The Lantern Festival is very lively. It is one of the few lively festivals in this place.
It is also the time of year to worship immortals and Buddhas.
Tang San Burian and the others were walking on the street, approaching the temple not far away.
The abbot and monk there came over and took the initiative to talk to Tang San and the others. The presiding monk said:
“Look at how you are dressed, you don’t look like locals!”
Tang Sanzian smiled and said:
"We came from the Tang Dynasty and are going to Lingshan Mountain in the west."
The abbot said doubtfully:
"Oh, what are you going to do all the way to the west?"
Tang Sanzong smiled and thought:
"I went to the West to destroy the Buddha. Do I have to tell you this kind of thing?"
Buddhism is not a sect native to the Eastern Tang Dynasty. But it was introduced from India. Therefore, the closer we get to Western India, the more popular this Buddha becomes.
It has even reached the point where the entire population worships Buddhism.
But looking at India, such admiration for Buddhism still cannot change the fact that they are weak and poor.
Compared with the Tang Dynasty during this period, India was nothing.
On the other hand, the Tang Dynasty was prosperous and prosperous, and it was already the age of Zhenguan.
Therefore, Tang Sanbian always insisted on one truth in his heart, that is, Buddhism cannot bring much benefit to people, and belief in Buddhism may not have any practical effect.
Today's Tang Dynasty is doing well, but if some Mahayana Buddhism was really brought there, causing a group of people to eat fast and chant Buddha's name every day, and lose touch with reality, that would be a real tragedy.
A simple example is if everyone goes to the temple to recite Buddha's name, sits every day, does not work or struggle, and just concentrates on the so-called belief all day long.
So what do these people eat? What to drink?
As a human being, we should have seven emotions and six desires, so why do we have to abandon the seven emotions and six desires?
If the seven emotions and six desires are discarded, what difference will there be between flowers, plants and trees?
What's the difference between that and an emotionless animal?
The reason why people are the inspiration of all things is because they are rich in emotions and their emotions and desires are very obvious, which creates their innately different characteristics.
There are all kinds of people, and a hundred people can have one hundred and one personalities.
If everyone blocks the seven emotions and six desires, and everyone is like a walking zombie yearning for the so-called Buddha Dharma, turning themselves into ethereal corpses, then what's the point?
What’s the point of being a human being?
The world has never lacked things without emotions. It is because of emotions that people are called humans. Only then can they enrich the world and become the leader of all things.
If it's gone, what's the point of living?
If people don't have some thoughts, they will have no emotions, no joys and sorrows.
So some things cannot be blocked. You can pursue the Taoist approach of being natural and doing whatever you want, but you cannot pursue the Buddhist approach of abandoning all worldly things.
Man himself is not a transcendent thing, so why do we have to turn ourselves into a transcendent thing?
In fact, that will make you more constrained.
The same is true of the so-called ancient India at this moment. At a glance, we can see many monks. They are richly dressed, they eat well and they don’t have to do anything all day long.
Just by clasping their hands and chanting Amitabha, they can enjoy higher treatment and respect than ordinary people, but they clearly do nothing.
However, those who are really working hard and reaping the harvest with their hands want to give most of their harvest to these so-called Buddhists who don't have to do anything. Is this what the Buddha pursues?
This itself is an injustice, this itself is an evil, a great evil.
Tang San's burial felt more and more disgusting. Relatively speaking, he felt that the three monsters worshiped by these Buddha's followers were much more real.
At least they are more useful to the local people than these monks.
The cost of eating and drinking for so many monks is an astronomical figure, but the three monsters only need three large vats filled with sesame oil.
They will bless this place with good weather all year long, and as long as the weather is good, there will be abundant harvests. The people will be able to gain something.
But in this process, what role did these monks play?
They play the role of consumption. They don't have to do anything. They can just recite the Buddha's name hypocritically and be able to part with most of the food, benefits, and reverence.
The presiding abbot talked a lot to Tang Sanzian, but Tang Sanzong only responded with a few perfunctory words.
Soon it got dark, and a black mist loomed in the distant sky.
The abbot turned pale and staggered away with his disciples.
Tang San smiled.
Is this what people call Buddhists? What are they afraid of?
It turns out that they have not given up the emotions and desires in their hearts. At least they are afraid.
This means that the Dharma they pursue has been learned in the belly of a dog, or this so-called Dharma is simply false.
On the other hand, some people in the distance knelt down and continued to worship and kowtow in front of the black mist that appeared in the distance.
When Tang Sanzong saw this scene, he thought it was a kind of irony.
He suddenly had an idea, and then slowly walked up to the kneeling people, and said to an old man:
"Old man, look at those black clouds. They are not Bodhisattvas, let alone Buddhas. They are monsters. If you knew they were monsters, would you still kneel down and worship them like this?"
The old man was still kneeling. He slowly raised his head and glanced at Tang San Zan, and then said to Tang San Zan:
"I don't know what a monster is and what a bodhisattva is. But I know they are bodhisattvas."
Tang San was silent for a moment and then said:
"When they see that I am different, they will definitely want to arrest me, but if they arrest me, several of my apprentices may beat them to death. What will you do then? Do you think they should be arrested? Beat him to death?"
There was a hint of panic and prayer in the old man's eyes, and he said to Tang San:
"We worshiped the real Bodhisattva in the temple for four years and made offerings to him with a lot of incense money. All the money at home was dedicated to the Bodhisattva and handed over to the temple.
But the fields never grew good food. There was either rain or drought all year round. The family is getting poorer and poorer and has no food to eat!
Now, finally, cheap bodhisattvas have arrived. They only need a few tanks of oil and they will bless you with good weather and good harvests for a year. You have to call them monsters...
So, can we ordinary people not know whether they are monsters? You want to talk about monsters... Where is the monster that eats people but doesn't spit out their bones? Do you know where they are? "
As he said that, the old man looked at the golden Buddha statues of gods, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas enshrined in the temple with disgust.
Tang Sanzian looked along, took a deep breath and said:
"Yes, they are the real monsters. That gold-plated Buddha statue, that magnificent temple, how many cylinders of oil do you need to buy, and how many years of good weather do you need? But they did nothing."
