Power in the World: After Eternal Age

The accompanying minister, Situ Cui Hao, is a Taoist believer who has always advocated worshiping Taoism and suppressing Buddhism. At this time, he took the opportunity to ask for the abolition of Buddhism to prevent future troubles.The headstrong and tyrannical Emperor Taiwu rashly made the decision to exterminate the Buddha, ordering all temples to be demolished, all Buddha statues and classics to be burned, and all monks and nuns to be murdered, resulting in an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of Chinese Buddhism.

Because Prince Huang, who was sympathetic to Buddhism, abolished the Buddhist edict slowly, some monks were able to escape.Because of this, Tan Yao narrowly escaped death. He is a monk with firm belief and integrity. During the days when the monks were being persecuted the most, he still wore the dharma robe next to his body and never left his body for a moment.

It was during this most difficult period that Tan Yao met Shituo, an eminent monk from the Western Regions.Tan Yao was impressed by Shitou Tuo's attainments in Buddhism, so he worshiped him as his teacher and devoted himself to studying Buddhism.

Shituo wanted to pass on Tan Yao's method of carving stone and casting molds, but Tan Yao was very puzzled.Tan Yao said: "The teacher ordered me to learn miscellaneous dharmas. Tan Yao's Buddhist foundation is still shallow, so I'm afraid I might mistakenly practice it."

Shitoduo closed his eyes and said nothing, Tan Yao begged again and again, Shitou Tuo said in dialect: "Tan Yao, it is reasonable for my teacher to teach you how to carve stone and cast molds. Thirty miles west of the capital, there is a fortress of Wuzhou. The climate is dry. There are many cliffs. The cliffs are all sandstone, which is the most suitable for carving. As a teacher, he will soon pass away and return to the west. The matter of promoting Buddhism should be passed on to you. You have learned the method of carving stone and casting molds, and you should open it in Saiguang, Wuzhou In the caves, carve more Buddha statues in the caves to promote my Buddhahood!"

Tan Yao was surprised and said: "Master, you often say that learning Buddhism is for the purpose of being out of the world. Now you ask me to carve Buddha statues. My disciples are so puzzled! All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have no birth and no form, but Master wants to carve Buddha statues. Doesn't it make the world wonder Looking at Buddha statues and getting in touch?"

Shitoduo said indifferently: "People in the Middle Earth have just heard the Dharma and have no foundation. I want to carve a stone statue of the Buddha, not to confuse the world. Tan Yao, today, when the Buddha is destroyed and the Tao is promoted, most of the Buddhist scriptures are destroyed. If there is a Buddha heart in the world, and if you want to learn Buddhism, where can you learn it? Therefore, the teacher wants to carve stone Buddha statues in the world, no matter how the world changes, the stone Buddha statues are still there, and the Buddha Dharma will never die in the world.”

"When the world sees the solemn and majestic appearance of the Buddha statues, people have the heart to respect the Buddha; from the heart of worshiping the Buddha, they have the intention to learn the Buddha. The Buddha Dharma sprouts in the heart, and then there is a chance to realize the Dharma. As a teacher, this is to make the world first enter the world and come out of the world. This is the subtle meaning of the Dharma!"

Hearing the words, Tan Yao was like being enlightened and worshiped.Then he said: "Master, today's son destroys the Buddha and digs grottoes. The project is huge. It will cost the master gold and silver, and tens of thousands of people will be labored. If the court finds out, it will be a capital crime! I am ignorant. I am afraid that I will lose the trust of the master." , and ask the master to enlighten the disciples!"

Shitotuo closed his eyes and said, "Don't worry about Tan Yao! After the death of the teacher, the Dharma will flourish. Today, if the son of heaven governs the world, if you meet noble people to help you, the emperor will respect the Buddha and order the world to repair the Buddha. What about the Buddha statues in the grottoes?" consider?"

"The Feng family in the palace has been enshrined as a nobleman, and she is still kind to her for being a teacher. The Feng brothers and sisters met as teachers when they were young and rescued them. You go to ask for help. After hearing the name of the teacher, the Feng brothers and sisters will definitely help each other!"

Tan Yao was surprised, and Shitotuo narrated how he rescued the Feng brothers and sisters in the ruined official temple in Yongzhou.Shituo then ordered: "Tan Yao, Feng Guiren is smart, and in the future you will be the queen, and then rule the world. But if Feng Guiren is the queen, according to the system of the great Wei ancestors, he must cast gold people with his hands. How do people in the palace know The essence of mold casting? Therefore, I will teach it to you as a teacher. When Feng Gui casts gold people with his hands, you can go to see his brother Feng Xi, and then great things will be accomplished. The Feng brothers and sisters have received the grace of my mentor and apprentice, how can they not be in front of the emperor? Chen? So, my Dharma can flourish!"

