Chapter 794

Li Shimin looked at Merton suspiciously, but found that Merton was still calm and cautious in the face of the forced gaze of the Manchu civil and military.

"Then tell me about how Buddhism repeats its mistakes so that it will destroy the Buddha again in less than 200 years." Li Shimin asked solemnly.

Other courtiers could not help but hold their breath and stared at Merton quietly. Although Merton was unreliable, his vision was recognized by the world, and his amazing words were confirmed one by one.

"If you want to know when the third killing of Buddha will come, you need to understand the reasons for the first two killing of Buddha." Merton said proudly.

Li Chunfeng was embarrassed by the Taishi on one side. I'm afraid the Taoist school didn't do less to kill the Buddha twice before. Now Merton took the initiative to mention it, which is to expose the dark material of the Taoist school.

Fortunately, Merton scruples about the face of Taoism and doesn't involve this too much. Instead, he said: "in addition to the court struggle and the belief that Buddhism is a Hu religion to prove its legitimacy, there is another most important factor, that is, population and land tax."

"Population and land tax!" Yan shigu couldn't help nodding. He read history books all over. Naturally, he knew the reason why Buddhism was robbed at that time.

Other courtiers were not stunned. They heard this view for the first time.

"Since the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism has flourished and Buddhist temples have been widely distributed. All the land under the name of Buddhist temples has been exempted from land taxes in all dynasties. During the northern and Southern Dynasties, social unrest, the Northern Dynasty levied excessive taxes in order to fight, and the people have fled to the empty door one after another in order to avoid heavy taxes. For a while, Buddhism has flourished and there are as many as 30000 Buddhist temples in the north of the river, including monks and nuns At that time, the population in the north of Dajiang was only more than 30 million. Buddhism already accounted for one sixteenth of the population and one tenth of the land in the north of Dajiang. So many people didn't work, meditated and chanted Buddha all day, so many land didn't pay land taxes, and the Treasury was empty. As a result, the Treasury of the imperial court was empty and the army had no source of troops. What would you do if you were a minister of the Northern Wei Dynasty ? "said Merton in one breath.

There was a sudden silence in the audience. I'm afraid no Dynasty will tolerate this situation. There is only one result, that is to destroy the Buddha.

"This is only the Northern Dynasty. If you add the Southern Dynasty, I'm afraid there will be more Buddhist temples and monks and nuns. When I read the history books, I couldn't help but rise up angrily and write a poem for you to appreciate." Merton chanted directly regardless of the ministers.

"Thousands of miles of warblers sing green and red, and the wine flag of Shuicun mountain is windy. There are 48000 temples in the two dynasties, and how many buildings are in the misty rain."

Poetry is a good poem, but a well-known good poem. However, the hearts of the courtiers are as heavy as a mountain. Du Mu's 480 temples written by Jiang nanchun are just fictitious, while Merton's direct realism, including those of the Northern Dynasty, has a total of 48000 temples. These shocking figures shocked everyone.

The courtiers looked hard at Yan shigu. I'm afraid only he had the most say in whether he was as Merton said.

Facing the eyes of officials, Yan shigu nodded heavily and said, "a hundred years have passed, and the specific number can't be counted, but it should be little different."

Many ministers immediately took a breath. Officials who had sympathized with Erwu's killing Buddha immediately stopped talking.

Fu Yi looked at Merton with admiration. He was in a semi retired state and had no contact with the Mohists at ordinary times. Now he saw that Merton quoted scriptures and used a history book and poetry to achieve the effect that he couldn't achieve many times.

Even Li Shimin couldn't help but take a breath from his heart. As an emperor, if he was in the position of emperor Wei Wu, I'm afraid he would make the same decision. It has nothing to do with faith and kindness. Sometimes when he sits in the position of emperor, I'm afraid he can't help it.

"How much money does it cost to build so many temples, not counting the copper Buddha statues, gold plating, and the daily expenses of more than two million monks and nuns. I'm afraid that building brick roads with three vertical and five horizontal diagrams is more than enough. During the northern and Southern Dynasties, the northern Dynasty was so powerful that the previous dynasty unified the world, I'm afraid the two martial arts killed the Buddha. Merton carefully calculated an economic account for all the ministers.

Dai Zhou in the second row couldn't help nodding. Now the Tang Dynasty knows the benefits of brick roads, and the construction of three vertical and five horizontal plans has become a recognized thing in the court. However, due to the lack of money and food, the construction process is slow. If there are so many temples and 2 million monks and nuns in the Tang Dynasty, I'm afraid Dai Zhou will immediately become a firm supporter of killing Buddha.

However, although Dai Zhou recognized Merton's words, he knew that Merton was talking about the northern and Southern Dynasties. Today, the Buddhist schools in the Tang Dynasty are not as grand as they used to be.

