People outside the capital did not hear the news until a few days later, but everyone who saw "Three Questions and Three Me" was equally deeply shocked.
The Buddhist collective chose silence, and no one expressed any opinions on Zixiaoguan and Sun Simiao.
I originally wanted to find an opportunity to meet Sun Simiao's Zen leader Dao Xin, but immediately canceled the trip after hearing the "Three Questions About Three Me".
He paid more attention to the "three questions" than the "three selves" because these three questions directly pointed to the core of the thoughts of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
Some people may say, wouldn't it be enough to just meditate?
Who am I? I am who I am. Where do I come from? Where do I come from? Where do I go? Where do I go?
However, if anyone really answers like this, he will immediately become the laughing stock of everyone, and his reputation will be ruined.
As religious people, they live by reputation. If they lose their face, they really have nothing. Fa Lin did not answer anything and instead helped Chen Jingke. This is the reason.
Naturally, Daoxuan would not insult himself with such an answer. He was trying to use his own knowledge of Buddhism to answer.
But the more he thought about it, the more serious the expression on his face became. It wasn't that he couldn't answer, but that he gradually realized another, more serious matter:
Has Sun Zhenren really found a bottle that can hold the three religions? If so, where should Buddhism go?
The merger of the three religions is not a secret, nor is it a novel concept. This idea has been proposed by people before the Sui Dynasty, and the great Confucian Wang Tong was the leader among them.
But to complete this task is not just a matter of words. It is necessary to complete the ideological integration of the three families. To put it bluntly, it is to find a bottle that can fit all three families.
This bottle is not that easy to find, and Wang Tong and others have spent their entire lives unable to make a breakthrough.
Although there are signs of this in the ‘Three Questions’, these three questions alone are not enough. There must be a complete set of theoretical foundations.
Daoxin did not dare to judge whether Sun Simiao had completed this theory before seeing it with his own eyes.
But one thing he was sure of was that Sun Simiao must have made a breakthrough in his thinking, or that he had already touched the edge of the bottle.
So as the leader of the Zen Sect, he must do something. If he cannot prevent the merger of the three religions, he must actively participate in fighting for more benefits for Buddhism.
Then the problem returns to its original point. We must first understand Sun Simiao's true thoughts and how far his thoughts have been specifically improved.
Visiting Sun Simiao in person at this time is not a good choice, but it doesn't matter. Fa Lin has communicated with Sun Simiao and should know something.
So he immediately wrote a letter to Fa Lin. In the letter, he did not hide his thoughts. He told the other party his concerns directly and asked about Sun Simiao's situation.
…
Taoism's reactions varied.
Some are happy, such as Tian Shiwen from Lou Guan School, who was very excited: "I have long been unable to see Fa Lin's baldness, but today I finally hit the wall."
His 12-year-old disciple Yin Wenchao said with some confusion: "Fa Lin is a master of Buddhism, why didn't he say a word that day?"
Tian Shiwen was very satisfied with this new disciple, and explained patiently: "He doesn't dare. These three questions may seem simple, but in fact they go straight to the core of the three religions, and they are not easy to answer."
"If he answers with bully and sophistry, then he will lose his face. If he really dares to do this, I will dare to knock on the door and tear his face apart."
At this point, he said with regret: "What a pity."
Yin Wenchao ignored his master's last words and said as if he had some realization: "That's it."
Tian Shiwen put aside his prejudice and said seriously: "Both Buddhism and us are all based on the same face. So we must cherish our feathers. Sometimes we would rather take a step back than lose our reputation."
…
Some sects are not only happy but also worried. For example, Pan Shizheng of the Maoshan sect sighed after hearing about this incident: "Taoism is about to usher in a great rise, but the split is just around the corner."
Why do you say that?
At this time, Taoism was generally divided into two major sects, the North and the South. The two sects were very different in terms of doctrines and rituals, and the two sects were divided into numerous sects.
But strictly speaking, the southern sect and the northern sect are actually the Zhengyi sect of the Celestial Master Taoism.
It was only during the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties that two different factions were formed due to the separation of political power between the north and the south and their respective development. Many sects were born later, but they are all inseparable from the traces of the Zhengyi sect.
Zixiao Temple is different. It is completely different from the northern and southern sects of Zhengyi Sect in terms of fasting rituals. From the point of view of the "Three Questions and Three Selfs", the ideological differences are also very big.
Once it rises, Taoism will inevitably split again, and this split will be more serious than the previous split of Zhengyi religion into northern and southern factions.
However, as one of the leaders of Taoism, it is impossible for him to stop the development of Zixiaoguan. On the contrary, he has to help at critical moments.
Now he can only pray that Zixiaoguan will not be so repulsive to other Taoist sects, so that at least there will be no internal fighting.
…
It is not just Buddhism and Taoism that are paying attention to Zixiao Temple, Confucianism is also paying attention.
It's just that at this time, Confucianism was squeezed by Buddhism and Taoism and had been reduced to the status of "third brother". They did not dare to get involved in such disputes easily.
Precisely because of this, they pay more attention to the "three questions and three selves". In particular, they pay more attention to the "three selves", and some great Confucians have tried to integrate it into the Confucian ideological system.
There were many great scholars who even wanted to visit Sun Simiao and listen to his lectures in person, but unfortunately Sun Simiao refused because he had just started to study and was busy with his affairs.
This reason is really normal, and they can't say anything. As for knocking on the door and forcing a defense like Fa Lin, they don't have the courage yet, and they are not willing to do it.
In Tian Shiwen’s words: Until the understanding of the ‘Three Questions’ cannot transcend the ‘Three Self’, no one will dare to go to Zixiao to watch the debate.
Therefore, the "Three Questions and Three Me" have inadvertently become the threshold for going to Zixiao Temple to debate. Only those who can answer this question in depth are qualified to go, otherwise they will be regarded as overestimating their abilities by the world.
…
But Chen Jingke, the initiator of everything, didn't know this.
Zixiao Temple was quite busy in the days before its opening, with a steady stream of people coming to burn incense.
However, after the first day of training, the Taoist priests in the temple quickly adapted to the rhythm, and Sun Simiao and Chen Jingke became more relaxed.
Then Chen Jingke was caught by Sun Simiao, who hoped to become a disciple, and entered the stage of hard study. His daily schedule was very full.
I studied Taoism in the morning, Buddhism and Confucianism at noon. I was not idle in the afternoon either, studying medical skills, practicing calligraphy, etc. I was as busy as the college entrance examination.
But relatively speaking, the afternoon was much more relaxed. Sun Simiao also knew that he did not intend to study medicine, and did not expect him to become a famous doctor. He just wanted to increase his knowledge and let him study with him.
If Cheng Huailiang and the others came to visit, they would let him out to play.
Monks and Taoists cannot leave the temple at will, but this rule is equivalent to nothing for Chen Jingke. He has complete freedom of movement.
These days, I followed a few local snakes around Chang'an City, and finally understood the overall situation of Chang'an City in the early Tang Dynasty.
But he was not fooling around. After these days of observation, he finally found a way to cut the noble leeks.