The Tang Dynasty started from saving Empress Changsun

Chapter 334 Xuanzang
Tianzhu, Magadha King's Shecheng, Nalanda Temple.

Xuanzang finished his morning class and was about to go to the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion to copy the scriptures, when he saw a disciple coming over and said, "Brother Xuanzang, there are some businessmen who claim to be from the Eastern Tang Dynasty and want to see you."

Hearing this, he was very surprised, and said, "A businessman from Tang Dynasty, are you sure?"

The disciple said: "That's what the guide who brought them here really said... Oh, by the way, you probably don't know that brother is dedicated to serving the Buddha. Two months ago, hundreds of merchant ships from the Great Tang Dynasty arrived in Tianzhu from the sea..."

"They brought countless treasures, and the whole Tianzhu was a sensation... It is said that the merchants of the whole Tianzhu are going to the seaside to find them to trade..."

"I guess the merchants outside the door came by boat, and they came here to pay homage after hearing the name of the senior brother."

When mentioning Xuanzang's reputation, the disciple couldn't help showing admiration.

Xuanzang was extremely surprised, and said: "Amitabha, what happened? Please... no, take me to see them."

All the way to the door, I saw a dozen figures in familiar clothes from afar.

The disciple said: "Brother, it's them."

"I see, thank you, Junior Brother." Xuanzang couldn't help but speed up his walking pace after thanking him.

After arriving at the door, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, "Amitabha, poor monk Xuanzang, dare to ask some benefactors but they want to find me?"

The strong man who took the lead looked him up and down, and seeing that he was indeed a Han Chinese, he said: "A certain Huang Jianfeng, I heard that there is an eminent monk from the Tang Dynasty in Tianzhu, and I am here to pay a visit."

Hearing the familiar Chang'an accent, Xuanzang couldn't help beating violently with excitement:

"Amitabha, thank you benefactor... The poor monk has been away from home for a long time and I really want to know the current situation in his hometown. Please enter the temple to ask the poor monk for advice."

Huang Jianfeng said: "I also have something to ask the master for advice, please."

Several people came to the temple together, Huang Jianfeng followed Xuanzang to his meditation room, and the entourage he brought stayed outside.

After the two parties sat down, Huang Jianfeng took the initiative to say: "Master, you have offended me. Please show me the certificate so that I can confirm your identity."

Xuanzang was stunned for a moment. He took the initiative to visit but had to check his identity. This is an excessive request.

But seeing the seriousness of the other party, he didn't refuse, and went to the cabinet in the bedroom to take out his certificate.

After seeing it, Huang Jianfeng finally confirmed that it was the real person, and then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, someone asked me to bring a gift to the master. I have to verify my identity."

As he spoke, he took off the package on his back, and when he opened it, there was a locked box inside.

Xuanzang was puzzled, who would give him the gift?Or who actually knew that he was still alive in Tianzhu?

"I don't know which old friend of the poor monk entrusted it?"

Huang Jianfeng said: "Zixiao Guan Chen Jingke Chen Zhenren."

"Zixiao Temple? Master Chen?" Xuanzang was even more puzzled, he had never heard of the two names.

Moreover, Master Zixiao watched Chen Zhenren, and it sounded like Taoism. Why did he give himself a monk as a gift?

Huang Jianfeng saw his doubts and explained: "Zixiao Temple was created by Sun Simiao and Sun Zhenren, and Chen Zhenren is Sun Zhenren's personal disciple..."

He introduced the ins and outs of Zixiao Temple and Chen Jingke's identity in detail.

Xuanzang also couldn't help being surprised. He naturally knew about Sun Simiao, but he didn't expect such a big change.

In particular, I am worried that Zixiao Temple has completed the integration and innovation of Taoism and completely overwhelmed Buddhism.

Although Zixiao Temple behaved relatively restrained and did not launch an attack on Buddhism, but one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, and this is a matter of time.

Although the power of Buddhism is strong, the contradictions between factions are also greater.

Although there are many sects of Taoism, their ideological templates are all righteous.Speaking carefully, there is not much ideological difference between the two parties, and the reason why factions are formed is more because of interests.

But Buddhism is different. It is a faction formed because of different thoughts. It is even more difficult to reconcile, and it can even be said that there is no possibility of reconciliation.

Under such circumstances, how should Buddhism face the unified Taoism?
In particular, Sun Simiao, the Taoist leader, was canonized as a medical saint. This is the only person who was canonized alive. Chen Jingke, as a Taoist priest, even honored the princess.

