal grandfather had served as the Prefect of Luoyang.

He was the fourth son in his family, born late in life; his father was over fifty when he was born.

Later, due to war and his father's death, he fell into poverty and eventually became a monk.

This experience is somewhat similar to that of Wei Zheng. Wei Zheng's father was also a county magistrate, and Wei Zheng was his father's youngest son. His parents died early, and he lived in poverty, so he became a Taoist priest.

"What scripture were you translating that you were so engrossed in?"

"What I was just reading was 'A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms' written by Faxian, a monk from the Eastern Jin Dynasty."

The Eastern Jin Dynasty monk Faxian once traveled to India and successfully returned. After his return, he wrote a book called "A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms".

The young Xuanzang was temporarily transferred to Daxingshan Temple to assist with the Three Stages Examination. He also took advantage of his free time to visit the Indian monks at the translation institute.

He studied the Faxian Buddhist scriptures and discussed Indian Buddhism with Indian monks such as Bopo, which sparked his idea of ​​traveling west to seek Buddhist scriptures.

However, the imperial court has always prohibited its citizens from leaving the country at will, making it extremely difficult to apply for permission to travel west.

Looking at the young Prince Wei, Li Yi, Xuanzang suddenly had the idea of ​​asking Li Yi for help and requesting the young prime minister to grant him special permission to leave the country.

(End of this chapter)