Journey to the West - Chapter 11 Part 2

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0:21 Thank you. Journey to the. West and audio drama. Series Chapter 11, Part 2 We now go to Lord Yu Chu, who escorted the gold and silver to the Hunan city of Kaifeng, where Xiang Liang resided along with his wife, whose last name was Zhang. The men turned out to be making a living by selling water and pottery at their front door for money. They had some savings, but would only keep just enough to get by. The rest they gave to monks.

1:00 As arms. As well as to be used to buy paper, gold and silver which was burned for the dead and assigned to various horse. This was why they gained such enormous merit for themselves. A good hearted poor man in the world of the living is an elder with endless wealth in the world beyond. Lord Yuchi brought the golden silver to his door and scare the wits out of Mr. and missus young. The local government officials also gathered outside their cot, crowding their front yard with carriages and horses. The old couple knelt on the ground confused and silent and could only kowtow as greeting.

1:44 Lord Yuchi said. Please rise, elders. I may be an imperial envoy, but I'm only here to pay back the gold and silver my emperor owes you, the man answered, shaking. I have never lent any gold or silver to others. How dare I accept this inexplicable wealth? Lord Eugene explained. I also learned that you are a man living in poverty. You've been generous with the monks and made the best use of your earnings.

2:19 Since you have purchased paper, gold and silver and burned them for the dead. The underworld has documentations of all the wealth you accumulated there. Our Emperor Taizo was dead for three days before coming back to life. When he was in the underworld, he borrowed some money from one of your storage rooms, which is why he is paying you back the exact amount today.

2:43 Please accept them all so I can report back to the throne. Xiao Liang and his wife only count out to heaven and dare not accept the payment, he said. Should this humble man accept such wealth, death would come for me soon. Even though you spoke of burning paper money and being documented for storage, it is still a matter of the unknowable nature.

3:10 Moreover, what proof do you have that His Majesty borrowed money in the other world? I dare not take this, Lord Yuchi said. His Majesty said that Judge Tsui could be witness to what he borrowed from you. Do take it, won't you? Zhang said not even in depth. Lord Yuchi saw that he was very persistent, so he couldn't do anything but report back exactly what had happened.

3:43 Taizong read his report and learned that Xiang Liang refused to accept the gold and silver, so he said this is truly one kind hearted elder. He thereby released an imperial edict instructing Yuchu Xingdu to use the money to build a temple in Xiangliang's name, as well as a shrine for the living.

4:05 They would invite monks to perform religious services and pay him back that way. Once the edict arrived, Jingdu thanked the throne and read it aloud for everyone to hear. He then used the money to purchase the piece of land that was not in the way of either military or civil populations. It measured the 50 MU in area, which was roughly about 30,000 square meters. Construction began on the land to build a temple that was called Shu Xian Xianguo Xu or Imperially founded Xiangguo Monastery.

4:40 On its left was the shrine for the living dedicated to Mr. and Missus Xiang. A monument was built by engraving a stone with the words built under the supervision of Lord Yuxiu. This would become the place we now know as the Great Xianguo Monastery. When construction was complete and the news reached the throne, Paizon was overjoyed. He then gathered his many officials to issue a notice to recruit monks.

5:12 They were to hold the grand mass of land and water to deliver the wandering souls from the underworld. Once the notice went out, officials from across the country began recommending virtuous monks of high regards to head for the Grand Mass in Chiang An. It took less than a month before the monks from around the place arrived. The Tang Emperor then released an imperial edict and ordered the deputy court historian Fuyi to select the most venerable monks and prepare for the religious ceremonies. When Fuyi heard the orders, he immediately submitted a memorial arguing against Buddhism and the existence of Buddha. The memorial went as follows by the law of the West. There are no distinctions

6:00 between ruler and subject, or between father and son. With the doctrines about the three roads for the wicked and the sixfold paths, they deceive and seduce the foolish. They talk about reflecting on sins of the past, so one can seek the blessings of the future. They chant in Sanskrit as a way of getting away with accountability. Now birth, death, and the longevity of life are determined by nature.

6:29 Matters of punishment and reward are tied to the human ruler, but now we hear vulgar believers trusting the truth to make it sound as if everything came from Buddha. At the time of the Five Sages and the Three August Ones, Buddhist teachings didn't exist yet. The rulers were wise and their subjects loyal.

6:50 Their reigns were long lasting. It wasn't until Emperor Ming of Han dynasty when foreign gods began to be worshipped. Yet these priests from the West are propagating their faith on their own terms. This is a foreign intrusion of China and shall not be believed. Taizong read his words and through the memorial to his other officials for a debate.

7:16 At the time, Minister Xiaoyu walked out of formation and prostrated himself, reporting Buddhism has flourished for several dynasties. It seeks to spread good and restrain evil, which helps the state in covert ways. There is no reason to abolish it. Buddha is a sage. Those who smear a sage have no sense of the law. I urge the dissenter be severely punished. For Ye continue to debate with Xiao Yu. His argument was that propriety had its foundation in service to parents and rulers.