With such a leader, what can Buddhism resist?As a Buddhist, he had to worry about this.

But he was an eminent monk after all, so he didn't lose his composure because of this, and asked about Datang's current situation carefully.

He couldn't help but feel happy when he learned that the Great Tang eradicated the Eastern Turks, pacified the Siyi and restored the glory of the Celestial Kingdom, and even dispelled many of his worries about Buddhism.

The two chatted until nightfall before ending the conversation.

Xuanzang personally entertained Huang Jianfeng and the others for a fast meal, and arranged a place for them to rest before returning to his meditation room.

Taking out the heavy box, he was full of curiosity.

That Chen Zhenren is obviously very young, how does he know himself?How did he know that he was in Tianzhu?Why give yourself something?What exactly is in this box?
He has too many questions and needs to find answers in this box.

The box was locked with a small lock. Huang Jianfeng didn't give him the key, nor did he mention the key, and he didn't ask where the key was.

Obviously, the gift giver was afraid that someone would open it halfway, so he deliberately didn't give the key.

As for how Xuanzang opened it, it was too simple.

He found an iron pestle and smashed it down fiercely, the lock snapped off.

Opening the box, there are books neatly placed inside, and a thick letter on top of the book.

Book?Why are you sending me books all the way?What book is this again?

Xuanzang picked up the letter first with doubts, and after opening it, he found that there were two stacks of papers in the envelope, one thick and the other thin.

He picked up the thin paper and read it, and soon his face became serious.

The other party not only knew him, but also knew his experience of traveling westward, and even told a thing or two about his experience in Tianzhu.

The key is the other party's purpose, to ask him bluntly about the fusion of the three religions.

"Amitabha." He chanted the Buddha's name, and the ominous premonition just now came true, and Zixiao Temple finally showed its minions.

It's just that he didn't expect that the other party's heart would be so big, and the three religions merged.

Putting down the letter in his hand with a heavy heart, he unfolded the thicker stack of papers.This piece of paper is half a meter long and wide, and on it is the outline of a map of the Tang Dynasty, the Western Regions, and Tianzhu.

At the end of that letter, the other party asked him to help fill the map.

As a person who can travel thousands of miles westward alone to obtain the scriptures, Xuanzang immediately guessed the other party's purpose.

"I didn't expect this real Chen to have such great ambitions... However, with the current national strength of the Tang Dynasty, it is hard to say whether Tianzhu can be conquered, but there is no problem in competing for hegemony in the Western Regions."

"Although the poor monk is a monk, he is also a son of the Han family. I have to help with this. Amitabha, the Buddha forgives sins."

Xuanzang immediately made a decision that no matter what religious differences existed between the two sides, he must complete this task as a Han Chinese.

He is not too familiar with the situation in the Western Regions and Tianzhu. It can be said that he can fill this picture with his eyes closed.

However, he was not in a hurry, but picked up the book below and started to read it.There was no mention of these books in the letter, and he wondered what kind of books it was.

Could it be the new teachings of Taoism, trying to convince me to agree to the unity of the three religions?

But when he saw the title of the book, he frowned slightly, Journey to the West?
For some reason, he felt an inexplicable touch when he saw this name, as if this book had a deep relationship with him.

Shaking his head to get rid of this thought, he opened the text.

Once again, I was surprised to find that this turned out to be a novel of gods and monsters.He wondered again, what does it mean to send himself such a novel?
Continue to read patiently, and then you have to admire the rich and wonderful imagination of the author of this book.

The story was so wonderful that even he couldn't help but want to know the content behind it.

Continuing to read, he gradually understood the content of this book, which was used to promote Taoism, because it was full of Taoist things.

Huang Jianfeng told him about some Taoist innovations before, but he didn't talk about them in detail.At this time, through Journey to the West, he finally understood what is going on with the new Taoist mythology system.

He couldn't help admiring: "Sun Zhenzhen is really a master. Heaven and hell, eighteen floors of hell and six realms of reincarnation, no wonder he can overwhelm my Buddha. The most amazing thing is the four great masters, no wonder he can make all the Taoists bow their heads."

However, he has been seeing Monkey King being crushed under Wuzhi Mountain, and there is still no shadow of Journey to the West, which inevitably makes him suspect that the title of the book is not worthy of the name.

However, the next chapter, Zixiao Temple's lectures not only made him change his views, but also made him understand the true purpose of this book.