Sure enough, Xiao Pang Leng on one side hummed, "what Marquis Mo said was a matter of the previous dynasty. Now the Tang Dynasty is a prosperous era. Monks keep themselves in line. How can they be punished without mistakes."

Li Shimin could not help nodding slightly. Now the Buddhists are not too deeply troubled. In addition, the Buddhists are kind to him. If they rashly move the Buddhists, I'm afraid he will suffer a reputation. In addition, Li Shimin is afraid of the huge number of Buddhists and the strange and unpredictable things of ghosts and gods. He is unwilling to move the Buddhists lightly.

Merton sneered: "there is really nothing different about Buddhism now, but today's Buddhism has changed a little from that before Erwu killed the Buddha. It's just the old way. In less than 200 years, when the Buddhist temple is determined to reproduce the disadvantages before Erwu killed the Buddha, the third time to kill the Buddha can be expected. If the Buddhism still doesn't repent, the fourth time to kill the Buddha is not impossible."

In later generations, after two defeats of Buddhism, Buddhists are still stubborn, so that Li Yan, Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, and chairong, Emperor Shizong of the Zhou Dynasty, destroy Buddhism twice, which is known as the misfortune of three martial arts and one sect. At this point, Buddhists can learn from the pain and reflect on themselves. If Buddhists at this moment can wake up, the disaster of two defeats of Buddhism in the future can certainly be eliminated.

"All this is just one side of your story. Do you think you can wantonly decide the fate of Buddhism by boasting about a few old things of the former dynasty? Do you really think you can wantonly point out the affairs of other hundred schools after reviving Mohism?" Xiao Yu sneered.

Merton shook his head and said, "naturally, the Mohist school will not interfere in the affairs of other hundred schools, and naturally, it has no intention to interfere in the affairs of the Buddhist school. What the Mohist journal reports is also unfair. The boy just can't bear to see the disaster of destroying the Buddha repeat. Whether the Buddhist School listens to it or not naturally has nothing to do with the boy."

Xiao Yu smiled angrily and said, "I'd like to hear how you swear that the disaster of killing Buddha will happen again."

The other ministers could not help but calm down and focused all their eyes on Merton.

Merton took a deep breath and said solemnly, "after emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed the Buddha, his successors adopted the policy of relaxation. However, the Buddhist family did not change. It still went its own way, but became more unscrupulous. In the sixth year of Jiande, Emperor Yu Wenyong of the northern Zhou Dynasty issued an edict to destroy the Buddha, destroy 40000 temples and force 3 million monks and nuns to return to the common customs. The editor, the household and the people, did it again for the second time."

Many people nodded in their hearts and combined with what Mozi said before, I'm afraid Buddhism is still on the old road.

"However, it is only 60 years since Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty killed the Buddha. Has your majesty ever counted the monasteries and monks and nuns in the Tang Dynasty?" Merton asked.

Li Shimin was stunned and turned to look at the Taishi who made Li Chunfeng.

Li Chunfeng stepped forward and bowed and said, "according to the statistics of the Taishi Bureau, the Tang Dynasty now has 2200 Taoist temples, 17000 Taoists, 5400 Buddhist temples and 85000 monks and nuns."

He did not add fuel, but he played a trick and directly reported the number of Taoist temples and Taoists. By comparison, the rapid expansion of Buddhism was revealed.

"So many?" the Manchu courtiers couldn't help but be in an uproar.

Although more than 5000 Buddhist temples are nothing compared with the Northern Zhou Dynasty, this is only the development of Buddhism for 60 years. From a piece of ruins, they directly surpass Taoism. This speed is not surprising.

"There are more than 100 temples in Chang'an City alone, twice as many outside the city, and so are other cities. As Lord Fu said, these temples have a lot of land under their names, and they have a lot of output every year. They don't have to pay taxes. Coupled with the continuous flow of incense money, they are quite rich. At this rate, for up to 200 years, the Buddhist temples in the Tang Dynasty will be the ones before the two martial arts destroyed the Buddha Grand occasion, how will chaotang choose? "Merton Lang said.

Since the figure of Tianzhu was popularized by Mohists, the whole Tang Dynasty's mathematics has made great progress. Under the leadership of Merton, people have been used to accepting the results calculated by mathematics. After Merton's reminder, people calculate silently. Since Buddhism has not changed and continues to expand, it is very likely to appear as predicted by Merton.

Li Shimin couldn't help but be silent. As an emperor, I'm afraid he had no choice at that time. I'm afraid killing the Buddha has become the only choice.

Xiao Yu couldn't help but be one of them. He had made sufficient preparations before he came. He naturally wouldn't be afraid of any opponent in terms of eloquence. However, Merton used real data to make no matter how much truth he had.

"All this is just your guess. Can we risk offending the Buddha and going to hell after death because of your guess. Do you know that after Emperor Wu of Wei Tai and Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty killed the Buddha, most of them died suddenly in a few years, and their policy of killing the Buddha was abolished." Xiao Yu said with a flash in his eyes.

