Chapter 1725 Buddhism and Taoism II
"So how can offering to one's own faith be hard?" Bai Shan said, "I heard that the monks of Huguo Temple rent out the Buddha land to the people for cultivation, and they don't farm it themselves. As monks, they don't have to pay taxes. In other words, every bite and every drink they eat is provided by believers. Their own food and clothing to reduce suffering are not originally for them, but for the Bodhisattvas behind them."
The emperor was stunned and said, "Aren't they the incarnations of Bodhisattva in this world?"
"There are so many incarnations, isn't it uncertain?" Bai Shan asked. "If Your Majesty can't tell whether they are incarnations or not, then how can so many ignorant people in this world tell the difference? If they are not incarnations, how can Your Majesty know that they are practicing the Bodhisattva's teachings?"
The emperor came back to his senses and looked at the two of them suspiciously, "You don't like Buddhism, but prefer Taoism?"
Bai Shan and Man Bao shook their heads together.
Manbao said: "Although I read more Taoist scriptures, that doesn't mean I don't read Buddhist scriptures."
Bai Shan was even less likely to admit it, as that would turn it into a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, which was not his intention. He said, "Your Majesty, whether it's Buddhism or Taoism, they, like Confucianism, Legalism, and Mohism, are merely different perspectives on governing the world and on what makes people human. Most people can offer their own opinions. For example, Confucius, though well-versed in all schools of thought, preferred Confucianism. Another example is Shangshu Tang, who studied all schools of thought but placed greater faith in Legalism. And our teacher leans more towards Taoism."
"But Your Majesty is different. You are the leader of all people. The people of the world will only follow your beliefs. You believe in Buddhism, so the Buddhist temple is prosperous and the Huguo Temple has become the largest temple in the world. This should not be the case."
The emperor said angrily, "So I don't even have my own preferences anymore?"
Bai Shan knew that he would not do anything to him, so he said bluntly: "Who made you the emperor? You still want to be a wise ruler for all time? To gain something, you must give something."
The emperor frowned.
Man Bao looked puzzled. "What's the problem? There are no real gods or Buddhas in this world anyway. If someone told me that I couldn't worship Taishang Laojun in a big way to become the greatest doctor of all time, I would definitely not do it openly. Your Majesty, if you really like Bodhisattvas, you can worship them quietly in your room."
Everyone: ...
The emperor asked angrily, "How do you know there are no gods or Buddhas in the world?"
Manbao asked: "Even if there is, what can gods and Buddhas do to help us?"
She said, "Suffering in this world has never ceased. The common people have to blaze their own trails, one step at a time. Gods and Buddhas cannot walk on our behalf, so what difference does it make whether they exist or not? We just need to remember our ancestors' aspirations."
Manbao had seen the history books of that world from the encyclopedia. The development of history never relied on theology, but was developed bit by bit by human beings.
It may develop in the form of war or other competitive means, but no miracles have ever been seen.
Bai Shan had read most of the books that Manbao brought out of the space. He used to regard those books as strange stories, but the more he read, the more he thought about them.
Sometimes he couldn't help but quietly ask Manbao, "Why does the book Uncle Zhou brought us tell us not to believe in ghosts and gods?"
Manbao was confused, and Bai Shan found a reason himself, "Is it because there are few ghosts and gods in the world, or is it because ghosts and gods can't actually affect mortals?"
"That's right," Bai Shan said, justifying himself. "If ghosts and gods can influence our world, then why did the King of Yizhou harm so many people and still be safe and sound? We had to file a complaint with the emperor and expose him before he was brought to justice."
Moreover, he had never seen another ghost except Uncle Zhou in his life.
Moreover, although Uncle Zhou is such a powerful ghost, it seems that he can't influence any third person except talking to Manbao. Not to mention him, even the other people in the Zhou family can't see him or feel him.
Therefore, Bai Shan was still very confident when speaking at this time. He hoped that the emperor would not express his likes and dislikes and would not pursue Buddhism or Taoism.
The emperor was unhappy, so he turned to the prince and said, "Did you hear that? As a king, you shouldn't have your own likes and dislikes. You should go hunting less often. I heard someone say you still want the Southern Kingdom to present you with an elephant."
The Crown Prince, struck by an unexpected disaster, turned to glance at Bai Shan and Zhou Man before saying, "I've heard the Nanman elephant soldiers are formidable, so I wanted to see just how majestic an elephant is and how it compares to a thousand-mile horse." The Emperor snorted and said, "Bringing an elephant from the Nanman to the capital would be prohibitively expensive. How can a Crown Prince indulge in such extravagance? Forbidden to send someone."
Duke Zhao and the others immediately changed the subject when they saw this. "Aren't we talking about disaster relief?"
The emperor was no longer interested in going to the Huguo Temple and said angrily, "Let the county magistrates of Chang'an and Wannian counties do it. Let the national treasury do it. Forget it, let's just use the private treasury and think of it as a blessing for the little grandson."
He is feeling a little depressed now and doesn't want to see those ministers for the time being.
The Duke of Zhao and the Duke of Pi breathed a sigh of relief, and then expressed their willingness to follow His Majesty. They directly promised to give out 900 dan of grain each to pray for the little grandson of the emperor, so naturally they had to choose an auspicious number.
When the prince saw that the topic was changed, he breathed a sigh of relief, then secretly glared at Bai Shan and Zhou Man. Why were they talking about Buddhism on such a good day?
Manbao and Baishan thought that the two dukes were really rich.
The emperor felt the same way, so he breathed a sigh of relief and became happy again.
After eating and drinking, the Crown Princess took the child back to the house. The Crown Prince sent his uncle and father-in-law's family out, and then came back to see his father off.
The emperor did not move, but asked the fifth prince to lead Mingda Changyu to escort the queen back to Taiji Hall first.
Manbao and Baishan, who were also left behind, stood in the corner with their heads lowered, as if they had done something seriously wrong.
The emperor sat at his desk, writing and drawing. After finishing a piece of calligraphy for his newborn grandson, he looked up at the two of them. Feeling that they had been left alone long enough, he put down his pen and said, "Come forward."
The two of them stepped forward together.
The emperor asked, "Do you know what's wrong?"
Manbao pinched his fingers and said, "I know, we shouldn't bring up these things now. Today is the third day of the emperor's grandson's birthday, it would spoil the fun."
The emperor nodded slightly.
Bai Shan added: "We shouldn't be disrespectful to His Majesty. Even if we want to make a suggestion, we should discuss it privately afterwards and not speak ill of His Majesty in front of everyone."
The emperor nodded slightly, satisfied. Feeling he had saved enough face, he turned and asked the crown prince, who had just returned from escorting the others, "I heard that two people disappeared from your palace last night?"
The smile on the prince's face froze, and he lowered his head and reported, "Yes, two eunuchs are missing."
He explained, "On the night the Crown Princess launched the attack, Zhou Man's needle bag was tampered with."
The emperor's expression faded and he asked, "Have you found the mastermind behind this?"
"No."
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Let Yin Li investigate this matter. Jingzhao Prefecture is better at investigating cases than you."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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