Kong Ming said slowly: "Back then, Master Xuanzang set a rule for my Great Ci'en Temple, all my disciples are not allowed to make friends with powerful people and are not allowed to participate in court politics. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Therefore, for so many years, although the Great Mercy and Grace Temple is located in the downtown area, it has been able to follow the teachings of the Venerable Master, concentrate on self-cultivation, study the Dharma, and not be moved by the impetuousness and prosperity of the world. This is the reason why the Temple of Great Mercy and Grace has endured. ”

Bu Yunfei nodded yes. The rule set by Master Xuanzang back then seems ordinary, but it is actually very meaningful!

More than 100 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the two schools of Buddhism and Taoism have not been able to transcend the world, and the two sides have been in constant disputes. The deeper reason is that the imperial court deliberately used the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism to establish the prestige of the imperial court.

Tang Gaozu raised an army against the Sui, relying on Taoism, and there were Taoist priests who offered auspicious rui to Gaozu in those years, creating public opinion and agitating the army and the people. The establishment of the Tang Dynasty was indispensable to Taoism, so after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Taoism was admired. In the Zhenguan period, Emperor Taizong regarded the Taoist ancestor Li Er as the ancestor, Taoism became the state religion, and the Taoist priests entered and exited the court and participated in the court politics, which was prominent for a while.

After Gaozong succeeded to the throne, Empress Wu Zetian and Gaozong fought for power, so she used Buddhism to suppress Taoism, appointed monks to participate in court politics, Buddhism and Taoism competed against each other, as a result, Buddhism won, Taoism lost power, and many Taoist temples in Chang'an City also suffered, demolished, destroyed, and even many Taoist temples were forcibly occupied by monks and became Buddhist temples.

Wu Zetian became the emperor, and he hated those monks for controlling the government, and in turn, he killed the Buddhists! The monks who were loyal to Wu Zetian and fought the world back then did not end well. The Taoist priests thought that the time had come, and they went out of the mountains one after another, entered and exited the palace, and talked freely about national affairs.

Unexpectedly, the good times did not last long, after Wu Zetian's death, when he came to the current emperor, in order to clear Wu Zetian's power, he reshuffled the Taoist priests, drove the Taoist priests out of the imperial court, and promoted Buddhism in Chang'an City.

In short, the cycle goes on and on, the Heavenly Dao cycles, and those Taoist monks who are in the limelight for a while have no good end.

Only the Great Ci'en Temple, in accordance with the rules established by Master Xuanzang, stayed out of the matter, and refused to participate in the infighting of the imperial court. For more than 100 years, it has been peaceful and peaceful, and has gradually become the largest and most influential temple in Chang'an City. Speaking of which, Xuanzang was very far-sighted back then, although he had a very good relationship with Emperor Taizong, but he never took advantage of this relationship, otherwise, the Great Ci'en Temple may have been glorious for a while, and under the rule of Zetian, it is inevitable that it will be the same as those temples that are attached to the imperial court.

Kong Ming continued: "It's just that the trees want to be quiet and the wind doesn't stop! Two years ago, Yang Guozhong became the chief prime minister of the dynasty, and people from the Yang Mansion often came to my Daci'en Temple and frequently disturbed him. ”

Bu Yunfei shook his head and said, "Master's words seem inappropriate. Although Yang Guozhong is the prime minister and the power is leaning towards the dynasty, but the people in his house visit the Great Ci'en Temple, and they are also willing to worship Buddhism on incense, which is no different from ordinary pilgrims. ”

"The problem is, they're not here to offer incense!" Kong Ming sighed: "Yang Guozhong was originally a scoundrel on the streets of Chang'an. Relying on the noble concubine Niangniang, she has been promoted all the way over the years and has become the prime minister, a very popular minister. It's just that Yang Guozhong knows that he comes from a humble background and is afraid that others will not accept him, so he wants to make friends with my Great Ci'en Temple in every possible way, and wants to take advantage of the prestige of my Daci'en Temple to raise his own value and subdue the courtiers. My Great Mercy and Grace Temple strictly follows the teachings of Master Xuanzang, does not make friends with powerful people, and does not participate in political affairs. Every time he sent someone, he brought a huge amount of money, but the Great Mercy and Grace Temple treated him with common courtesy and politely declined. ”

