What Xuanzang did in Emperor Taizong's Journey to the West.

It's not that Tang Priest wants to take this sutra, but that Tang Taizong wants to take it. So, what does Emperor Taizong want with this "classic"? We have to start with the resurrection of Emperor Taizong in the underworld. The Journey to the West tells a story of Emperor Taizong's resurrection from the dead in two chapters: 10 and1. The cause of the story is that when a dragon bet with a fortune teller, he broke the dogma and was beheaded. The executioner's name is Wei Zhi, and Wei Zhi's position on earth is a minister under Emperor Taizong. So Dragon begged Emperor Taizong to stop Wei Zhi from executing the death penalty. Emperor Taizong promised to save the dragon's life, but the dragon was beheaded by Wei Zhi. As a result, the ghost of the dragon haunted Emperor Taizong every day, which eventually led to the death of Emperor Taizong and reported it to Yamaraja Temple. As we know, after death, ordinary people are dragged away by ghosts, black and white impermanence, ox head and horse face with handcuffs. But when Emperor Taizong died, it was different. Cui Panguan, the housekeeper of Yamaraja Temple, came to meet him personally! I saw him kneeling on the side of the road and saying, "Your Majesty, forgive my mistake!" Just then, I saw a pair of Tsing Yi boys holding flags and shouting, "Prince Yan, please." It seems that Yan Xian invited me and got the news first. In short, everyone has great respect for Emperor Taizong. When he arrived in the underworld, although King Yan and the judge were very "respectful" to him, all kinds of ghosts in Yamaraja Temple were very unfriendly to him. Emperor Taizong suffered three thrilling "threats". The first people I met were his old Yuan, his brother Li and his younger brother Li Yuanji. They shouted, "Shimin is coming, Shimin is coming!" When it was built, Yuanji came up and was killed. Taizong couldn't dodge and was caught by him. Fortunately, Cui Panguan sent a ghostly messenger with blue face and fangs, drank Cheng Jian and Yuanji, and Taizong was able to get away. There are ten halls in Yan: Qin, Chu, Song Emperor, Guan Wang, Ping Wang, Taishan Wang, Du Wang, Wang and Lun Wang. The ten halls of Yan all went out of Senluobao Hall, and the defendant bowed down to welcome Taizong. Ten Kings: "Your Majesty is the king of the dead, and we are the kings of the underworld. Of course, why give up? " The Ten Halls of Hades are so polite to Emperor Taizong who kills people without blinking an eye! Qin Guangwang said, "Bring the book quickly. Do you think your majesty's Yangshou Tianlu should have geometry? " Cui Panguan took a nosedive in the treasurer's office, and reviewed the master books of Wang Tianlu from all countries in the world. Only the great Emperor Taizong was destined to reign for thirteen years. Cui Panguan quickly took a handful of ink, added two pictures to the word "one" and presented the book. At first glance, the ten kings saw that the name of Emperor Taizong was destined to be thirty-three. The prince was frightened and asked, "How long has your majesty been enthroned?" Taizong said, "I have been on the throne for thirteen years." "Don't worry, your majesty," said the keeper. "There are 20 years to celebrate your birthday. Now that you have understood the case, please return it to Sun. " Shiyan sent Cui Panguan and Zhu Taiwei to send Emperor Taizong back to life. By the way, Cui Panguan became a tour guide and showed Emperor Taizong around the underworld. On the eighteenth floor of hell, there were plaintive voices everywhere. One by one tied tightly, red-haired ghosts, black-faced ghosts, spears and daggers; Tauren ghost, horse-faced ghost, iron simple copper hammer. I can only frown, a face of blood, and call it helpless. Emperor Taizong was taken aback. This is the second threat. After crossing the Naihe Bridge, we arrived in the city in vain, only to hear people shouting: "Li Shimin is coming, Li Shimin is coming!" " Emperor Taizong was startled when he heard the call. When they saw a group of ghosts with bent legs and no heads, they stepped forward and stopped them. They all shouted, "Give me back my life!" These people, no, they are not people, but ghosts! They all came to stop Emperor Taizong from taking his life. This is the third threat. Frightened Taizong to hide, the judge said, your majesty, those people are the ghosts of sixty-four smoke, seventy-two bandits, princes and leaders; They all died in vain, without income, management, extra life and money. Are lonely and hungry ghosts. Your majesty must give him some money to save you. Emperor Taizong came here empty-handed. Where is the money? He made an agreement, borrowed a treasury of gold and silver, and told Qiu to give it away as much as he could. The judge also ordered the ghosts to say, "You can divide the gold and silver equally and let your grandfather Tang go. His birthday is still early. I took the advice of the Ten Kings, sent him back, and taught him to hold a land-water meeting in the underworld, so that you could live beyond life and then stop making trouble. "When all the ghosts got the gold and silver, they all resigned. The judge sent Tang Wang to a noble door until he was born. The judge said, "When your majesty dies, he must make an amphibious meeting to cross over the innocent soul. Don't forget. If there were no complaints in the underworld, the world would enjoy a peaceful celebration. Everything that is bad can be corrected one