Chapter 47: The Fallacy of the White Lotus Society
Ye An used words to close the distance between him and the victims, and after finishing his bowl of porridge, he said: "It's not easy for the township party members too! If the disadvantages of miscellaneous taxes are not eliminated, the life of the people will be difficult every day.
, Fan Zhongyan, the pacification envoy this time, strongly advocated the abolition of miscellaneous taxes. You are all farmers, you should know what will happen once miscellaneous taxes are abolished, right?!"
Such a promise is very risky, Ye An himself knows it, but he knows better that compared with the threat of the White Lotus Sect, exempting Jianghuai miscellaneous taxes, and even exempting all miscellaneous taxes from the country and the dynasty, is an imperative and beneficial move.
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Sure enough, the victims around them rushed to tell each other after hearing Ye An's promise. The miscellaneous taxes were just like a big mountain weighing on them. If the miscellaneous taxes could be exempted, it would be more effective for the victims than any assistance from the court.
Ye An stared at Fang Linyue and others at the gate of the city. The existence of the White Lotus Society was like a ray of light on his back. He knew very well how powerful this organization under the banner of the Buddhist Pure Land Sect had caused damage to Han civilization.
Nowadays, the teachings of the White Lotus Society still retain many Buddhist precepts, but under these clear rules and precepts, there are various theories that promote violence and the belief that "Maitreya will be reborn" to save the world.
This shows that the current White Lotus Society has begun to overtake the Maitreya Cult, and there is still no clue who the leader of the White Lotus Society is. Neither the Imperial City Department nor the Puhui Company has found any traces of him.
Ye An wanted to find out from the victims how the White Lotus Society was developing, so he asked the old man with a smile: "Old man, I don't know how the White Lotus Society exists. How come I have never heard of it before!"
Upon hearing that Ye An was asking about the White Lotus Society, the old man smiled bitterly and said: "The officials don't know something. This White Lotus Society is a branch of Buddhism. It emphasizes reciting the Buddha's name, observing the precepts, and practicing at home, so as to "universalize the faithful people at home"
"It's a sign that there are quite a few believers among the victims! It's a pity that at a good age, instead of farming, I believe in these things instead, eh!"
Ye An looked at the old man curiously: "You don't believe in the White Lotus Society?"
"Why do you believe that?! I've heard it before, and what I said are easy-to-understand truths. What I said is correct, but what we all know still needs to be preached? If you have that time, why don't you pack more things earlier?
It’s time to settle down in the city!”
"Third uncle, don't talk nonsense! Didn't Old Qintou just not believe in the saint's words? He died in a crowd that night. Which of those who slandered the White Lotus Society will have a good end?!"
A man next to him couldn't help but stopped the old man from continuing, but he soon noticed the dissatisfied Tieniu, and then sneered and said: "Officials are descended from the stars in the sky, so naturally there is no harm, and the life of a villain is cheap.
I dare not compare myself with officials."
Ye An curled his lips and didn't care about this. He learned from this man's mouth that the White Lotus Society has begun to show cruel methods. If they don't believe in religion, those who contradict them will be killed quietly. This
It is simply more cruel than the partisanship in the court!
Ye An, who was squatting at the city gate, was actually looking to see if the people from the White Lotus Society were willing to enter the city. The current Bailian Society could not catch them, and it was not easy to catch them, but as long as they dared to enter the city, they would be fish in the net and birds in the cage.
Of course, Ye An believed that the people from the White Lotus Society did not dare to enter the city. They only dared to promote the so-called doctrine of Maitreya's rebirth outside. However, as time went by, the number of victims outside the city became smaller and smaller, and the mass base of the White Lotus Society also declined.
will disappear completely.
Even the elderly among the victims know that Bailian Society is unreliable. How many people will be deceived?
