The great man will live forever

Chapter 307: A man comparable to Zhang Jiao (The Five Pecks of Rice Sect in the Mist)

In August of 184 AD, Zhang Ning led his army to march toward Qingzhou, leaving Zhang Bao behind in Quyang.

On the other side, Zhang Xiu, a native of Bajun, uses magic to treat people's illnesses. The method he uses is roughly the same as Zhang Jiao. When he was treating a disease, he asked the patient's family to give him five buckets of rice, so he was known as the "Five Buckels of Rice Master".

Around the time Zhang Ning left, Zhang Xiu imitated Zhang Jiao, gathered a crowd to rebel, and attacked the counties and counties. People at the time called them "rice thieves."

Here, a Taoist sect that has influenced China for many years was born, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, which was the predecessor of Zhengyiyi.

As the saying goes, the Dharma spreads to the world and saves all sentient beings.

There are currently two major sects: Zhengtaoism and Quanzhen Taoism.

Throughout history, from the founding of Taoism to the present, there are countless stories of Taoist priests cultivating morality internally and helping the world and benefiting people externally.

Taoism has always advocated "inaction" and "non-fighting", but in fact, believers in Taoism have always maintained an attitude of waiting in the prosperous times and watching the troubled times, adhering to the belief that "if you live high in the temple, you worry about the people, and if you are far away from the rivers and lakes, you worry about the king." thought of.

The Tao is righteous, respecting heaven and ancestors, helping the world and saving people.

Later generations' "Daomen Kelu" said: "Five buckets of rice, twenty-four governance, thirty-six jinglu.

There are 2,400 Taoist priests inside and outside, and 1,200 officials under the command. They are well-versed in articles and articles. They punish talismans and temples, kill ghosts and humans, and cleanse the universe. They will be clear and righteous, and there will be no more evil ghosts in the sky and the earth.

Put aside all restraints and make an appointment to govern the people. The gods do not accept food and drink, and the teachers do not accept money. The envoys should cultivate kindness and filial piety internally, be respectful and respectful to outsiders, assist the timely affairs, and help the country and its destiny. "

After Taoism was formally formed in the Eastern Han Dynasty, that is, after the high standard of "respecting heaven and respecting ancestors", the temples and mandalas built were also intended to "respect gods and teach people to pursue filial piety."

The important significance of respecting heaven and ancestors lies in safeguarding the bloodline and dignity of the Chinese nation and uniting all descendants of Yan and Huang to return to their roots and love the motherland.

Zhengdao teaches to exorcise evil spirits, subjugate demons, slay demons and eliminate filth, in order to maintain peace and tranquility in the world, gather righteousness, promote justice, and keep the people undisturbed and return to the right path.

The ancestral heavenly master Zhang Daoling is also revered as the "Heavenly Lord who subdues demons and protects the Tao".

The Zhengyi sect is mainly divided into Maoshan, Lingbao, Qingwei, Jingming and other sects, but it is still represented by Tianshi Tao. Customarily, Tianshi Tao is also called Zhengyi sect.

The ancestral altar is located in Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi Province. The three mountains of Fu Zhuan are Longhu Mountain, Maoshan and Gezao Mountain.

Zhengyiyi is one of the two major sects of Chinese Taoism in the later period. Based on the long-term development of Tianshi Taoism and Longhu Sect, with Longhu Sect as the center, it is a large Fushuan sect composed of various Fushuan Taoist sects.

The other is of course the Quanzhen Tao, which emphasizes the complete truth of Taoism, cultivating the mind internally, and saving all sentient beings externally.

Driven by history, some new sects were added to the history of Taoism during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, among which the most influential was Quanzhen Taoism founded by Patriarch Wang Chongyang.

His teachings aim to "comprehend the three teachings", "know the mind and nature", and "complete the true nature", hence the name "Quan Zhen".

