"The Great Mercy Temple has misled Buddhism!"
Master Falin roared in the Jifa Temple. He had used all his connections to quell the anti-Buddhist wave in the imperial court. However, he did not expect the Great Mercy Temple to not stop. First, they used crooked means to find Indian ascetic monks to swindle them. In the end, they were mercilessly exposed by the School of Mohism and beaten up by the School of Medicine.
However, when the first plan failed, they came up with another one. They used Master Cien's Buddha's bone sarira to win back the Buddhist believers. This time, it was indeed a good plan. The problem was that the effect was too good. It caused a strong backlash from both Confucianism and Taoism, causing the Buddhist situation to collapse.
Below the stage, Abbot Tongren could not help but lower his head guiltily. He did not expect things to turn out this way.
"Master Falin, please calm down! Tongren is only doing this for Buddhism. It's just that he did something bad out of good intentions. " Abbot Huichang placed his palms together. Around him, more than ten monks had gathered. It was likely that all the monks around Chang 'an City had gathered at the Jifa Temple to discuss countermeasures.
However, it was not surprising. Now that Buddhism was in such a crisis, these monks would not just sit and wait. Master Falin was a guardian of Buddhism. He was also proficient in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The monks all came to the Jifa Temple to ask for advice.
"It's useless to blame the Great Mercy Temple now. The most important thing now is to get through this crisis," a monk said worriedly. The other monks nodded in agreement.
Master Falin said coldly, "If Buddhism wants to get through this crisis, the first thing we need to do is to make the Great Mercy Temple stop all their actions. They must not do anything abnormal again."
Abbot Tongren's expression turned awkward as he broke out in a cold sweat. Although Master Falin's words were harsh, she didn't wrong the Great Mercy Temple at all. The storm this time was caused by the Great Mercy Temple. Every time the Great Mercy Temple tried to remedy the situation, it seemed to be effective, but it dragged Buddhism into the abyss again and again.
"That's right. This is a critical moment. The more we do, the more mistakes we will make. It's better for the Great Mercy Temple to not act rashly!" Abbot Huichang agreed. The other monks also nodded. In fact, if Buddhism did not care about the Mo Journal's report, even if their reputation was damaged, they would slowly recover. It was much better than being in a crisis.
Abbot Tongren helplessly lowered his head and said, "Great Mercy Temple, remember this. This is the end of the Sarira Dharma Assembly. From this moment onwards, immediately close the temple and reflect."
In fact, in the eyes of all the monks, the Great Mercy Temple's approach was not wrong at all. Even if they were from the Great Mercy Temple, they could only do so. However, the current situation was developing too quickly. This seemingly perfect plan was full of flaws in the face of the rapidly developing Hundred Schools of Thought. This made Abbot Tongren feel very sullen.
"Secondly, we'll immediately mobilize our connections in the imperial court. No matter the cost, we'll get the court officials to speak up for Buddhism," Master Fa Lin said firmly.
Actually, there were quite a few officials in the Imperial Court who were on their way to the imperial examinations, so they stayed in the temples. There were also quite a few officials who were followers of Buddhism. Now that the Hundred Schools of Thought were opposed to Buddhism, it was likely that Buddhism would have to pay a heavy price to get these people to stand up for Buddhism.
"This concerns the life and death of Buddhism. We are duty-bound!" The monks said in unison.
"Thirdly, we'll immediately contact Mount Song's Shaolin Temple and ask for their abbot's help. Back then, Shaolin's martial monks once saved the current emperor. With this favor, Buddhism will have a chance of survival," Master Fa Lin said firmly.
The eyes of the monks lit up and they nodded. They couldn't help but look at Master Fa Lin with admiration. With these three strategies, they believed that Buddhism would definitely be able to survive this crisis.
"But Shaolin is thousands of miles away from Chang 'an. I'm afraid it'll be too late even if we ask for their help now," Abbot Tongren said with a frown. Now that the Imperial Court was in a crisis, it would be too late to ask for help from Shaolin.
Master Fa Lin sneered and said, "It'll naturally be too late if we follow the usual speed. If we use the School of Mohism's horse carriage to Luoyang, there will naturally be a monastery that will arrange for a carriage to go to Shaolin. This way, there'll be enough time. "
"But what about the current relationship between Buddhism and the School of Mohism?" The monks frowned.
