novelaction #1757 - Destroy Buddha statues and demolish temples
#1757 - Destroy Buddha statues and demolish temples
After Tang Sanzang was appointed as the National Preceptor of Zhu Zi Kingdom, he immediately began arranging for his subordinates and the citizens to suppress these monks who only knew how to enjoy themselves and did nothing.
The first to bear the brunt was naturally Ci Jue Temple. He led a group of soldiers and aroused citizens into the temple.
"What do you want to do?" The abbot of Ci Jue Temple questioned angrily.
"If the Buddha does nothing, then there is no need for him to exist. Move all these Buddha statues away," Tang Sanzang shouted.
"No, the one enshrined here is the Buddha Precious Moonlight. If you remove the Buddha statue, you will incur the wrath of the Buddha, and you will inevitably suffer divine punishment," the abbot said firmly.
"Heh heh, he doesn't appear when we need his help, but he manifests when we want to smash his Buddha statue? Is this a Buddha?" Tang Sanzang sneered.
He took the lead and personally broke into the main hall.
Inside the magnificent hall, it was resplendent and filled with incense. In the very center, a golden Buddha statue was carved lifelike, looking at everyone with compassionate eyes.
Tang Sanzang stared at him, as if seeing an angry Buddha through the golden statue.
But he was not afraid at all, and said loudly: "This golden Buddha is made of gold. Melt it down and use it to build bridges and pave roads!"
His voice was extremely loud, and the people outside shouted: "The National Preceptor is wise."
"No, no, please don't," the abbot knelt down in front of Tang Sanzang and begged for mercy.
The other monks were the same, kneeling on the ground, trying to stop Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang looked at them coldly and asked: "Are you worried about the Buddha being destroyed, or are you worried that you will no longer be able to make a living from incense money in the future?"
The monks were silent.
Tang Sanzang had an expression of seeing through everything, and his voice was cold: "What you care about has never been the Buddha you enshrine, but the Buddha who can bring you benefits. Am I right?"
"No!" The abbot retorted sharply.
"Oh? Then tell me, why can't I tear down this Buddha statue?" Tang Sanzang asked.
"Because the Buddha will be angry, and you will pay the price for your ignorance," the abbot said seriously.
"Then I want to see how this Buddha gets angry," Tang Sanzang said firmly, and ordered: "Tear it down!"
With an order, a group of soldiers rushed in. They looked at the expressionless golden Buddha, at the emotionless eyes, and suddenly felt a sense of fear.
After all, so many years of worshiping the Buddha had made them have an inner fear of the Buddha.
Tang Sanzang continued: "Don't worry, even if you smash this temple, the Buddha will not show up. These Buddhas who only know how to care for themselves will only take action when they are in danger."
His words were sonorous and gave everyone a lot of confidence.
He even took out a bundle of ropes, jumped onto the giant Buddha statue, and tied it to himself.
Seeing this scene, the soldiers also gained confidence and stepped forward to help.
The monks of Ci Jue Temple knelt on the ground and chanted Buddhist scriptures. In the face of national power, the only thing they could do was pray for the Buddha's blessing.
It's a pity that the Buddha is now like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river, unable to protect himself.
Boom—
When the giant Buddha statue was pushed onto the candlestick by the joint efforts of everyone, the loud noise shocked all the monks, while the people outside burst into enthusiastic cheers.
Their long-suppressed emotions were released at this moment.
Tang Sanzang beckoned the soldiers to carry the Buddha statue out.
With the combined efforts of dozens of people, the Buddha statue was sent out of the temple and placed on the open space outside.
"Call specialized personnel to take all these gold off," Tang Sanzang said loudly.
"Yes, National Preceptor," a general said happily.
They did not wait for the Buddha's punishment, so they were naturally excited.
The onlookers no longer had any awe in their eyes. They cheered and shouted, "Long live the National Preceptor."
Tang Sanzang waved his hand: "What you should believe in are people who can help you, such as your king, your ministers. If one day they no longer help you, you will overthrow them."
His words were astonishing, shocking all the soldiers present.
After thinking carefully, they felt that Tang Sanzang's words were very reasonable, so they cheered even more for the National Preceptor's power.
"National Preceptor, what should we do with these monks?" A general came over and asked.
The monks, who only knew how to worship the Buddha and seek scriptures all day long, sat there blankly, as if their souls had been sucked out.
"Aren't they worried that they won't be able to survive without incense money? Arrange for them to farm and let them support themselves. As for the elderly, just throw them into the prison and release them when they come to their senses," Tang Sanzang ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The general immediately arranged it.
Soon, under the command of Tang Sanzang, the temple that had stood for countless years was overthrown by the people it had not protected. The Buddha statues that looked high above were all turned into piles of gold, used to help build infrastructure in the city.
Perhaps, in a sense, this can be regarded as them doing a good thing for the people.
On the other hand, Tang Sanzang did not tear down the entire temple, but transformed it into a school, so that children who could not study could learn knowledge.
He perfectly practiced his ideas and began to constantly pull out the Buddha rooted in people's hearts.
In the air,谛听's eyebrows were almost furrowed into a 川 shape: "Avalokiteśvara, are we really not going to stop him?"
"How to stop him?" Avalokiteśvara asked rhetorically.
She was also very helpless. Could it be that she should really descend a miracle and punish these people?
That would not only anger the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom, but also make Tang Sanzang hate the West.
If Tang Sanzang really quit, then the Western Journey tribulation would completely collapse.
Once the immeasurable tribulation cannot be stopped, the saints will be unhappy, and they will be the ones who suffer.
So Avalokiteśvara could only do it in a gentle way.
After thinking about it for so long, she decided to go and talk to Tang Sanzang in person.
Thinking of this, she descended into the mortal world, transformed into an ordinary mortal, and came to Tang Sanzang.
"Tang Sanzang!" She called softly.
Tang Sanzang looked at the Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in front of him, who looked like an ordinary person, and instead of saluting, he frowned and said, "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make you turn back," Avalokiteśvara approached, her eyes flashing with divine light, her face with a serious expression, and her voice was somewhat ethereal and sacred.
However, Tang Sanzang didn't buy it at all. Instead, he said, "I thought Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva was here to help me."