The main purpose of his practice is to be quiet and inactive, to remove emotions and desires, to cultivate his mind and temper his nature, to nourish his qi and refine his elixirs, to practice "real skills" internally by bearing shame and humiliation, and to practice "true conduct" externally by preaching the truth, helping the world and saving people, achieving both merit and practice, and becoming a saint. , called "complete truth".

The whole town's Taoism is divided into Longmen, Suishan, Yushan, Hua and other sects, but it is still referred to as Quanzhen Taoism, and its ancestral temples are Chongyang Palace, Yongle Palace and Yanxia Cave.

There are two relatively prosperous periods in the history of Quanzhen Taoism. One is the support of Qiu Chuji and Yin Zhiping during the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, and the second is the resurgence of Patriarch Wang Changyue during the Qing Dynasty. Each period has its own different characteristics.

There is no doubt that the founder of Quanzhen Taoism is Patriarch Wang Chongyang.

Everyone agrees that the founder of Zhengyiyi is the first generation of Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, because Zhang Celestial Master is the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.

But was the Five Dou Rice Sect really founded by Zhang Tianshi?

Corresponding to this, history at home and abroad is quite controversial.

In the eyes of the public, there seems to be no doubt about this. Everyone says so, Zhang Ling is the first generation of heavenly masters, and he is also honored as Zhang Daoling.

According to legend, Zhang Tianshi is the eighth grandson of Zhang Liang, the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty. He was born on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the 10th year of Emperor Guangwu's reign in Han Dynasty in Afang Village, Feng County.

Zhang Daoling's father, Zhang Dashun, was good at the magic of immortals and called himself "Tongbai Zhenren". After giving birth to a son, he named him "Ling". He hoped to follow his ancestors, stay away from the world, and become an immortal by climbing the mausoleum.

His name is Zhang Ling, and the word "dao" in the middle was added by later generations, which means that he will become an immortal after attaining the Tao.

It is said that Zhang Daoling was extremely intelligent since he was a child and could read the Tao Te Ching at the age of seven. When he was a scholar of Taixue, he was well versed in the Five Classics, astronomy, geography, and Heluo prophecies. There were more than a thousand scholars from him.

He was knowledgeable and his family was rich. He didn't have to worry about life. He began to think about life and observe the changes in the universe.

He often lamented that the books he read could not solve the problem of life and death, so he abandoned Confucianism and studied the way of immortality.

When Zhang Daoling was 26 years old, he served as an official of Jiangzhou (now Chongqing), but soon resigned and lived in seclusion in Beimang Mountain, Luoyang (now north of Luoyang, Henan), where he studied Taoism intensively.

The later Ming emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty and Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, successively recruited him to serve as Taifu, Marquis of Jixian County, etc., but he declined all of them.

After that, Zhang Daoling began to travel around famous mountains and rivers, visiting Taoism and seeking immortality.

First, he traveled south to the Huaihe River and lived in Tongbai Taiping Mountain. Later, he crossed the Yangtze River with his disciples Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng and went south to Yunjin Mountain in Guixi County, Jiangxi.

Yunjin Mountain has beautiful mountains, clear waters and quiet scenery. It was the habitat of ancient immortals. Zhang Daoling lived in a cottage on the mountain and built an altar to refine elixirs.

Legend has it that three years later, his magical elixir was completed, and the dragon and tiger appeared. Therefore, the mountain was also called Longhu Mountain, and it became the ancestral home of Taoism in later generations.

At that time, Zhang Daoling was 60 years old. He heard that the people in Shu were kind and easy to educate, so he moved to Sichuan.

After entering Sichuan, he first lived in Yangping Mountain, then Heming Mountain, and also went to Xicheng Mountain, Gegui Mountain, Qinzhong Mountain, Changli Mountain, Yongquan Mountain, Zhendu Mountain, Beiping Mountain, and Qingcheng Mountain to refine his mind.

In the sixth year of Yonghe (141), Zhang Daoling wrote 24 Taoist books, calling himself "Tai Qing Xuanyuan", recruiting disciples and teaching, and establishing Taoist grassroots organizations. Those who followed his path were required to pay five buckets of rice, which was then called the "five buckets of rice way"...