"What's so difficult about that? We just need to disguise ourselves. Moreover, the School of Mohism is open for business. They won't stop anyone from taking the carriage, "Master Fa Lin said loudly.
Abbot Huichang nodded and said, "My disciple, Bian Ji, is a smart person. He should be able to take on this task."
Master Fa Lin agreed and said, "I've seen Bian Ji before. He's indeed a rare talent of Buddhism. With him taking on this task, we can rest assured."
Abbot Tongren sneered and said, "That's right. The School of Mohism would never have thought that the only thing that could save Buddhism would be the School of Mohism's horse carriage."
After the monks finished their discussion, they left one after another and started their own operations.
The first to take action was the Great Mercy Temple. The Sarira Dharma Assembly in Chang 'an City ended immediately. Then, the Great Mercy Temple closed its doors and chanted sutras, no longer receiving pilgrims.
After that, the various monasteries used their connections with the Imperial Court to persuade the various officials to defend Buddhism.
Both the Confucian and Taoist sects naturally noticed Buddhism's actions and started to work together. The entire Imperial Court was suddenly filled with undercurrents.
At the same time, at the East Gate of Chang 'an City, a handsome young man stood upright. He was tall and slender, and his actions were elegant. He was very eye-catching. This person was Bian Ji, who bore the heavy responsibility of Buddhism's survival. He was waiting for the carriage to go to Luoyang.
In order to send a letter to Shaolin on Mount Song, he wore secular clothes and a hat on his head to cover his bald head and scar. However, this did not arouse any suspicion. Now, under the leadership of Mo Jiazi, more and more people in Chang 'an City cut their braids. Bian Ji's actions were not uncommon in Chang' an City.
However, although Mo Jiazi's act of cutting his hair saved Bian Ji a lot of trouble, Bian Ji did not like cutting his hair. Among the pilgrims he had received before, although those who had a crew cut their hair like the monks did, none of them were followers of Buddhism. Instead, they were determined people who kept their hair and believed in Buddhism.
He had once thought that these people who cut their hair were Mo Jiazi's younger brother. In the end, he realized that this was not the case. These people were non-believers. How could a person who could overcome the god in his heart and cut his braids so easily believe in other religions?
"Oh! This little husband is so handsome! Where are you going? " A noblewoman with heavy makeup looked at Bian Ji's handsome face and could not help but boldly tease him. Women in the Tang dynasty were very open-minded. When Bian Ji was a monk, although there were women who teased him, they did not go too far because of his identity as a monk.
However, at this moment, Bian Ji was dressed in secular clothes. In addition, he usually meditated on Buddhism. There was a mysterious temperament in his behavior, which made the noblewoman flock to him.
"I … I'm going to Mount Song." Buddhism emphasized that monks did not lie. Bian Ji could not help but tell the truth.
"Mount Song! Could it be that this husband wants to go there to study? The Songyang Academy of Mount Song is very famous! " The noblewoman's eyes lit up and she looked at Bian Ji with a little more appreciation. She did not expect that this young man was not only handsome but also ambitious.
Although it was Bian Ji's first time traveling, he knew that this task was very important. He could not help but stutter. Fortunately, he did not say the purpose of going to Shaolin.
Soon, the Mo family village's carriage was ready and arrived.
Bian Ji heaved a sigh of relief. He bent over and got into the carriage. He found a seat and did not expect the noblewoman to take the initiative to get into the carriage and sit next to Bian Ji.
Along the way, the carriage was fast, but Bian Ji was sitting on pins and needles. Fortunately, Bian Ji knew the gravity of the situation and did not say anything. This caused the noblewoman to ask for a rebuff, so she resentfully let Bian Ji go.
When the sun set, the Mo family's carriage finally arrived at Luoyang. Bian Ji got off the carriage and immediately handed it over to the monks of the Luoyang temple. He then got into a special carriage and went straight to Mount Song.
At this moment, Bian Ji was the only one in the carriage. There was no longer the noblewoman's voice. Instead, Bian Ji felt disappointed. There was no doubt that this trip to Shaolin would give Bian Ji an unforgettable memory.
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