Chapter 488 The world is a paradise, but also a hell
Jiang Qingzhi doesn't like being stared at.
From the backyard to the front yard, from Xin'an Lane to Xiyuan...
He was the focus of attention all the way.
I am the most handsome guy in Beijing today... Jiang Qingzhi said self-deprecatingly.
The person who came to pick him up was Zhang Tong.
"Chang Wei Bo, are there really gods?" Zhang Tong asked.
"Yeah, there is!"
"Where is that god?" Zhang Tong looked back at him, his clear eyes full of anticipation.
"Here." Jiang Qingzhi pointed to his chest.
"Is the god hidden in the heart?" Zhang Tong thought this was the answer.
"Correct."
When he saw the Taoist priest, he looked quite excited and was writing a poem. He probably wanted to ask the heaven why the gods were unwilling to come to the West Garden to sit and have a cup of tea before leaving after they came to the world.
"Are there any gods in the records of Mohism?" Taoist didn't hide anything and asked directly the question that concerned him most.
As expected, what the Taoist is most concerned about is the gods... Jiang Qingzhi sighed in his heart.
If it were someone else, Jiang Qingzhi would have fooled the other person into dropping everything and going in search of immortals.
But this is Emperor Jiajing. If he were completely obsessed with praying to gods and Buddhas, the country's destiny and the Ming Dynasty would all be fleeting.
Jiang Qingzhi took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, the idea of ghosts and gods has a long history. My Mohist school also has an article titled "Explaining Ghosts" to explain our views."
"King Xuan of Zhou executed Du Bo for no reason. Before he died, Du Bo said that if everything is empty after death, then the matter is over. If people can become ghosts after death, I will definitely take revenge on you within three years." Emperor Jiajing's eyes were shining. "Less than three years later, King Xuan of Zhou went out hunting. Du Bo, who had been dead for a long time, was dressed in red and shot King Xuan of Zhou to death with an arrow in full view of everyone..."
You only saw the so-called story of Du Bo turning into a ghost after his death, but ignored the previous words.
"Your Majesty, the article Ming Gui mainly records the attitude of my Mohist predecessors towards ghosts and gods."
Jiang Qingzhi said solemnly: "My Mohist sages believed that because most people at that time believed that there were no ghosts, they acted recklessly. If they were allowed to believe in ghosts, they would have a sense of awe. People with a sense of awe are easier to govern.
In my opinion, the article "Ming Gui" is not so much a record of ghosts and gods as it is a suggestion from the ancient Mohist sages on how to govern the world at that time."
Emperor Jiajing stared at Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi looked at him calmly.
"If people can become ghosts after death, then Bai Qi killed hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers in the Battle of Changping, and hundreds of thousands of wronged souls gathered. Bai Qi must have died countless times.
The Sima family was incompetent, which led to the sinking of China. The foreigners rushed into the Central Plains and killed nine out of ten houses. They even treated us Han people as military rations and called us two-legged sheep. If people can become ghosts after death, why don’t those wronged souls seek revenge? "
Emperor Jiajing frowned.
"After the fall of the Song Dynasty, the Mongols committed countless murders in the Central Plains. If people can become ghosts after death and can appear in the world, then why didn't they take revenge? Instead, they allowed the Mongols to enslave us Han people for many years."
"You mean, there are no ghosts or gods?" There was more coldness in Emperor Jiajing's eyes.
For a devout religious believer, anyone who tells him that there are no ghosts or gods in the world is humiliating him.
"There are ghosts and gods in the world."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "After a person dies, his soul must go somewhere. The resentment of those who died unjustly will gather and not dissipate, but it will not show up."
"Why?"
"Humans and ghosts have different paths!"
Emperor Jiajing remained silent.
"For example, the resentment of those who died at the hands of foreigners is accumulated here." Jiang Qingzhi pointed to the top of his head, "They are looking at our descendants in the clouds and praying for us..."
Jiang Qingzhi's eyes were sparkling. "My Mohist sages traveled all over the world and said that there are four civilizations in the world that can be passed down for many years, but only the Central Plains can continue to this day. Why?
I think it is because our ancestors could not bear to leave us after they passed away. They are watching us from heaven and from their graves, and they are blessing the Central Plains to prosper..."
Huang Jin looked up, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
"The power of our ancestors is so strong that even after experiencing countless catastrophic disasters, our Central Plains can still rise again and again.
This power is not used to pray to gods or prolong life. In my opinion, this power is to push future generations to move forward. To go out into the world, instead of hiding in the Central Plains and talking about the Celestial Empire behind closed doors. It is not to discuss metaphysics or to form cliques for personal gain. "
Emperor Jiajing closed his eyes and said, "I understand."
"Your Majesty," Jiang Qingzhi said, "How insignificant is one person in this world? The higher the position, the greater the responsibility.
Over the past thousand years, there have been countless emperors and nobles who have prayed to gods and Buddhas, but who can live forever? Yes, there are always people who think they are an exception, and maybe the gods will look at them with new eyes, so they repeat the same mistakes again..."
"Get out!" The Taoist waved his hand.
Jiang Qingzhi did not leave. "As long as a person needs to eat, drink, defecate and urinate, he is a mortal body. The mortal body will follow the ways of the world, gradually weakening until death. Life and death are a cycle of reincarnation. Those who have life but no death are not gods, but monsters!"
"Get out!" the Taoist cursed.