This is common knowledge, but in later academic circles, it has always been controversial whether Zhang Daoling founded the Five Pecks of Rice Road.

Because another school of scholars believes that it was Zhang Xiu who founded the Five Pecks of Rice Road.

Once you open the historical data, you will find something very suspicious.

There are many historical materials, such as "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" and "Three Kingdoms", which do not mention Zhang Daoling and his son Zhang Heng when describing the Taoist situation at that time. Most of them only mention Zhang Xiu.

For example, the "Dianlue" written by Yu Huan, a doctor in the state of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, has this record: "The Ling Emperor Xi Pingzhong, demons and thieves were on the rise. The three assistants were Luo Yao, Guang Hezhong, Zhang Jiao in the east, and Zhang Xiu in Hanzhong. . Luo Yao teaches, the Min Burian Hidden Dharma, the corner is the Tao of Taiping, and the cultivation is the Tao of Five Pecks of Rice."

This means that during the Xiping and Guanghe reigns of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, three groups of demons and thieves caused chaos.

They are Luo Yao who taught the Burmese Dharma, Zhang Jiao who taught Taiping Dao, and Zhang Xiu who taught Wu Dou Mi Dao.

"Zi Zhi Tong Jian" also records, "Bajun Zhang used witchcraft to treat people's illnesses. His method was the same as Zhang Jiao's. He ordered the sick family to give five buckets of rice and was named the Five Bucks of Rice Master. In autumn and July, a crowd gathered to rebel, and Kou Jun County; people at that time called them rice thieves."

None of this was mentioned about Zhang Ling, Zhang Heng and his son.

Could it be that Zhang Ling and Zhang Heng had already passed away by this time and were no longer here?

No, Zhang Ling did not die until the last years of Xiping. He lived for more than 120 years. He was so capable that he was worthy of being the first generation of heavenly masters.

As for Zhang Heng, he did not die until the second year of Guanghe.

So, at that time, they were basically still alive.

This is a bit strange. You must know that Yugao was a person from the Three Kingdoms period, not far from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

If Zhang Ling and Zhang Heng were the true founders and leaders of the Five Pecks of Rice Road, Yuhuan would not have known about it.

Then, the ones alongside Zhang Jiao should be Zhang Ling and Zhang Heng and his son, not Zhang Xiu.

"Three Kingdoms" records: "Zhang Lu's mother used to be deceitful at first, and she had a young appearance. She often came to Yan's house, so Yan sent Lu to be the governor of Sima and stationed in Hanzhong."

It is also recorded in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "Zhang Lu's mother from Pei was beautiful, and she used deceitful ways to travel to and from the Yan family, so she was appointed Lu Yi to supervise Yi Sima."

These two historical materials record the same thing, and the amount of information is very large. When translated, it means Zhang Ling's grandson Zhang Lu, his mother, the wife of Zhang Heng, Zhang Daoling's daughter-in-law.

She was very beautiful and had a great influence on the country. She often went to the home of Liu Yan as a herdsman in Yizhou, and her relationship with Liu Yan was very ambiguous. Therefore, his son Zhang Lu was appointed as the governor Sima by Liu Yan because of his mother's nepotism. The ghost path among them is actually the Five Pecks of Rice Path, but it was called the ghost path at the time.

There is also a historical record, "The Biography of Zhang Lu in the Three Kingdoms" records that in the second year of Chuping (191), Liu Yan appointed Zhang Lu as the governor Sima, and he and other Sima Zhang Xiu led troops to attack Su Gu, the prefect of Hanzhong.

After Zhang Xiu killed Su Gu, Zhang Lu, under the instruction of Liu Yan, cut off the Xiegu Road and killed the court envoys many times.