Bu Yunfei nodded secretly. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, whether it is an emperor or a courtier, if you want to establish prestige, you must rely on religious forces, and Yang Guozhong is no exception. Moreover, Yang Guozhong's affiliation with the Great Ci'en Temple is not only because of his humble background, but also for a more important reason: he is on the same page with An Lushan, and the two sides are secretly competing and fighting happily.

The trump card in Yang Guozhong's hand is Yang Guifei, who is favored by the emperor for three thousand, but the trump card in An Lushan's hand is the Yuyang elite soldier who is known as the world's heroes! If you want to talk about trump cards, the two sides are half a catty. If the Great Ci'en Temple falls to Yang Guozhong, it will be an overwhelming bargaining chip for Yang Guozhong.

Because, for the common people and ordinary officials, the beauties belong to the emperor, and the elite soldiers belong to An Lushan, and have nothing to do with their lives. However, the Great Mercy and Grace Temple is the spiritual sustenance of ordinary people, and among the people, the Great Mercy and Grace Temple has a strong appeal that beauties and soldiers cannot have! Once the Great Ci'en Temple falls to Yang Guozhong, it means that Yang Guozhong has won the support of public opinion, once this situation is formed, not to mention An Lushan, that is, the emperor, but also to weigh Yang Guozhong's weight!

Kong Ming continued: "Yang Guozhong has been rejected repeatedly, and he has a grudge against my Great Mercy and Grace Temple, but my Great Mercy and Grace Temple is also right about things and not people, not only for him, but also for Li Linfu back then, besides, my Great Mercy and Grace Temple has always been cautious, and he has nothing to say in terms of etiquette. Therefore, although Yang Guozhong has a grudge, he can't get the handle of my Great Mercy and Grace Temple. ”

"Master Wise!" Bu Yunfei said. Yang Guozhong is loyal to the dynasty, covering the sky with one hand, from courtiers to ordinary subjects, they all want to climb the big tree of Yang Guozhong, only the Great Ci'en Temple guards the body, unmoved, and would rather offend Yang Guozhong than bend his eyebrows, which is really rare!

"Two months ago, the Buddha's real body relics were stolen. If Yang Guozhong knew about this, how could he give up, he would definitely take revenge, and my Great Mercy and Grace Temple would face a catastrophe! In order to continue Master Xuanzang's incense, Lao Wei had no choice but to press down the matter for the time being and keep it strictly confidential, so as not to let Yang Guozhong take advantage of it! ”

Bu Yunfei shook his head: "The master's words are wrong!" The relics of the Buddha's true body are related to the fortune of my Tang Dynasty and are the important weapons of the country! The Great Mercy and Grace Temple lost its national treasure, one crime, not reporting it, and two crimes! After a long time, the paper can't hold the fire, once Yang Guozhong hears the rumors, both crimes will be punished, and at that time, the Great Ci'en Temple is afraid that it will be difficult to escape! ”

Kong Ming sighed: "What the master said is not bad. At that time, Lao Wei was also lucky. I thought that within ten days and half a month, I could retrieve the real body relics and send them back to the Pranyo Hall, this incident should have never happened, even if Yang Guozhong knew, he could also say that it was reasonable, even if there was a punishment, the old man would take it alone, and it would not hurt my Great Mercy and Grace Temple. Where did I think that two months have passed, but there is no news, and now, my Great Mercy and Grace Temple is difficult to ride a tiger. ”

Bu Yunfei frowned and said: "Master, the theft of the Buddha's true body relics must not be done by ordinary thieves, and his actions must be extremely secretive. How can the master conclude that it can be retrieved in ten days and half a month? ”

Kong Ming pondered for a moment and said a reason, Bu Yunfei listened, and was suddenly shocked into a cold sweat, unable to make a sound!