It was a cloudless afternoon in Chang 'an.
The heat in the air was blown away by the breeze.
Imperial City, Shangshu Province.
The four people representing Shangshu Province, Zhongshu Province, and Menxia Province were Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi, and Chen Shuda.
The Minister of Justice Li Daozong, the Minister of Revenue Sun Fujia, the Minister of Works Duan Lun, the Minister of Rites Dou Lukuan, the Minister of Personnel Gao Shilian, and the Minister of War Li Jing were all gathered together.
Everyone waited quietly.
Soon, a young official from Shangshu Province appeared at the door and bowed to everyone in the hall."
"Prime Minister Pei, the five abbots are here.”
Pei Ji nodded." Invite them in."”
"Yes." The official replied respectfully.
Soon, five elderly figures with white beards appeared in front of everyone.
Each of them had a shiny bald head and a kasaya draped over their bodies. They stood at the door with their palms pressed together and said in a clear voice,
"Amitabha."
"Abbot Xinhui of Daxing Shan Temple, Abbot Daoyu of Great Zen Temple, Abbot Jiekuan of Compassionate Peace Temple, Abbot Mingxu of Zijing Temple, and Abbot Xuanwen of Grand Chief Chi Temple greet all hall officials.”
"Masters, you are right."
The officials of the three provinces and six ministries in Shangshu Province stood up one after another and cupped their hands in greeting.
Pei Ji cast a glance at the Shangshu Province official standing outside the door. When he came in with six stools, he opened his palm to the five abbots and said,
"Masters, please take a seat. The Imperial Court has a decree that requires your cooperation.”
After the five abbots sat down, they smiled kindly at them.
Abbot Xin Hui put his palms together and lowered his head."Although This Penniless Monk has entered the Empty Sect, the temple receives incense and can't avoid the imperial court. If the imperial court has any decrees that require This Penniless Monk and the others to cooperate, This Penniless Monk and the others will naturally do their best.”
"With these words from Master Xinhui of Daxing Temple, this old man can rest assured.”
Pei Ji smiled and said to everyone,
"As you know, our Great Tang has been established for nine years, but there are still a lot of things to be done. We are short of manpower, but we just don't have enough manpower.”
" Therefore, the officials of the three provinces and six departments discussed and decided to invite the five abbots who can represent the temples in Chang 'an to the Shangshu Province to see if they can think of a way to solve this problem.”
Hearing this, the five abbots 'expressions changed slightly.
Pei Ji's intention was to attack all the temples in Chang 'an City!
The so-called lack of manpower was simply an excuse. The true meaning of his words was to let the monk return to asceticism!
The five elderly abbots had smiles on their faces, but after hearing Pei Ji's words, their smiles vanished.
Xin Hui raised her head and swept a glance at the six ministers and assistant ministers present. Then, she turned her gaze to Pei Ji and asked,"
"Does Prime Minister Pei mean that all the monks of the major monasteries, including This Penniless Monk and these four abbots, should renounce asceticism?”
"If all the monks were to renounce asceticism, would all the temples in Chang 'an become mere decorations?”
Pei Ji knew that they had misunderstood his meaning. He hurriedly waved his hand and patiently explained,
" I don't mean to let all the monks in the temples renounce asceticism. You should know that it is very popular to convert to Buddhism in Chang 'an.”
Hearing this, the five abbots looked a little unnatural.
Pei Ji's words meant that many commoners had chosen to convert to Buddhism in order to avoid taxes.
Pei Ji continued,
"There's an idiom called 'more monks than enough gruel'. Nowadays, more and more people are converting to Buddhism, but the temples are still the same. If there are more monks in the temples, how can this be called a peaceful place of Buddhism?”
"In order for Buddhism to become a truly peaceful place and for the various temples to not be criticized, I think we should let a portion of the monks return to asceticism.”
"I heard that there are more than 8,000 monks in Daxingshan Temple, which is more than the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace," said Pei Ji with a smile.”
"Every year, thousands of people leave the palace, but look at these temples. They are like Pi Xiu, only entering and not leaving.”
"Taiji Palace is even larger than Great Prosperity Temple. Four thousand people are more than enough. Great Prosperity Temple has more than eight thousand monks.”
Pei Ji looked at Abbot Xin Hui and pretended not to see the ugly expression on his face. He continued,
"The reason why Buddhism is called a quiet place is that the monks have to calm down and study the Buddhist Dharma. Secondly, Buddha and Bodhisattva usually don't need these people to accompany them and worship them.”
"In my opinion, Daxing Shan Temple should leave 500 monks to serve Buddha and Bodhisattva. The remaining 7,500 people should renounce asceticism.”
"Of course, monks who renounce asceticism only change their identities. They change from monks to believers, but it doesn't affect their continued belief in Buddha and Bodhisattva.”
With that, Pei Ji looked at the five abbot and said,"Masters, what do you think?”
Abbot Xin Hui said in a deep voice,
"Prime Minister Pei, Buddhism is a quiet place and has never forced people to shave their heads. Those who convert to Buddhism are naturally willing. If you want them to renounce asceticism now, what if they are unwilling?”
"How would we know that they are unwilling if we haven't tried?”
Xiao Yu smiled and said,"The imperial court has put in a lot of effort this time for the monk to renounce asceticism."”
As he spoke, Xiao Yu looked at the six hall officials.
" I'm the Minister of Justice, Li Daozong," Li Daozong said indifferently." The Ministry of Justice has passed a resolution this time. As long as those monks who committed some minor crimes are willing to renounce asceticism, the Ministry of Justice can exempt them from punishment."”
" It's the same as the Ministry of Revenue," Sun Fujia said in an old voice." As long as monks are willing to renounce asceticism, they won't have to pay taxes to the court for two years.”
Gao Shilian looked at the five abbots and cupped his hands with a smile."
"If monks who have returned to asceticism want to become officials, the Ministry of Revenue can open the door and give them priority.”
"If there is a skilled craftsman among the monks who have renounced asceticism, our Ministry of Works will take all of them. We will ensure that he will have a place to settle down for the rest of his life." Duan Lun said in a deep voice.”
" The Ministry of Rites is short of manpower," Doulu Kuan said calmly." If anyone wants to join the Ministry of Rites, I will arrange for them as long as they meet the requirements."”
Li Jing crossed his arms and looked at the five abbots calmly." If a monk who renounces asceticism has the intention to join the army, he can get double the salary within a year."”
After the five abbots heard their words, they were shocked beyond words.
The conditions offered by these six officials were so generous that they secretly clicked their tongues.
It was not hard to imagine that once the news spread, the monks in the various temples would probably throw away their kasayas and leave the temple to renounce asceticism.
The five abbots looked at each other and saw the seriousness on each other's faces.
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