Chapter 4741 Taoist Talents
Li Ji never thought that he was a person who was obsessed with power, let alone those "official beetles" who were obsessed with things. The Emperor Taizong insisted on taking the position of Zuopushe as Shangshu, and it even seemed to be "forced". Among them, The reason is to remove one’s own merits, In addition to his qualifications, he was worried that his power in the army would be too great, so he was given a position that could not be higher. His every move was scrutinized in the eyes of the world, so as to avoid any conspiracy or disloyalty behind his back. Lift...
However, no matter what the original intention was for sitting in this position, active or passive, this is after all the "Shang Shu Zuopushe", the undisputed "head of the Prime Minister", sitting in this position makes everything different.
He may not care about himself, but he cannot care about his children, grandchildren, and family members. When his former subordinates could not obtain more political benefits from him, they gradually gathered around Li Jingye, the third generation core figure of the Li family. , he knew that even if he wanted to retreat, it would be difficult to retreat. At least he couldn't retreat now, otherwise the interest group that had arisen around Li Jingye would be completely out of his control.
He can still restrain him while he is alive, but when he dies, who knows what earth-shattering things these guys can do...
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Green mountains are looming, strips of green water are meandering from the mountains, green bamboo forests are like smoke like the sea, birds are chirping, springs are gurgling, the mountains are clear and the water is beautiful, the mist is mist, and the eaves of several corners are looming among the swaying bamboo leaves, which is quite a bit of a world. The charm of the Immortal City and the blessed land beyond the heavens.
According to legend, this place was the former residence of Yin Xi, the magistrate of Hangu Pass in the Zhou Dynasty. Yin Xi built a grass house here to observe the sky, so it was named "Caolou Temple", and the name "Guan" of the Taoist temple came from this...
One day, he looked up at the sky and saw purple gas coming from the east. He knew that a sage was coming to the pass, so he rushed to the pass. At that time, Laozi entered Qin from Chu and passed through Hangu. Yin Xi asked Laozi to write a book to pass on to future generations, so Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" "" came out, so Louguan became one of the ancestral houses of Taoism.
This inheritance is even older than Longhu Mountain...
At that time, the morning light in the east and the mountain mist were faint, and a Taoist priest came leisurely from the foot of the mountain. His long black beard was neat and swayed slightly in the wind. He was wrapped in green, his sleeves and collar were tied around his belt, he had a flying green skirt, and a lotus crown, fluttering like a swimming dragon. , Xianfengdaogu.
All the way into the mountain, I saw the open space between the bamboo groves where vegetables, fruits, and clear streams flowed. My eyes became more and more leisurely and joyful. When I arrived in front of the thatched building, I saw A young Taoist priest stood solemnly and gave a bow, his voice clear and clear: "Master came from the East China Sea to participate in the Taoist event. Taoism is very lucky, and the world is very lucky!"
"Jingxian is the master of Louguan Taoism, why are you so polite? When I came to your place today, I saw the beautiful mountains and rivers, which looked like a fairy cave, and there was also a rising star of Taoism like Jingxian. It is really a great place and a great place that complements each other. I feel very happy."< br>
The two Taoist priests stepped forward to return the salute, smiled at each other, and entered the thatched building holding hands.
Sitting on his knees on the floor, Yin Wenchao boiled water and made tea. He filled the teacups in front of the two of them with tea. The elegant aroma of tea filled the air, and he stretched out his hand to make a "please" gesture.
Cheng Xuanying picked up the teacup and glanced at the clear green tea soup in the white porcelain cup. He sniffed it and took a sip. Feeling the smoothness of the tea soup entering his throat and the rich aroma remaining between his teeth and cheeks, he praised softly: "Good tea." ! This kind of tea should be produced in Qiantang. It is probably the best and is worth a lot of money.”
Taoist believers are either wealthy businessmen or high-ranking officials, so they are never short of money. However, Louguan Taoism is a little different. Yin Xi, the founder of the sect, was just a Hangu order. After that, most of them respected nature and practiced hard. People, inheritance is very difficult. If Yin Wenchao had not been praised by Emperor Taizong and Queen Wende, he would have been worried about two buckets of rice. Even so, he still planted vegetables, melons and fruits in the gaps in the bamboo forest.
It's a bit surprising that despite having a hard time making a living, one can still buy such high-quality tea that's more expensive than gold.
Yin Wenchao also took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and said with a smile: "The Caolou is poor and has a hard time making a living. After buying some new stargazing equipment, I almost lost everything. How can I have enough money to satisfy my appetite? Besides, the tea is of such good quality. It’s not something you can buy if you have money. It was a gift brought by Li Jingxuan, the director of the Academy, when he came to visit.”
Cheng Xuanying was slightly surprised: "Academy?"
Nowadays, the name of "Zhenguan Academy" has been spread all over the world, among which the studies of "arithmetic" and "investigation of things" are unique in the world. Although there are mixed reviews, it has become an undisputed famous school in the world. Fang Jun often talks about this saying "Professional people do professional things" is highly praised by many powerful people.
Yin Wenchao nodded and said: "The academy wants to open a subject called 'Astronomy', and I have been asked to come to the academy to teach. I have agreed."