by one, the world can be taught well, and your children and grandchildren can be disciplined for a long time. "Tang Wang obeyed, resigned from the judge, took off the ghost, and died. Began to recruit monks, build an amphibious convention, and cross the lonely soul of hades. So, why did Emperor Taizong gather monks from all over the country to hold an unprecedented "Water and Land Law Meeting"? That's the reason. Cui Panguan of Yamaraja Temple told Emperor Taizong to do so after his resurrection. Cui Panguan asked Emperor Taizong to preside over this meeting on land and water law, which has two advantages and is clear: 1. The previous shortcomings can be corrected one by one. Bad is evil. All kinds of evil we have done before, such as forcing our father to death, killing our brother, harming our brother, eliminating smoke and dust in 64 places, eliminating 72 bandits, conquering the south and north, killing countless people, and even countless people who died in vain, are all called grievances, which can be changed. As long as this land and water law meeting is held, it will change, and these countless ghosts who died in vain will be able to cross over, and you will no longer be held accountable. 2. Tell the world to be good and train children for a long time. To run this land and water law meeting well, we can also set an example, take the lead in doing good, and persuade people all over the world to do good and not do evil. This long-term discipline of future generations will make mountains and rivers last forever. Since there are these two advantages (the most worrying), why not do them for Emperor Taizong? So as soon as he returned to his death, he set out to run this land and water law meeting. Because Emperor Taizong held a large-scale land and water law meeting, he invited eminent monks from all over the country. Among the eminent monks, Master Tang Xuanzang was chosen as the host of the altar. That's an order. (1 1) What is the function of the True Sutra? From the original intention, Emperor Taizong did not want to promote Buddhism, but to achieve his two personal goals: 1. Turn out the countless ghosts who died in his hands in vain before. By holding this amphibious dharma meeting, all the evil things he did before will be changed and vanished. 2. Set an example, take the lead in doing good, and persuade people all over the world to do good and not do evil. Run this land and water law meeting to ensure that future generations will be immortal. In this land and water law meeting, 1200 monks were selected from all over the country, gathered in Chang 'an Huasheng Temple, built a meditation hall, arranged merits and arranged music, and distributed to the upper, middle and lower classes. In front of the Buddhas, everything is orderly, and there are two times in the first place. On the third day of September this year, the auspicious day of the ecliptic, the land and water conference was held on July 49. Chen Xuanzang expounded the master and performed wonderful classics. Emperor Taizong and the civil and military royalty attended the meeting in time, burning incense and attending classes. So, how big is the scene of this land and water law meeting? The data is as follows: 1. High level: This is a Buddhist activity that all countries participate in together. 2. Number of people: 1200 monks get together to practice. 3. Length of time: The planned practice time is 7749 consecutive days. I believe none of you have ever seen such a big Buddhist activity. So, can such a big scene cross the ghost who died in vain before? It's hard to say, but what is certain is: set an example, take the lead in doing good deeds, and persuade people all over the world to believe in Buddhism and do good deeds without harming Datang. This goal 100% can be achieved! Emperor Taizong knew this well, because he was fully capable of controlling the influence of this land and water law meeting among the people! But first, Emperor Taizong didn't know. How many ways do you monks have? How powerful are the classics you read? Can you cross over ghosts or not? Emperor Taizong is absolutely dubious. At this time, he is most concerned about whether the ghosts who died in vain can cross over. Crossing over refers to Buddhist activities such as chanting scriptures, so that ghosts can be freed from suffering and reincarnated. So, what kind of people can't live beyond life after death? In the impression of a group of good people, people who "do bad things" will never survive. But what we are talking about today is Journey to the West, and we should respect the original author's meaning to explain it. The original author didn't say that people who do bad things can't live beyond life. Instead, I said this: I went to the city of death again, only to hear people clamoring and saying clearly: "Li Shimin is coming, Li Shimin is coming!" " ...... everyone is shouting: "Give me back my life, give me back my life!" ..... The judge said, "Your Majesty, those people are the ghosts of the sixty-four smoke and dust, seventy-two bandits, princes and leaders; They all died in vain, with no income, no management and no extra life. ...... "Note: it is" futile "and cannot be super-born. According to the life and death book, these people were all killed by Emperor Taizong before their lives, so they died in vain. These ghosts who died in vain have no charges. If he is not super-living, he will stay here and wait for you every day. Hey, hey, one day, you Li Shimin will leave here, so