After listening to Tan Yao's narration, Feng Xi sighed and no longer had any doubts.Feng Xi took Tan Yao back to the mansion and made careful plans.

The Seven Star Dharma Altar was built, and Gao Yun was ordered to practice on the altar.Feng Guiren bathed and changed his clothes, and went to the altar to pray to heaven and earth in person.

On this day, Emperor Wencheng returned to the harem and wanted to stay with Feng Guiren.Feng Yuan knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, my concubine will cast a golden man tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to serve the Emperor tonight. I hope the Emperor will forgive me!"

Emperor Wencheng laughed and said: "Don't worry about loving my concubine. I know that casting gold by hand is very important, and I will not force myself to do it. I heard the words of the Queen Mother, saying that after my concubine prayed to the sky, she had a dream at night. Can there be such a thing?" ?”

Feng Yuan nodded and said: "Your Majesty, there really is such a thing! It's just that His Majesty exterminates Buddha, so my ministers and concubines dare not speak to His Majesty!"

Emperor Wencheng laughed and said: "My concubine's words are wrong! Emperor Taiwu believed in Situ Cui Hao's words and ordered the world to destroy Buddha. Although I learned Taoism from Taifu Gaoyun since I was a child, I also studied Confucian classics, and I was even more respected by my father (Prince Tuo) Ba Huang) influence, advocating Buddhism. It’s just that I’m busy governing the country, and I don’t have the heart to worship the Buddha. It’s in a hurry, it’s not appropriate to make major changes to the national policy, so I dare not abolish the edict to destroy the Buddha left by Emperor Taiwu!”

"My beloved concubine dreamed of the Golden Buddha at night, protecting my great Wei, and also the Buddha's protection of my concubine's success in casting gold. For my empress of Great Wei, this is the blessing of my concubine, the blessing of my country, and the blessing of the country. If my concubine is the queen , this dream has come true, who dares to doubt the Buddha? At that time, I will issue an imperial edict to make all the subjects of the world believe in and respect the Buddha!"

Feng Yuan knelt down and said in thanks: "The emperor is holy! The concubine dreamed that the Buddha came from the west and incarnated in the world, and his dharma name is Tan Yao! If the concubine succeeds by chance, I hope the emperor will visit this person and think of him as a Buddhist teacher, then the Dharma can be spread! "

Emperor Wen Cheng said: "Of course, I am ready to play the performance of my concubine! I came to the palace of my concubine today. I don't want to fall asleep, but I want to pray to the gods with my concubine all night!"

Feng Yuan rejoiced and worshiped again, and ordered the maid to set down the incense burner, light the incense candles, and burn incense and pray with Emperor Wencheng.

The next day, the palace was very lively.The emperor, the empress dowager, all the empresses in the harem and all the officials of the court went to the Taimiao to pray.Back in the palace, in the casting mansion, the emperor, the empress dowager, the empresses of the palaces, the relatives of the emperor, and all the civil and military officials were all listed under the altar. Golden man!"

Feng Yuan, dressed in a high crown and with a dignified demeanor, slowly climbed onto the altar under the gaze of everyone.

Under the supervision of the imperial guards, the maids and eunuchs who had been busy for three days put the gold pebbles and nuggets scavenged from the gold sand into the smelting furnace.

When the fire was raging, Feng Yuan knelt on the cotton ball and prayed to the heaven.Gao Yun recited the sacrificial text aloud on the sidelines. After the ceremony, the golden water had been melted.

Gao Yunlang said in a loud voice: "Please be a model of the golden man!" Several soldiers of the old guard immediately brought out a brocade box with the imperial seal on it.In the brocade box is the sand mold needed by the hand-casting gold man.

This sand mold was made by the foundry in the palace. Under the supervision of Feng Xi, the king of Changli in charge of internal and external affairs, Zhang Shan, the chief of the palace, and several important officials, it was confirmed that it was correct, and the empress dowager sealed it with her own seal to prevent fraud.

Feng Yuan often walks around in the Empress Dowager's Palace, and has already obtained the Empress Dowager's seal secretly.Tan Yao secretly made a sand mold in Feng Xi's mansion, and Feng Xi brought it into the palace. With the cooperation of Li Yi, who was in charge of the guard, he secretly changed the sand mold, re-stamped the queen mother's seal and sealed it up.