When he saw Daode Tianzun descend to earth and become Lao Tzu, he blurted out: "Turn Hu into a Buddha."

In order to verify his guess, he didn't read down in order, but turned to the chapter where Shakyamuni became a Buddha after the battle against demons through the table of contents.

After reading it, his face was extremely heavy, and he murmured: What a great catastrophe, what a transformation of a tiger into a Buddha, so you actually want to use this method to complete the unity of the three religions.

At the same time, he also understood the purpose of Chen Jingke in giving him something, which was to let him make a choice in advance, whether to agree with this method.

However, a new doubt arose: Although I had a slight reputation in Middle-earth, I had no influence behind me and had little influence on various schools of Buddhism. Why did you ask for my opinion?
However, Xuanzang is Xuanzang, and he quickly thought of a possibility: If I return to the Tang Dynasty with countless scriptures and Buddhist treasures, what kind of situation will it be?

Chinese Buddhism will be able to let go of their prejudices and celebrate this great event together, and they will have a unique position in Buddhism.

Think about it, if Buddhism in China is celebrating its return and thinks that it is about to usher in great prosperity, but I choose the integration of the three religions.

A blow to Buddhism as a whole would be devastating.

Hiss, thinking of this, he couldn't help but gasp.If that real person Chen could even calculate this and make a plan one step ahead, it would be too terrifying.

But apart from this possibility, he really couldn't explain why the other party traveled thousands of miles to give him these things.

"If all this is true... Daoism is so lucky to have a master like Sun Zhenren first, and then a wise man like Chen Zhenren."

"Could they really be able to accomplish a feat that none of their predecessors could accomplish, and unite the three religions into one?"

The concept of the unity of the three religions had already been proposed in the Sui Dynasty. For example, the great Confucianist Wang Tong and others have been working hard on it all their lives, but there has been no substantial progress.

Xuanzang naturally knew about this matter, and he himself disapproved of the integration of the three religions.

There are constant disputes within Buddhism, and sometimes both sides can quarrel for decades over the commentary of a scripture, so that they regard each other as enemies.

The differences between the three religions are even greater, and it is simply an impossible task to unite.

Unless one of them can gain the absolute upper hand and completely trample the other two under their feet and force them to revise their teachings, just like Confucianism was the only one in those days.

But he sees little chance of that happening.

However, if what Huang Jianfeng said about Taoism is true, then the possibility he thinks is the most unlikely may really appear.

Datang recognized Laozi as his ancestor, so he was destined to respect Taoism.

Now that the leader of Taoism, Sun Simiao, has been canonized as a saint, and his disciple is also Princess Shangdi, the royal family's support for Taoism has become inevitable.

Internally, Taoism has completed self-integration and condensed into a rope, and has also made breakthroughs in ideology and doctrine.

Although he doesn't understand the new Taoist teachings, he can see from the Journey to the West that he is indeed unique.

Especially the myth system, the reincarnation system and the good and evil system are at the crushing level for other sects.

Taoism can be said to be at the right time, place and people, and has the foundation to crush the other two. It depends on when they do it.

However, he believed that this time would not be too long, and even before he received this gift, the other party had already made a move.

He could already imagine the pressure faced by Buddhism in Central China at this time, whether those fellow believers could persevere until he went back was another matter.

But he has no plans to go back now, not because he is afraid, but because his purpose of coming to Tianzhu has not been fulfilled.

Many scriptures have not been learned yet, so how could it be possible to give up halfway.

Instead of rushing back, it is better to go back fully prepared.At that time, whether it is war or peace, he will have more confidence.

Xuanzang's expression quickly became firm: "Although Taoism is a step ahead, it is not so easy to complete the integration of the three religions. If you want to win the approval of the poor monk, you must first argue against me in terms of doctrine."

Then he took out the map and added the details from memory.He took a blank piece of paper and wrote down all the information he knew about the various forces.

I wrote it all night, until the temple bell rang when the sky turned pale, and I finally finished writing.

Then he wrote a letter to Chen Zhenren, whom he had never met.

When everything was ready, I took out the Journey to the West from the box, put the map and explanatory text in it, and found a small lock to lock it.

Put the box aside and went to morning class as normal.Then he invited Huang Jianfeng and others to play around the temple, as a landlord.

Finally, he handed the box to Huang Jianfeng, and said, "Trouble benefactor Huang, hand him over to Master Chen of Zixiao Temple."

(End of this chapter)