you can't even consider being reborn and enjoying the glory. Do you think Li Shimin will be afraid to think about it? Therefore, whether he can get rid of these ghosts who died in vain has become the biggest hidden pain in his heart! How are you monks? ! Can we get rid of these ghosts? ! Just when Emperor Taizong was dubious, Guanyin Bodhisattva jumped out and said, "Your Hinayana teaching method can't help the dead ascend to heaven, but it can only be vulgar and light." You wandering ghosts all died in vain at this amphibious meeting, and you can't get rid of it! It can only be put on show for people all over the world. You said Guanyin Bodhisattva only spoke to Emperor Taizong's heart? The Bodhisattva added, "I have Mahayana Buddhism and Sanzang. I can survive my death and get rid of my suffering." As soon as this statement came out, the doubts in Tang Taizong's heart were completely released, as if grasping at straws. He quickly asked, "Where is your Mahayana Buddhism?" The Bodhisattva said, "I became a Buddha here in the Leiyin Temple in Tianzhu, a great western heaven, and I can solve all grievances and eliminate innocent disasters." Emperor Taizong was overjoyed and said, "Ask the mage to take him. Please speak on the stage. " Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't tell him the Mahayana Sutra casually, but showed her real body to let everyone know that she was really Guanyin Bodhisattva. This is to further win the trust of Emperor Taizong. And leave a message to enlighten: Li Da Tang Jun, there is strange writing in the west. Long journey, Mahayana diligence. You can surpass ghosts after returning home. If someone is willing to go, they will seek the golden body. Note: For Emperor Taizong, this true scripture has only one function, which is very simple, that is, "it can transcend ghosts and gods and get out of the group". The Bodhisattva didn't go on stage to talk about the true sutra of "supernatural beings", but said: You can go to the Western Heaven to get it if you want. Emperor Taizong immediately ordered the monks: "Stop winning the meeting and wait for me to send someone to get the Mahayana Sutra before restoring good results." All right! The land and water law society also stopped. The important thing is to get the true scriptures and then redo this dharma meeting. Why did Dharma stop after only one seventh of it was done? Because the bodhisattva said that the dead can't ascend to heaven, and it's useless to do it, useless. As mentioned earlier, Tang Taizong may have two purposes in holding this land and water law meeting. If he just wants to show the world and persuade the world to do good, then his goal has been successfully achieved, and he won't want any Buddhist scriptures, will he? But the truth is, he is so eager to get this true scripture that there is only one explanation: he wants to get rid of these ghosts who died in vain! This is the most important thing. As for putting on a show for the people, that's secondary. At this point, it can be concluded that the real purpose of Emperor Taizong's trip to the Western Heaven to seek the Mahayana Sutra is 1. Not to promote Buddhism. 2. Not for the life of the universe. 3. It is to eliminate the evil, sin and sin that I have done before, and to clear the ghosts in my heart. (12) It's more difficult to learn from the scriptures and pass them on. The reason why Emperor Taizong needs the Tathagata Sutra is to eliminate the evils he has done, the crimes he has committed and the ghosts in his heart. I explained it last time. But think about it carefully: if Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't tell Emperor Taizong, would Emperor Taizong know about the Tathagata? I definitely don't know! If Emperor Taizong didn't know that Tathagata had the scriptures to help him solve the disaster, he wouldn't send Tang Priest to the West to learn the scriptures. So the key point of the whole incident lies in Guanyin Bodhisattva. Then, why did Guanyin Bodhisattva come to guide Taizong? The eighth poem of Journey to the West, My Buddhist Sutra Biography, Goddess of Blissfulness and Guanyin Order Chang 'an, makes it very clear: One day, Tathagata called all the Buddhist disciples together and said to the public, I have three true sutras today, which can persuade people to be kind. I'm going to send it to the East, but I'm afraid that all beings there are stupid, slander the truth, don't know the gist of my teaching, and ignore the authenticity of yoga. How to get a magical person? Go to the East to find a good faith, teach him to cross Qian Shan, take the Wan Li Road, come to my place to get the true scriptures, and spread them to the East forever. Who wants to go for a walk? Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I am a worthless apprentice. I want to go to Dongtu to find a monk. " When the Tathagata met him, he was overjoyed and said, "You can't go anywhere else. You have to be a Guanyin Bodhisattva to go. "Whoever writes a big book, there will be an outline, and then the clues are in hand, and the context is not chaotic. This time, there are many stories about learning from the scriptures. If you don't know this, you will easily be confused by the wonderful stories in the process of learning from the scriptures. As can be seen from this outline, the original reason for studying the scriptures is that the Tathagata wants to pass on the scriptures, not the Tang priest wants to learn the scriptures, and no one wants to learn his scriptures at all. For hundreds of years, no one has read this kind of outline, and everyone mistakenly regards "passing on the classics" as "learning from the classics". It is actually quite difficult for the Tathagata Buddha to pass on his scriptures to the East forever. How can I see it? It's Wanshui Qian Shan. Is it a long way? No, it's that all beings are stupid, slander the truth, don't know the gist, and ignore the truth. How hard is it? No one can finish this task, only the omnipotent Guanyin Bodhisattva can go. So, am I really stupid to be from China? Even if the Tathagata Buddha has boundless Buddhism, it is difficult to pass on the scriptures. Let's look at what is said in Journey to the West: 1. Pig Bajie in Zhanyundong, Fuling plays the role of "bandit" at the bottom of society. Pig Bajie has no business to support himself, but eats people according to our own standards. Pig Bajie lived by eating people when he was a bandit, and he also ate people according to his own standards. It can be seen that Pig Bajie * * is a bandit with the principle of "don't kill" and "don't rob", which shows that he is only solving the most basic survival problem. The Bodhisattva enlightened him and said, "The ancients said that if you want to have a future, don't do things without a future. You broke the law in the upper bound, but now you don't change your original intention, hurting people and committing crimes, but you are not punished for two crimes? " Pig * * said, "the future, the future, if it's all up to you, teach me to ride the wind! As the saying goes, killing people according to the official law and starving to death according to the Buddhist law. Let's go, let's go. It is better to catch a pedestrian and eat his mother's greasy food! What two crimes and three crimes, thousands of crimes! "Pig eight quit is very straightforward. He doesn't believe in Buddhism at all. Even if Guanyin Bodhisattva stood in front of him, he wouldn't believe it. He only believes that filling the stomach is better than committing crimes. 2. The Bodhisattva took the cassock and Zhang Xi to Chang 'an for sale. I met some stupid monks and lost the election as the host of the Water and Land Law Society, but I have a few village stories. The foolish monk asked, "How much is your cassock?" The bodhisattva said, "The cassock is worth 5,200 yuan, and Zhang Xi is worth 2,200 yuan." The silly monk smiled and said, "These two monks are crazy and stupid! These two rough things sold for 7.2 thousand silver? It's just that unless you put on your upper body and live forever, it's not worth it to become a Buddha as an ancestor! I can't sell it if I take it! " Silly monk, there are several village notes. This is the representative of the small rich and well-off class, with a few dollars in his hand. It is also a representative of the internal members of Buddhism and a very senior member, because they were defeated by the host of the Land and Water Dharma Association. You should know that the monks who can attend the land and water law meeting convened by the emperor are all famous monks in the country. Although these eminent monks wear the cloak of Buddhism, in fact, they don't believe in Buddhism at all, because they are very realistic, that is, they have clearly expressed their attitude towards "immortality" and "becoming a Buddha as their ancestors": they are not interested. Let's look at the aristocratic class in the palace again. Tai Shicheng and Fu Yi boldly slandered the Buddha: the law of the Western Regions has no monarch, no minister and no son, three roads and six roads lure stupidity, pursue the sins of the past, peek at the future, and recite Sanskrit to steal it. Since the Five Emperors and Three Kings, there has been no Buddhism, and it was not until Emperor Han Ming established the Shen Hu. However, Sang Men, who autobiographed his teachings, was actually a foreigner who committed China. Words and ceremonies should be related to the monarch, the Buddha's back is related to becoming a monk, competing with the husband for the son of heaven and following the body. If you follow the teachings without a father or a gentleman, it means that the unfilial person has no relatives. Tai Shicheng and Fu Yi not only don't believe in Buddha, but also "slander" Buddha, pick out its disadvantages and directly put forward the theory of Buddha's harmfulness. This shows that it is not true to say that all China people are stupid. I think these evil, snobbish and powerful people are neither stupid nor stupid. It is true to say that slander is true. Almost everyone slanders, everyone slanders. The endless Buddhism has no market among the people who have not solved the most basic survival problems at the bottom of China Datang society. People who are small and well-off and have a few dollars in their hands have no market. There is no market among the upper aristocratic bureaucrats. It's really difficult to promote your products in a place where there is no market! When we are all watching The Journey to the West, we generally mistakenly think that the difficulty of learning from the scriptures lies in the way of learning from the scriptures. I always thought that Tang Priest's hardships were the biggest difficulty. Actually, it's not. There are two difficulties: first, there is no market. The second is the difficulty on the road. From the above Tathagata, it is obvious that he is not worried about the difficulties on the road; The worry is that there is no market in this place.