Taoism originated from this land and is also rooted in this land. Hundreds of schools of thought are inseparable from and deeply involved with Taoism. Both emperors, generals, and traders were deeply affected. Nowadays, it is even more affected by the royal family of Li and Tang Dynasties. It is very common for Taoist priests to hold official positions as the "state religion", but to become the "teaching edict" of an academy is unprecedented.
Cheng Xuanying nodded: "Astronomers observe changes in the stars and participate in politics."
"Induction between heaven and man" was proposed by Confucianism, but it is combined with the knowledge of Taoist "astrology". The two are combined into one, explaining the connection between blessings and misfortunes in the world and warnings from heaven.
But Yin Wenchao shook his head: "No, astronomers look up to observe astronomy and look down to observe geography. This is why they know the brightness."
Cheng Xuanying is the best theorist of Taoism. He knows the concepts of each Taoist school very well. He asked curiously: "What is the difference?"
By inferring the changes in the earth through the movement of the stars, we can know the blessings and misfortunes of the world. Isn't this what is called "astronomy"?
Yin Wenchao said: "Now there is a theory in the academy. They only study how the celestial bodies and stars move and how the earth and mountains change. But they think that all these are just pure natural phenomena and have nothing to do with the success or failure of the world."
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"Nonsense, this is heresy!"
Cheng Xuanying was very angry and said repeatedly: "Such rhetoric runs counter to my Taoist philosophy and can even shake the foundation of my Taoism. You should criticize it!"
"There is a group in the academy that has been calculating the patterns of solar eclipses for many years, and Li Chunfeng is also involved. They use mathematical methods to measure the movement and speed of the sun, moon, and earth. They conclude that solar eclipses are natural phenomena, regardless of human nature. No matter how dynasties change, dynasties rise and fall, seas change, mountains collapse, and earth shatters, the solar eclipse will always appear on the day it should appear. Combined with the records of solar eclipses in history books, it can be said that it is absolutely accurate. ”
Cheng Xuanying was shocked and stunned, and took a long breath of air-conditioning: "If this is really the case, what should we do?"
The theory of "reception between heaven and man" has been passed down from ancient times to the present and has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts. "Solar eclipse" is an extremely serious one among many celestial phenomena. Once a solar eclipse occurs, it is considered to be "the king's immorality" and "the emperor's failure". "No way" is a warning given by God to the human world.
"A solar eclipse hurts the king." "A country without good governance will bring about relegation to the disasters of the sun and the moon." "Those who are exhausted by the solar eclipse will be crowned kings. Those who are not exhausted by the solar eclipse will be crowned ministers." All these illustrate the relationship between solar eclipses and The connection between people.
If the solar eclipse is just a natural phenomenon and has no connection with the human world, then the theory of "reception between heaven and man" will completely collapse, and the strongest chain on the king will be broken, and the king will no longer have any scruples in his actions.
Yin Wenchao sighed and said: "I'm afraid if this is indeed the case, Taoism can only adapt to the current situation, otherwise it will be a big deal once all the theories are shattered."
Cheng Xuanying was silent for a long time, but it was still difficult to believe that the solar eclipse was a natural phenomenon. Otherwise, the various Taoist theories he had tirelessly written would have lost their original truth and would not be tenable at all.
But after all, he is one of the most outstanding figures in Taoism for thousands of years. After being suspicious for a long time, he said decisively: "After you go to the academy to teach, you must actively participate in astronomical observations. If the so-called movement of stars and the induction of heaven and man are nonsense, then Taoism We must adjust our strategies and reformulate our core concepts.”
It is indeed difficult to overthrow the concepts that we have pursued in the past, but sitting still and waiting for death is even more unreasonable. However, the concept of Taoism is really profound and difficult to understand, and there are many contradictions and facts in it. It is not impossible to change it selectively, but the work involved will be extremely complicated and huge.
Yin Wenchao said: "But now it is an important time for Taoism and Buddhism to compete. How should we choose?"
Cheng Xuanying was also very distressed. Who could have expected that the most core concept of Taoism was about to suffer the heaviest blow: "Competition cannot be given up, otherwise once it is suppressed by Buddhism, it is very likely that it will not be able to turn over for decades or hundreds of years, and we will become Taoists." Sinner.”
Yin Wenchao sat upright: "But how to compete? Competing for believers? With all due respect, we can't compare with Buddhism in this aspect. We can only be 'foolish', not 'foolish'!"
The Taoist "cultivation of this life" thing can only confuse those elites. The more powerful and extremely wealthy people are, the easier it is to fall into it. Who doesn't want to be rich and wealthy for a long time and live forever? But for the lower class people, it's just the opposite. This life has been too miserable and hopeless, so why should we cultivate this life? You can only cultivate the afterlife, but "cultivating the afterlife" happens to be the concept of Buddhism...
Therefore, based on the basic teachings, there are differences between Buddhism and Taoism. One can only focus on upwards and go narrower and narrower, while the other can continuously capture believers in the vast lower space.
After all, there are still more suffering people in the world... Cheng Xuanying noticed Yin Wenchao's excitement and asked curiously: "What are your opinions? As long as it is beneficial to the inheritance of Taoism, please speak out. No matter whether it is reasonable or not, we can discuss it. After all, now that Taoism is on the verge of life and death, we should pool our wisdom and forge ahead, instead of being self-conscious and self-sufficient. ”