The main reason why the White Lotus Society became a phenomenon before was that the imperial court did not stand up and Wu Yu did not do much. Now that he and Fan Zhongyan have provided the most basic protection for the victims, and even help them fight for their rights, at this time, everyone
The smarter victims may have come to their senses, but who will still cling to illusory religion?
The religious beliefs of the Han family are a big joke among the people. All the gods are "practical gods" or even "tool gods", such as Land, Guanyin, Dragon King, and even Guan Erye. When something happens, they will bow down in front of them and make a promise.
Hongzhi, even if there is nothing wrong with the temple, it may not be repaired if it collapses.
Ye An, leading his own soldier, walked calmly through the crowd and sat down in front of Fang Linyue. The White Lotus believers around him were surprised, angry, curious, and ridiculed, but no one spoke.
On the other hand, Fang Linyue, who was sitting on the lotus seat, stared at Ye An's face for a long time. There were no complicated emotions in his eyes, only pure hatred.
This was very strange. Ye An scratched his nose. He had never had any intersection with her, and there could not be any intersection. Why did she hate herself so much?
Weiwei raised his hand and said: "You continue, I also want to hear how your White Lotus Society fooled the people and deceived people's hearts."
Fang Linyue ignored Ye An's sarcasm, but remained calm and composed. She knew clearly that he was here to cause trouble, so why bother and continued to speak gracefully.
"It is your luck to perform meritorious service, go to the temple for promotion, and register for the examination. If you practice in this way, you can achieve the merits of heaven. The actions of the government cannot be trusted. They often talk about loving the people like a son, but in fact, the taxes are heavy and there are many miscellaneous taxes."
, even worse than a cow. I wonder what parents in the world love their children so much?!
A beginner asked: Why practice? The virtuous teacher replied: Walking in the world is practice, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making offerings to the sect, helping friends and neighbors, and enlightening the ignorant, this is practice! Those who save people then go to save others,
This is also regarded as your common virtue, so you can become a guru!
One pass to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to ten thousand, your virtuousness will be accumulated into thousands, and you can become a real person, a Bodhisattva... There are two colors in the world, light and dark, and people are divided into good and evil. These are the two sects.
"The world has three boundaries, namely the first boundary, the middle boundary and the last boundary, which are the past, present and future..."
"Pfft..."
Ye An couldn't help but laugh out loud. What kind of White Lotus Society was this? It was obviously a religious MLM stitching monster.
The so-called theory of two sects and three realms is the teaching of Manichaeism. Manichaeism originated from Persian Zoroastrianism. Unexpectedly, the White Lotus Society has now begun to merge with the teachings of Manichaeism, but more of them are still stitched together.
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This set of practice skills is very seductive. It can not only be used to stabilize believers, but also to attract the masses and strengthen the power of the sect. However, Ye An also has to sigh that the smart people of this era have good brains and can actually think of it.
Using the method of "pyramid marketing" to "preach", it's no wonder that the scale of Bailian Society is so large.
The believers of the White Lotus Society looked at Ye An with eyes full of anger. Looking at their saint with such a frivolous expression was simply a blasphemy against the saint!
Fang Linyue turned to look at Ye An and said, "Why is Yunzhong Junhou laughing?"
"I am laughing at how high your memorial arch is... but it's a pity that you don't know anything about what you are saying!"
"Oh? Does Ye Hou know our White Lotus Society better?"
Ye An smiled slightly, pointed at the crowd and said: "You said that these people can spread downwards and save more people to become so-called masters, real people, and Bodhisattvas. But these titles come from Buddhism and Taoism respectively. You White Lotus
What kind of society is this?! Also, according to what you said, there are always people who cannot get these titles. Your White Lotus Society does not care about cultivation, but only ranks based on seniority. No matter how pious you are, it is useless, but the emphasis is on first come, first served?!"
The White Lotus Society is a society, not a sect. It is normal for there to be loopholes in the teachings. Of course, Ye An must seize the opportunity, in order to let the believers of the White Lotus Society understand the truth and wake up as soon as possible.