Hearing him say this, Wang Xuance and others can be regarded as having a deeper understanding of the caste system. So he also cast a positive gaze. Then Kumoriro continued: "Another question you wonder about is that since this person is born with this rank, will he willingly live in this lower caste?" The answer is yes. Because under the basic teachings of our Brahmanism, all believers worship the cultivation of the next life, and if it is a high caste, it is naturally the good fate that he cultivated in the previous life, so that he can enjoy it in this life; If you are of a lower caste, it is because you have done too many sins in your previous life, so that you will be reborn as a lower caste in this life, and only by practicing well can you be reborn as a high caste in the next life, so. This is a kind of spiritual sustenance for all people, which in turn gives rise to this basic religious belief; Of course, on the other hand, it is not our high caste that maintains the basic law of the development of this religion, but the lower caste? ”

Hearing that he came to such a strange conclusion in the end, everyone was also surprised, only to hear Wang Xuance ask, "Why is this?" ”

For example, the supreme god of Buddhism, the Buddha, he is a high caste, in fact, he does not want all the people to have this distinction between high and low, so through the teachings of the Vedas, Buddhism has been developed, and those who believe in Buddhism, since they have entered this Buddha, there is no longer such high and low. However, this was just his own thought. Among the people at the bottom of the world, especially the people of the lower castes, it is not easy for them to practice diligently in this life, and suddenly there is no distinction between high and low, and naturally there is a sense of loss. and orderly inheritance. Because in the next life it will be a good person, and it will be a high-caste person. Kumoriro then explained to them again......

It was only at this time that Wang Xuance and others understood the basic context of the development of Brahmanism, and even more understood the theme of this lineage and the actual basis for its existence. Looking back on this journey, especially in this remote rural area, Brahmanism is indeed far superior to Buddhism, and the Buddhist monasteries, including the relics of the former Buddha, are all around famous cities, and many of these Buddhist monks are also Brahmans, which is actually like a besieged city. In order to be a high-caste person in the next life, people of the lower caste diligently purify their minds and cultivate themselves in this life, maintaining this basic teaching. Some of the high-caste people, in order to escape this life, are willing to leave this Brahmanism and join Buddhism.

Immediately afterwards, the Kumarila explained to them in this way: "Actually, it was after the Buddha understood the fundamental proposition of Brahmanism that he developed the division that this person should not have this hierarchy, although so, it still could not change the concept of practicing in the current world, and at that time, our Brahmanism was quite loose, and the Brahmin class and Kshatriya class could not form an effective psychological comfort, and the most fundamental reason was that I did not know whether I would still be of this high caste in the next life. So this Buddha took advantage of this principle and assembly to spread the Dharma and seek comfort in their hearts among the high castes, and then this Buddhism spread out and developed in the land of the five Indias."

Hearing this, Wang Xuance and others also roughly understood the basic development ideas between these two factions. But seeing this, Wang Xuance thought about it and said: "I waited for this way to come and found that the decline of Buddhism in these five India was not a matter of one day, but actually lasted for a long time. The master's debate may have just added a thrust in front of the edifice that was about to fall. ”

"That's a good thing to say. In fact, after the Buddha's death, Buddhism did not flourish, and the period of Buddhism's great revival, as I mentioned earlier, was the three unified periods, the Mauryan Empire, the Gupta Empire, and the Holisha Empire. The reason why Buddhism flourished during these three periods was because Buddhism spread harmoniously among the high castes, and on the other hand, because the country was unified, and as a king, it was inevitable to make a unified plan for the governance of the country. On the basis of the equality of all classes, Buddhism did much better than Brahmanism, and in view of this concept, the kings elevated Buddhism to the state religion, built Buddhist temples, and promoted Buddhism. However, with the disintegration of the country again, the practicality of Brahmanism was reflected, and the most fundamental reason was that this division of surnames could better resist foreign enemies, so in this divided society, the rule of the Kshatriya class could be better maintained, so it gradually upgraded to the state religion of many small countries. Take this most recent time, with the Bintian of the King of the Ring of the Sun, these five India are once again in turmoil, and Buddhism naturally falls into the cycle that it has gone through. ”

Having said that, everyone can be regarded as completely understanding the rise and fall of Buddhism in these five Indian lands, as well as the ups and downs of Brahmanism in these five Indian lands. This rise and fall is actually not something that can be done by one person, but more because of the concept. In the face of a religion that lacks the foundation of the people, it seems to be very difficult to develop in the long run. And a religion that is rooted in the grassroots and has the support of so many people, even in the face of great difficulties, will always rise one day. And this Kumarila is only an introduction to the resurgence of Brahmanism.

Through the exposition of this Brahmanical monk, Wang Xuance and others can be said to understand the fundamental context of the two religions from another aspect. Just as Master Xuanzang often taught them, nothing should only look at his side, but should also listen to different people's explanations through different directions and different angles. As for the rise and fall of Buddhism, from the ears of this Kumarila, he did hear different concepts, and naturally he also had a deeper understanding of the caste system. Although this problem was solved, facing a bigger problem did reflect a doubt in his mind. So he asked Kumariro, "I don't know what the master thinks about the debate question?" ”

How should this Kumoriro reply? Please see the next ......

(End of chapter)