Liu Yan also wrote a letter saying, "The rice thieves have cut off the road and cannot reopen it." After Zhang Lu occupied Hanzhong, he killed Zhang Xiu, captured his soldiers, and taught the people the ghost way.

In other words, Zhang Lu's teaching power was taken from Zhang Xiu.

Now, the question arises. If it was Zhang Ling who founded the Five Pecks of Rice Tao, then the position of the leader of the Celestial Master is hereditary. Zhang Lu should naturally inherit the position of Celestial Master from his father Zhang Heng. Why should he first pass through his mother? Hue uses nepotism to obtain official positions.

Zhang Lu gained power, and then killed Zhang Xiu and snatched the teaching power from him.

Moreover, many historical materials from the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty recorded Zhang Xiu's own achievements in the Five Dou Rice Cult in relatively detail.

On the contrary, Zhang Ling and Zhang Heng and his son were unclear.

For example, "Dian Lue" uses a large space to record that Zhang Xiu formulated a series of teachings and rules for the Five Dou Rice Taoism. For example, those who join the Taoist religion must hand over five dou rice, write handwritten letters from the three officials, and pray for the sick.

Taking Laozi's five thousand texts as the canon within the sect, an organization was established, with ghost officials, supervisors, wine-sacrifice and other Taoist officials...

Originally, many Taoists of later generations believed that the Five Pecks of Rice religion was created by Zhang Ling, but according to historical materials, they were all attributed to Zhang Xiu.

Moreover, the "Book of the Later Han" clearly records that Zhang Xiu traveled from Hanzhong to Bashu to preach, and his influence became more and more important, and he won the title of Five Dou Rice.

As Zhang Xiu's influence grew, he finally organized an uprising among his followers.

These historical facts are clearly recorded in both "Book of the Later Han" and "Zizhi Tongjian".

It can be seen that in the minds of people at that time, Zhang Xiu was the symbol of the Five Pecks of Rice.

Therefore, some scholars believe that the real founder of Five Pecks of Rice is Zhang Xiu, not Zhang Ling.

For example, the famous scholar Mr. Ren Jiyu supports this view. The "History of Chinese Taoism" edited by him also said that Zhang Xiucai was the authentic master of the "Five Pecks of Rice".

Scholars of this school believe that Zhang Xiu was later killed by Zhang Lu and his religious rights were taken away. In order to cover up the matter, Zhang Lu falsely claimed that the Five Pecks of Rice Road was created by his father and grandfather.

By controlling the Five Dou Rice Road, he actually inherited his father's business. On the other hand, he also set out to eliminate Zhang Xiu's achievements in usurping the religion and eliminate his influence within the sect.

Since then, Zhang Xiu has known fewer and fewer people in the Taoist sect.

And what is history like? Only the benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom.

Of course, there is another view. Mr. Wei Yunliang believes that Zhang Daoling is the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, and it was only Zhang Xiu who carried it forward.

For example, "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" mentions Zhang Xiucai as the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.

But the same "Liu Yanzhuan of the Later Han Dynasty" also said that Zhang Ling learned Taoism at Heming Mountain in Shuzhong during the reign of Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty, and created the Five Dou Rice Taoism.

In the same history book, in different places, there are different records about the founder of Wu Dou Rice Road, which shows that even history has disputes about the matter itself.

However, according to Mr. Rao Zongshun's research, Zhang Daoling has many works, such as "Laozi Xiang'er Commentary", "Book of Taoism", "Tiangong Zhangben", "Huangshu" and so on.

In addition, there are also the "Three Days of Righteous Dharma", "The Essential Teachings of Zhengyi Science", "The Powerful Sutra of Zhengyimeng", "The Secret of Three Industries and Six Links" and so on, which are said to be taught by Taishang Laojun himself. through.

In other words, Zhang Ling provided the entire theoretical system support for the Five Pecks of Rice Road, but Zhang Xiu had no merit in this area.

Secondly, there are also records saying that Zhang Ling did what is recorded in the "Dianlue" such as the writing of the Three Officials, the enshrining of Laozi's Five Thousand Words as a sectary classic, etc.

