The Buddha is not greedy, and the source of the Tao is not greedy either.
But not being greedy doesn't mean having no money. Tianjie Temple is extremely rich, and a prodigal like Ma Enhui, who donates thousands of taels of silver at every turn, is not an exception.
In this Gyeonggi region, Tianjie Temple has the most incense. Whether they are literati, merchants, commoners, or Buddhist disciples, they all come here to pray for blessings. The money given to them every day for the sesame oil is enough to make people greedy.
Zhu Yunwen was also greedy, because Buddhist temples and Taoist temples did not need to pay taxes during this period, and even temple properties did not need to pay taxes.
When the Yiyi whip method was implemented, the monks who occupied the Tianjie Temple did not even bother to give up their land. Instead of giving them money, the temple had plenty of it. They bought it directly for how much money per acre of land...
The heroic look made Zhu Yunwen want to save these monks.
Zhu Yuanzhang maintains a positive and supportive attitude towards Buddhism. The reason why monk Daoyan can stay by Zhu Di's side is because his father hopes that a monk will follow his son so that he can be kinder and turn away the hostility in the future.
It's not just Zhu Di who has a monk around him, there are also other vassal kings, but none of them are monks like Daoyan. Niu did a major rebellion and succeeded. He engraved his name in the history books and erased it with an eraser. An unforgettable name.
Zhu Yunwen was worried about the development of temples, not because of Tianjie Temple, but because the construction of temples was very strong, and it had been going on for more than 30 years, all over the country.
If the people spontaneously build a few ruined temples and worship a few clay Bodhisattvas to express spiritual comfort, then that's it.
After all, people also need some faith. As long as they are willing to work and pay taxes, it doesn't matter if they believe in Gautama Buddha, Jehovah, Allah, the Jade Emperor, etc.
If everyone believed this stuff, shaved their hair, went to the temple to knock wooden fish, and spent all day acting like a king and a tiger, like a dream, and wasted production, then the Ming Dynasty would not be able to survive.
It is a sin to turn Hua Xia into an Asan.
Zhu Yuanzhang both supported and restricted Buddhism.
For example, in the sixth year of Hongwu's reign, "the government, prefecture, and county only maintained a large temple and temple, and the disciples were placed there, and those with precepts and disciplines were selected to lead their affairs."
In the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign, the Senglu Division, Senggang Division, Sengzheng Division, and Senghui Division were established, respectively responsible for the management of temples at the national, prefecture, state, and county levels.
What needs to be explained is that according to Zhu Yuanzhang’s
It means that the monks in the Senglu Department manage Buddhism on behalf of the country, that is, on behalf of Zhu Yuanzhang, not on behalf of Sakyamuni.
From this point of view, Zhu Yuanzhang may have this mentality:
I am also a Buddha, so I should take care of you.
The main function of the monk officials is to compile monk registration books (also known as Zhouzhi board books) and temple flower books.
The monk's register is responsible for recording information about the monks, such as gender, place of origin, contact information, how many people are in the family, who is your elder, etc.
Of course, the gender column can basically be ignored...
The temple brochure is responsible for recording temple information, such as where the temple is located, when it was built, whether it was built illegally or with permission from the court, how many disciples and descendants there are, how many houses there are, and how many acres of land you have. You must also record it clearly.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the trend of building temples became more and more intense. The main promoter was not the people but the imperial court. Specifically, Zhu Yuanzhang and his many sons.
Yes, vassal kings were the main force in building temples. As long as you look at the map of the Ming Dynasty, wherever there is a vassal king, there will definitely be a temple, and not just one.
Take Zhu Yuanzhang's third son, Zhu Fan. In the eleventh year of Hongwu, Zhu Fan took over Taiyuan. After arriving in Taiyuan, he was busy building his own Jin Palace while presiding over the construction of Chongshan Temple in Taiyuan Palace.
Logically speaking, it would be enough to build a temple in the city to express his support for his father's policies, but Zhu Fan didn't think so. After completing the Chongshan Temple, he looked around Taiyuan Mansion, ah, there are several more The temple.
For example, the Fahua Temple in Mengshan, the Shengshou Temple in Tianlong Mountain, and the Duofu Temple in Jueiwei Mountain are poor and idle, and the incense is not strong enough. It doesn't matter. You can help them renovate them with your own money.
After completing several temples around Taiyuan Prefecture, Zhu Fan was still not satisfied, but these were the only temples around Taiyuan Prefecture that had been renovated. What should he do?
If the sight is gone, then look further ahead...
Zhu Fan looked very far away, hundreds of miles away, including the Qingju Zen Temple in Ma Tou Mountain in Ningwu County, the Xingwang Temple in Jiexiu County in Fenzhou, and the Yunfeng Temple in Baofiyan, Mianshan...
It can be said that the Jin Palace has a great influence on Taiyuan Palace and its surrounding temples.
It was precisely because each vassal king was so crazy that Buddhism flourished. The reason why Zhu Yunwen chose to build Baoen Temple instead of Baoen Temple was because of the mass base.
over there.
Of course, the biggest reason is because the temple has money.
Zhu Yunwen only asked for 200,000 taels of silver from the Ministry of Household Affairs. It was impossible to complete the project of 3 to 4 million taels of silver no matter what. The gap had to be made up. The main thing was who would make up the difference.
The fact that the court has no money does not mean that the people have no money.
Hiding wealth among the people is China’s consistent tradition.
Zhu Yunwen is not afraid of not being able to get the project done. Even if no one realizes it, he can still attract investment and sponsorship. After all, there are only a few real estate projects sponsored by the imperial court that are unfinished.
deficit?
How many real estate companies have lost money?
Daoyuan, the host of Tianjie Temple, is an old monk who knows how to seize opportunities. He knows very well that the temple and the monument are built in the name of the heroic soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, in the name of serving the country with loyalty to the army, and in the name of being passed down to all generations.
In other words, the future Baoen Temple will be a holy place respected by everyone in the Ming Empire that will last for generations, and it will be an irreplaceable spiritual residence.
If Buddhism can dominate Baoen Temple, it will be of great benefit to the future development and prosperity of Buddhism.
This is an opportunity for Tianjie Temple and an opportunity for Central Plains Buddhism!
Daoyuan looked at Zhu Yunwen nervously, hoping to get his permission. If he could accomplish such a great deed in this life, he could leave with a smile and serve the Buddha.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Daoyuan, with a bit of smile in his eyes, and said: "It is a good thing to contribute to charity. I have no reason to refuse, but how much can Tianjie Temple give?"
Daoyuan's old face relaxed. As long as the emperor nodded, everything would be easy to talk about. After thinking for a while, he said: "Is it okay to pay two hundred thousand taels of silver every year until the Baoen Temple and the Heroes Monument are completed?"
Two hundred thousand taels may seem like a lot, but compared to the financial resources of Tianjie Temple, it is extremely easy.
Zhu Yunwen was not satisfied with this result. He shook his head and said: "If it is only 200,000 taels per year, Dao Lusi will probably have to work hard for two."
Daoyuan's old face stopped smiling immediately. The emperor was clearly raising prices and robbing...
However, if Baoen Temple is handed over to those powerful Taoists, the influence of Buddhism will decline, and this result is unacceptable to Taoyuan.
"Your Majesty, this monk has thought about it for a while. Tianjie Temple is willing to offer 400,000 taels to the Great Baoen Temple and the Monument of Heroes every year..."
Daoyuan said and made a Buddhist ritual.