There was an uproar in the court hall, and they repeatedly opposed the destruction of the Buddha. They looked loyal to Li Shimin.

"The boy once boarded the clouds in a hot-air balloon, but there was no trace of immortals. The demon monk's art of bringing the dead back to life was just a hoax. As for the 18 layers of hell after death, it was just the words of the Buddhist family. In contrast, I prefer to believe in the medical skills of doctors." Merton retorted, but the effect was very little, This kind of thing, the ministers naturally believe that only their existence can be trusted, not their nothingness.

"And it is in order to avoid the tragedy of destroying the Buddha and violating the gods. Boy, I suggest saving the Buddha instead of destroying the Buddha, in case future emperors will also encounter the choice of two forbidden Buddhas." Merton said positively.

Li Shimin's face eased. Killing the Buddha is naturally too cruel. If this outcome can be avoided, saving the Buddha seems to be a good choice.

"Then you say how to save the Buddha." Li Shimin asked positively.

The other courtiers couldn't help but move and sigh. They suddenly realized that the Mohist was really eloquent. I'm afraid Li Shimin had begun to tend to save the Buddha.

Merton suddenly twisted his face and said, "Wei Chen is just a child of the Mohist family. If he can tell the Buddhist family how to save himself, the Buddhist family should deal with it by itself!"

Li Shimin couldn't help laughing angrily. They didn't expect that the Mohist school would hide clumsily at this point.

"Today you are sharing your worries for the country. No matter right or wrong, you can speak freely and not be convicted with words." Li Shimin looked at Merton with a threatening look.

"Your Majesty's words are very true. If I don't convict with words, all officials can advise." Xiao Ying echoed. He wanted to hear what wrong reasoning and heresy the Mohist school had.

Merton was young and energetic. Seeing this, he couldn't help raising his head and said, "the boy thinks that if the Buddhist family wants to save itself, the first thing is that they can't protect the criminals. Some eminent monks think they are compassionate, but they don't know to let the ferocious people go unpunished. This is disturbing the law and discipline."

Xiao Yu sneered and asked, "if this person inadvertently breaks the law and sincerely repents, can't the Buddhists change it?"

Merton shook his head firmly and said, "of course not. The national law is ruthless. Anyone who violates the law needs to be punished. Only your majesty has the power to pardon the criminal. How can the Buddhist take over the responsibility? And how can the Buddhist explain whether the criminal sincerely repents or pretends to repent to escape the punishment? What's more, some Buddhist temples absorb believers for their own reputation without arguing about loyalty and treachery."

As soon as Merton's voice fell, Li daozong, the Minister of justice of the Ministry of punishment, nodded again and again. The Buddhist move was indeed suspected of disturbing the law and discipline.

Xiao Yu wanted to argue for Buddhism, but there was an example of Tongji monk. What Merton said was indeed true. At present, he couldn't help but put his hands together and said, "in this way, there is another method of enlightenment in the world. I'm afraid it's not the blessing of the world!"

Merton retorted: The boy also heard that there was a butcher selling meat in the market. Chang'an, the Buddhist monk Shandao master, preached to change evil into good, and the people in the market abstained from meat and vegetarianism. The butcher saw that the meat on the stall was getting harder and harder to sell day by day. He was puzzled. After asking people, he knew that the people in the city were influenced by a monk named Shandao People persuaded them to become vegetarian, so they rushed to the temple with a butcher's knife to kill master Shandao.

Master Shandao had a profound Dharma and turned the butcher on the spot. The butcher repented, put down the butcher's knife and immediately vowed to give up his life. So he climbed up a tree next to the temple, sang the Buddha with his palms together and fell to the ground. At that time, everyone around saw Amitabha coming to pick him up, and the butcher's divine consciousness went west with the Buddha from the top door. I don't know if that's what the boy said. "

Xiao Yu said proudly, "yes, this is the Buddhist method of moderation."

Putting down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha took place in Chang'an city. Naturally, everyone has heard of it. This is also the reason for the prosperity of Buddhism in Chang'an city.

Merton sneered: "whether this story is true or not, we won't say it for the moment. As an allusion, although the butcher has a malicious heart, he hasn't hurt the master of good guidance. Therefore, what the butcher put down is the butcher's knife in his heart, not the butcher's knife stained with blood. Is this the reason why Buddhism accepts Duhua's hand-held butcher's knife stained with blood?"

Xiao Yu could not help but conclude that Merton attacked the shield of the son with the spear of the son and denied the degree of Buddhism with Buddhist allusions, which convinced everyone.

Li Shimin nodded slowly and said, "yes, the emperor breaks the law and commits the same crime as the common people. People who break the law need to be punished by the law. The Buddhist family can measure the malicious people, but it can not cover up the criminals who break the law."

Li Shimin's decision has helped the Legalists regain part of their legal power from Buddhism. People in the Ministry of punishment are not happy.