"Your Majesty." Jiang Qingzhi felt that he should completely give up the Taoist's idea of immortality, "One of my Mohist sages once faked his death..."
Daoye's eyes lit up, "What happened next?"
"At that time, the disciple had already put him into a thin coffin and recited scriptures for three days. When he was preparing to bury him, he heard someone knocking in the coffin. Fortunately, the disciple was a brave man. After opening the coffin, the great man actually came back to life." Gentlemen, don't blame me for making up stories!
Jiang Qingzhi said: "After the great man woke up, he said that he had gone to a fairyland after his death. There were flowers everywhere, mountains and rivers, but there was no desire for fame and fortune, no greed, no anger, no eating, drinking and having fun..."
"He saw his ancestors coming to greet him, and he saw his relatives and friends."
Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but feel fascinated.
"Then he was taken to a place that seemed like a government office. An official held a booklet and listed all his merits and demerits in his life. The details even included the dirty thoughts he had when he was alone in a room..."
Emperor Jiajing sighed: "Be cautious when you are alone!"
"If you do something wrong in secret, the gods will see through you like lightning!" Jiang Qingzhi said, "When the official saw the end, he was surprised and said that you still have eight years to live, so why did you come here today? Then the official scolded the clerk, who apologized in panic. After checking, it was found that they had taken the wrong person with the same name..."
"What happened next?" Huang Jin was listening intently and couldn't help but ask.
"Later..." Jiang Qingzhi pointed to his throat, indicating that he was thirsty.
"Give him tea." The Taoist wanted to kick this guy away.
After drinking a cup of tea, Jiang Qingzhi continued, "Later, the great man traveled all over the world for eight years. Whenever he saw injustice, he would help. When he saw people in poverty, he would sigh for them. When he saw people hungry, he would give them his own dry food.
He was not dead eight years later. He died at the age of ninety-eight. Thirty-nine years had passed since he faked his death.
Before he died, he said: "I now know that doing good deeds and helping the world is the real happiness..."
Jiang Qingzhi bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."
Want to live longer?
Go do good things!
Go and help the people of the world!
But praying to gods and Buddhas cannot bring you longevity...the gods are too busy, and besides, they don't care about the things that mortals contribute.
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the hall, and Zhang Tong suddenly asked in front of him: "Chang Wei Bo, is the place of the gods like the human world?"
"The world is a paradise and also a hell." Jiang Qingzhi said. He felt that Zhang Tong didn't understand what he said.
Zhang Tong said, "Then the gods... could it be that the gods are ourselves?"
Jiang Qingzhi stopped and Zhang Tong turned around. "Chang Wei Bo said that when a person is alone in a room, all his thoughts will be detected by the gods. Isn't that god himself?"
"Then why is it a crime?" Jiang Qingzhi asked with interest.
Zhang Tong thought for a moment, "I once did something bad, and no one knew about it. But I couldn't get over it, so I couldn't sleep all night, couldn't eat or sleep, and was in agony. Then I got sick, and I almost didn't make it.
I have heard from His Majesty that the seven emotions and six desires are the most hurtful to people. I think that the pain and suffering, the inability to sleep and eat, are the punishment for the bad things I have done!"
And the punisher is yourself.
Jiang Qingzhi patted his shoulder and said, "You have good understanding."
Those with pure minds have the highest understanding.
Although the Taoist is extremely intelligent, his mind is obviously not clear.
"That kid's words were all to advise me not to seek immortality or hope for the favor of the gods."
Huang Jin said: "Your Majesty, I am so bold... Chang Wei Bo's meaning is more to say, just do good things and don't worry about the future."
"Yes!" The Taoist nodded. "If you do something wrong in secret, the gods will see through you. Do your job well, and the gods will judge you."
……
"If you can get benefits by praying to gods and Buddhas, then what are gods?"
In the study, Xia Yan and others were all there. Jiang Qingzhi was holding Duoduo and said sarcastically, "Buddha also said, don't come to me for help. The only thing I can do to help people is to open their minds that have been blinded by the world and let them find their true selves, not to bless them."
Xia Yan coughed dryly, "Don't talk nonsense."
The older people get, the more they care about this... Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "Mr. Xia, Buddha said that he cannot bless mortals. The so-called way to liberation is to save yourself."
He looked at Hu Zongxian, Xu Wei and others who seemed to disapproving, and felt powerless. "People need to have a sense of awe. It is not a bad thing to fear the gods, but it is foolish to indulge in them."
Buddha said that he only helps people find themselves, but the only one who can truly save you is yourself.
But humans still happily worship him, praying for him to grant them boundless blessings, to help them get promoted, to make money, to live a hundred years, to marry a beautiful woman, and to make everything go well...
"Over the thousands of years, has anyone ever succeeded in praying to gods and Buddhas?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Xu Wei said, "I know one example."
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head. "Why is there only one case among so many people who pray to the gods? Does the gods think that only he is qualified to receive their blessings?"
Yes! Xu Wei: "..."
"Take Lao Hu for example. When he was waiting to die in the northwest, did he go to pray to God?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Hu Zongxian shook his head and said, "At that time, I was just waiting to die, so I had no time to pray to the gods."
"But you escaped death. Whose blessing was that?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
The three of them were thoughtful.
"Uncle." Sun Bu Tong reported outside the door, "The gate is blocked."
"What?" Jiang Qingzhi exploded, transforming from a wise man who advised all living beings into a furious Vajra. "Who is it?"
(End of this chapter)
