Following these two events, centralized power was greatly strengthened. Culturally, the Han dynasty's governing philosophy of "Huang-Lao thought and non-action" was abolished, and active governance was implemented. Furthermore, Dong Zhongshu's suggestion was adopted, and Confucianism began to be heavily utilized. Although Emperor Wu employed talents from various schools of thought, including Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, Yin-Yang philosophy, and the School of Diplomacy, and the Han dynasty consistently combined elements of both hegemonic and benevolent rule, Emperor Wu's adoption of Confucianism led to its increased prominence and its gradual emergence as the mainstream ideology in China for the next two thousand years.
With this assistance, Penglai Island and the two sects of Renchan officially joined forces, establishing the orthodox status of the Han dynasty. The orthodoxy of the Human Emperor and the orthodoxy of the Human Sect were finally united. From then on, the situation on the ground of the entire Dongsheng Divine Continent began to be dominated by Taoist beliefs, governed by Confucianism, and with other schools of thought as subordinate.
Fifty-six days have passed; the West will eventually enter the East.
After the Investiture of the Gods, the Western Sect was renamed Buddhism. Jieyin established a separate Shamen (Buddhist sect) and rebuilt a world called the Pure Land. Under the Heavenly Dao, the Shamen was equivalent to the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) in status. However, Jieyin was not as good as Hongjun. In terms of the path of the Dao, he was vastly different from Hongjun. Therefore, although the Shamen had two saintly leaders, Jieyin and Zhunti, their fortune was ultimately insufficient and could not compare with the orthodox Xuanmen.
Since Hongjun began preaching, the Three Pure Ones have held the title of the true lineage of Pangu, the orthodox lineage of heaven and earth, and the orthodox lineage of Xuanmen. They are devoted to the Dao and have Hongjun in their hearts. Therefore, Taoism has always been the most respected in heaven and earth and is the orthodox lineage. Even the nearly extinct Jie Sect is the same. Under the will of heaven, even when the Human and Chan sects and the Western sect joined forces to resist the Jie Sect, they did not dare to destroy the Jie Sect.
Hongjun aligned himself with the Heavenly Dao, placing humanity as the protagonist of the universe. He attained sainthood through Tongtian, establishing the Jie Sect's fundamental doctrine as "seizing a sliver of life beneath the Heavenly Dao." He mastered Daoist arts, deduced Heavenly secrets, and sought this sliver of life to save himself. However, Tongtian was arrogant and ambitious, desiring to emulate the Dao Ancestor's "education for all." The Jie Sect widely recruited disciples, and Tongtian preached, opening doors of convenience for all beings. Yet, he looked down upon humanity, the acquired race. Many of the Jie Sect's followers were demons. Although seemingly "education for all," it fundamentally failed to uphold the Dao Ancestor's precept that humanity should be the protagonist of the universe—a destiny ordained by Heaven. Tongtian intentionally defied this, ignoring the principle that those who follow Heaven find ease, while those who defy it toil. Therefore, no matter how powerful Tongtian was, he could not reverse the Jie Sect's defeat.
Although it seems that the defeat of the Jie Sect was due to the lack of a supreme treasure to suppress it, this was not the fundamental reason.
Pangu separated heaven and earth, and regulated yin and yang, purity and turbidity. In the beginning, the world was in chaos. Hongjun was destined to become a saint to teach all living beings, clarify the cause and effect of heaven and earth, and master the operation of the heavenly way. He used the red cloud as a chess piece, which became the cause and effect of heaven and earth. Thus, the cause and effect of heaven and earth returned to the right path.
Nine is the ultimate number under the Heavenly Dao, hence the existence of nine sages. Seven sages first appeared, and Nuwa, receiving the mandate of Heaven, created the human race in the likeness of Pangu, thus achieving enlightenment. Humans are born with an innate Dao body, in accordance with the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth. Consider Pangu, who was manifested by the Great Dao and commanded to create the heavens and earth; his body is called the Dao body. After the separation of heaven and earth, all things born after birth must first transform their bodies into Dao bodies before they can cultivate the Great Dao. Don't underestimate the human race because of its perceived weakness; with this innate Dao body, how can they be weak? Isn't there something fishy going on here?