According to "Qiji Qizhu" and other information, after Zhang Ling created the Five Dou Rice Road, he established 24 governance, that is, 24 parishes, corresponding to the 24 solar terms. With Heming Mountain as the center, the grassroots organization of the Five Dou Rice Road was established.

In other words, Zhang Ling also has data to prove that he made contributions in terms of theoretical system, organization and educational canon.

At the same time, "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" records that after Zhang Jiao established the Taiping Dao, he asked his followers to kneel down and worship him, and said water spells to treat diseases. Monk Shi Hanlin in the Tang Dynasty called it the "Xing Zhang Ling Technique".

He means that Zhang Jiao inherited Zhang Ling's practice, and Zhang Ling was slightly older than Zhang Xiu, so Zhang Ling is more likely to be the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice Road.

The question arises again, if Zhang Ling is the founder, why is there so little information about Zhang Ling in the historical materials, while Zhang Xiu’s records are more detailed?

Mr. Wei Yunliang speculated that Zhang Ling's creation of the Five Pecks of Rice Road should be true. However, its influence was not great and it did not attract official attention, so the historical records are unknown.

It was Zhang Xiu who really expanded the influence of the Five Dou Rice Road. Because Zhang Xiu used the Five Dou Rice Road to rebel and compete in the world, which shocked the government, so the court at that time directly linked the Five Dou Rice Road to Zhang Xiu.

In comparison, Zhang Ling's influence outside the church is much weaker. So, what is the relationship between Zhang Xiu and Zhang Ling?

Zhang Xiu is from Bajun, that is, Chongqing, and Zhang Ling is from Peiguofeng County, Jiangsu Province. The two are thousands of miles apart from each other, so they should not be related.

The Celestial Master of Five Pecks of Rice is a hereditary system, so Zhang Xiu is not a Celestial Master. He should be just a disciple of Zhang Ling, but he is the kind of believer who has great achievements and can shock the master.

Moreover, after Zhang Ling passed away, his son Zhang Heng died just two years later. He had little influence and accomplished nothing. His son Zhang Lu was not yet an adult at that time.

For a time, Wu Dou Mi Dao fell into a power vacuum. Zhang Xiu took advantage of this gap and took advantage of the situation to expand his influence within the sect and actually control Wu Dou Mi Dao...

That makes sense.

As for Zhang Lu, the orphaned and widowed mother felt that she could not protect herself when faced with Zhang Xiu, a powerful minister in the Tao. In order to survive, Zhang Lu's mother had no choice but to use her appearance to please Yizhou Shepherd Liu Yan, and use Liu Yan's power to protect the Heavenly Master. Home.

She endured the humiliation and bore the burden until Zhang Lu's wings were full, then she killed Zhang Xiu and took back the teaching power...

Of course, everything is speculation. It is estimated that only people living in this era, such as Shu Yuzhu and Liu Yan, know exactly what happened.

This is the weight and charm of history. Just turn a page and a short sentence can change the life of one person or even countless people!

They are just like us, living minute by minute, day by day, year by year, experiencing joy, anger, sorrow, love and hatred, helplessness and struggle.

Xuanzong of heaven and earth, the root of all things.

I have cultivated extensively for hundreds of millions of kalpas to prove my magical powers.

Within and outside the Three Realms, only the Tao is supreme.

There is golden light in my body, which reflects my body.

Out of sight, out of hearing.

It encompasses heaven and earth and nourishes all living beings.

If you recite and uphold it thousands of times, your body will be filled with light.

The guards of the Three Realms and the Five Emperors will greet you.

All gods pay homage and use thunder.

Ghosts and demons are frightened, and spirits have lost their form.

There is a thunderbolt inside, and the name of the thunder god is hidden.

The wisdom of the cave is clear, and the five energies are soaring.

The golden light appears quickly and protects the real person.

(End of this chapter)