7:58 Buddhism, however, would lead one to abandon his parents and leave the family. That was to defy the emperor as one single man and to betray his loved ones with the body they gave birth to. He also pointed out that Xiaoyu was not born from nothing. The fact that Xiaoyu would support a religion of no fathers show that those whose smear filial piety have no sense of human relations.

8:27 Xiao Yu only folded his palms to say hell exists precisely for people like him. Taizhong then summoned high attendant of carriages Zhong Dao Yuan and the head secretariat Zhang Shihong to ask them about the efficacy of Buddhist ceremonies. The two ministers answered Buddha dwells in purity, benevolence and compassion.

8:55 Nothingness is the true fruit of Buddhist teachings. Emperor Wu of North Zhou Dynasty wrecked Buddhism behind Confucianism and Taoism. This LED Chan master Da Hui to argue that Buddhism lied deep and far and generations of people have Revere the religion which gave them nothing but effective gains. The 5th Patriarch of Chan was reborn for Buddhism. Bodhidam left records of miracles. It's been held since ancient times that the three religions, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are of the utmost regard.

9:33 Therefore they cannot be destroyed or abolished. We humbly beg Your Majesty to exercise your wise judgment. Taizon was delighted and agreed. What you said made the most sense. Anyone who continues to make arguments in opposition shall be punished. He then instructed Wei Zhong Xiaoyu and Zhang Dao Yuan to invite the various venerable monks to elect a most virtuous labourer of Buddha to be the Master of Altar.

10:08 At the same time, the site for the Grand Mass would be constructed. The officials thanked the throne and left. From that day on, a law was issued that anyone who defamed monks and Buddhism would have an arm cut off. The next morning the three court ministers, along with all the monks gathered at the altar of mountain and river. They ran down the list from the beginning and selected from it a virtuous and venerable monk.

10:40 And who would that be? He used to be called the Golden Cicada that fell into the mortal world for being heedless before Buddhist teachings, suffering from a terrible ordeal. Since the moment he was born, his father was John Yuan and his grandfather served on the court. Flowing along the currents of a river, he was destined to be raised by a monk.

11:05 At 18, he reunited with his birth mother and had his revenge. With the help of the state, his father came back alive. Now blessed by the Empress Trust, he declined office for religion and headed to the Infinite Blessing Temple to learn more. His baby name was Jiang Liu, meaning flowing on the river, and his religious name was Chen Shenzheng.

11:33 On that day, the crowd elected Reverend Shenzheng, who had been a monk starting from a young age. Ever since he left the womb, he had been on a vegetarian diet and lived strictly by the Commandments. His maternal grandfather, Yin Kaishan currently served as one of the chief commanders in the military.

11:55 His father, Chen Guang Re received the title of Zhuang Yuan before being appointed great scholar of Wen Yuan Dian or Hall of Literary Depth. Shenzhen had no desire for wealth or fame and only cared about cultivation. They did some research and found he had great foundations and high morals. There was not a single classic or sutra that he did not master, and not a single Buddhist chant or immortal hymn that he could not sing at the time.

12:28 The three ministers LED Shenzhen to the throne. After an elaborate court ritual of dances was performed. They prostrated and reported your subjects, including I Xiaoyu and the rest have selected a venerable monk by the name of Chen Shenzheng. Taizheng heard the name and fell into deep thoughts. He then asked, is this Shenzheng the son of scholar Chen Guang Rei?

13:01 Zhang Liu kowtowed and answered yes, Your Majesty, it is I of whom we speak. Taizheng was delighted and said what an impressive choice you truly are a monk with the right merit and heart. We now give you the officers of Head clergy of the Left, head clergy of the Right, as well as scream clergy of the Empire. Shenzhen count out as thanks and accepted the appointments. He was also awarded with a colourful golden brocade, gushire and a velocean hat.

13:41 He was instructed to continue to receive teachings from wise monks and maintain his ranking among the monks. An imperial edict was written that he would head to Hua Sheng SU Temple of Transformation and Birth. Once an auspicious date and time were selected, he would give a public lecture. Shenzhang bowed again and left with the imperial orders. He arrived at the Temple of Transformation and Birth where he gathered all the monks.

14:12 There they began preparing the right benches and flags for the occasion, as well as rehearsing music. A total of 1200 wise monks of various ages were picked and divided to three halls, upper, middle and lower. They made sure everything needed was ready and in the right place. It was decided that the opening ceremony would take place on the third day of the ninth month this year, and at an auspicious time of day, the grand mass of land and water would last a total of 49 days.

14:51 Details of the arrangement were written and reported to the throne. Tizon and his officials, along with all the royalty, would all be attending on time and receive the lecture with faith. We do not know how the sacred ceremony will go. Please wait until the next Chapter Journey. To the West and Audio Drama Series is an independent production by.

15:21 The 5th monkey. For subtitles, please visit our YouTube channel, subscribe for free on YouTube to get us closer to monetization. For access to all the locked content, please consider becoming a pay subscriber for less than three U.S. dollars per month on Spotify or support us on Patreon and Kofi. You will have a chance to access the latest release and other exclusive content.

15:42 Head to. Www.thefithmonkey.com. For links to all the platforms we're on and support us on social media, shares, comments, emails. All are welcome. This is Lynn. See you in the next episode.