As the universe evolves, the Three Pure Ones and others attain sainthood through the merit of educating all living beings. All of this is due to cause and effect in the world. Laozi, with his profound Taoist cultivation, is closest to the Tao of Hongjun. He took the lead and attained sainthood through the teachings of humanity, thus gaining an advantage. Furthermore, he adheres to the principles of natural non-action, believing that the Tao gives birth to all things without dominating them and evolves them without interfering. He follows the natural course of things, which is why Laozi is most suited to this approach. With the flourishing of the teachings of humanity, Laozi naturally has no worries.
Inspired by Laozi's teachings, the original Chan sect was established to educate all living beings. Although it did not have the advantage of being a human race, most of its disciples were human and acted in accordance with Hongjun's doctrines. Therefore, the Chan sect's fortunes did not decline and it could survive for a long time.
The two Western sect members lacked the proper name of the sect, and even if they established a sect, they were still inferior to others. However, they were the last to establish a sect. A great sect takes it upon itself to educate all living beings. The people believe in the sect and only by accumulating merit can one gain merit. The Western sect was originally a heretical sect without a proper name. All living beings in heaven and earth regard Pangu as their ancestor and Hongjun as their guide. No one in the Western sect was willing to believe in it. In addition, the merit of Jieyin and Zhunti's sainthood was insufficient for establishing a sect. Helplessly, they had no choice but to make a grand vow to take the opportunity to become saints. However, this method is always a heretical one and not the orthodox one. It is not as carefree as the Three Pure Ones.
Although Nuwa did not establish a religion and was not a direct descendant of Pangu, she created the human race, which gave her an advantage and allowed her to live forever. Xuantian, on the other hand, possessed the three Great Daos, had a karmic relationship with the human race, and also held the position of "Protector of the Mysterious Gate." As a direct descendant of Pangu, his eternal existence was beyond question.
The Jie Sect took the last vestige of life under the Heavenly Dao as its foundation. Tongtian, with his arrogant personality, wanted to emulate the Dao Ancestor's approach of educating all living beings in the world, advocating "education for all," and opening the door of convenience for all living beings. This action was inherently against the Heavenly Dao, interfering with its operation. Moreover, many of the Jie Sect's disciples were demons, contradicting the Dao Ancestor's plan. Although there was a saying that the Zhuxian Sword Formation was insufficient to suppress the sect's fortune, in general, it was because of this that the sect suffered disaster. Fortunately, Tongtian realized his mistake, but it was too late. If things had proceeded as originally planned, the Jie Sect was destined to perish. Fortunately, Xuantian was there at this time. Tongtian used Xuantian's help to save the foundation of some of the sect's members, turned his back on the Jie Sect, and comprehended the principle of "destruction before construction." He closed the doors and waited for the right time to reopen the Jie Sect and carry out his educational work.
During the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian comprehended the principle of "destruction before construction" and took the opportunity to punish the Jie Sect. He then joined forces with the Dao Ancestor. He himself was a true descendant of Pangu. Even if the Four Sages joined forces, they would not dare to destroy the Jie Sect. Destroying its lineage was already a great karmic consequence. Although the Jie Sect was dead, it still had a chance to rise again.
Turning to the main point, this separate monastic community, lacking both a supreme treasure for stabilizing the world and eternal supernatural powers, while enjoying great fame, is in reality a case of drinking poison to quench thirst and drawing a cake to satisfy hunger—ultimately, it cannot achieve eternity. However, since the monastic community exists alongside the Amitabha Buddha, the monastic community is unwilling to accept this. Therefore, they establish the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss as their foundation, with "Buddha" as their faith and all living beings as their basis, seeking eternal uniqueness. While this move is commendable, it is undeniably too domineering, interfering with the interests of other saints, and is therefore inappropriate.
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