plumnovel Chapter 29 You are the Tibetans' nightmare
Chapter 29 You are the Tibetans' nightmare
"What I am speaking of is Buddhist teachings."
"Buddhism?"
Upon hearing these two words, Wu Zetian's eyes shone even brighter, like fireworks igniting or countless stars falling into them.
She has been a Buddhist since childhood and spent two years as a nun at Ganye Temple. She has a deeper affection for Buddhist scriptures than for Confucian scriptures, and she speaks of this topic with heartfelt joy.
Because of her familiarity with the subject, and having learned about the history of Buddhism's spread in Tibet, she frowned and said:
"As far as I know, Tibet has also embraced Buddhism since Songtsen Gampo, and has not shown any friendly relations with the Tang Dynasty."
The eunuchs and maids, who usually burned incense and prayed to Buddha, all turned slightly and listened attentively.
Shangguan Wan'er thought to herself, "Isn't Buddhism about accumulating merit to escape the cycle of reincarnation? How can it subdue the Tibetans?"
I didn't want to pay too much attention to Lu Jun, but this young man seemed to have a magical power, and I was involuntarily drawn to him again.
A pair of bright eyes swept quickly across the screen, then immediately lowered their gaze, only to quietly lift it again a moment later.
The wound on my forehead doesn't seem to hurt much anymore.
Lu Jun replied:
"Your Majesty, Songtsen Gampo sought marriage alliances with both Nepal and the Tang Dynasty. Nepal married Princess Bhrikuti, and the Tang Dynasty married Princess Wencheng, both of whom brought Buddhist teachings with them."
"However, the Tibetans traditionally believe in Bon religion and worship the miracles of the snowy land, which is considered auspicious for divination, prayer, and invoking spiritual powers."
"There was a rumor in Tibet that Songtsen Gampo was poisoned by Bon followers because he promoted Buddhism, which shows the popularity of Bon."
"To this day, there are only twelve Buddhist temples in the entire territory, and the nobles and common people in the country still firmly believe in Bon."
"The difference between the two cannot be measured in miles."
"Chu Yu is truly knowledgeable..." Wu Zetian nodded slowly.
She didn't have a deep understanding of the internal situation in Tibet, but she gained a direct understanding of the status of Bon and Buddhism at this time.
The question was asked: "Since Tibet does not believe in Buddhism, how can we use this to reach a consensus with Tibet?"
A mysterious smile played on Lu Jun's lips as she asked again, "Does the Empress Dowager truly believe in Buddhism?"
Wu Zetian was taken aback, her face suddenly showing displeasure: "Is there such a thing as true or false faith in Buddhism? Disrespecting Buddha will bring retribution!"
After speaking, his lips moved for a moment, his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and his shoulders tensed up.
This gentle rebuke sounded less like a monarch reprimanding his subjects and more like a devout Buddhist elder instructing his juniors.
Lu Jun bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your Majesty's belief in Buddhism gives you a natural advantage in winning over foreign nations. If you didn't believe, you would have to pretend, which would be quite tiring."
"If you don't believe in Buddhism, what's the use of pretending? Isn't that..." Wu Zetian stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.
His pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze shifted from confusion to clarity, as if the fog had been lifted.
It seems I understand something.
You don't have to believe in Confucianism; you can just pretend to.
Buddhism also follows this path.
She raised her hand and said, "I understand. Chu Yu means that we can take advantage of the peace between the two countries to recommend a high-ranking monk in my name to help spread Buddhism in Tibet, right?"
As someone who rules the world, when it comes to politics, he only needs to say half a sentence, and he can finish the rest himself.
But she still had doubts: "But I can only recommend, not force the Tibetans to believe in Buddhism, can I?"
"There is no need to force the Tibetans; simply spread the Dharma, and people will believe in it."
"Does Your Majesty remember my strategy for Longyou? After the internal strife between the Gar clan and the Zanpu, the strength of Tibet will inevitably be weakened."
"The king could only seek peace and, following the precedent set by Songtsen Gampo, proposed a marriage alliance, intending to reaffirm the alliance between uncle and nephew."
"The Empress Dowager could take this opportunity to send eminent monks to Tibet to reintroduce Buddhism, allowing the Tibetan king to hear it..."
Wu Zetian suddenly interrupted:
"Chu Yu, wait a minute. Didn't Princess Wencheng also bring eminent monks and Buddhist scriptures? Although Songtsen Gampo greatly admired them, he didn't make Buddhism flourish in Tibet."
"Furthermore, since Songtsen Gampo was poisoned by Bon followers, subsequent kings would only be more wary, fearing a repeat of the same mistake, right?"
When it came to strategy, she keenly noticed the loopholes.
"That's because the Buddhist teachings that Princess Wencheng brought were of little use to the Zanpu (Tibetan king)," Lu Jun said with a slight smile.
A faint smile played on his lips, his eyes showing no sign of unease, but rather a bright and resolute expression.
"Please forgive my frankness, Your Majesty, but the Tibetans, Turks and Han Chinese are no different. Every monarch needs a set of doctrines that the nobles can accept in order to consolidate power."
"The high priests of Bon religion all come from Tibetan noble families and have always been revered by the people, so the noble families have great power."
"For the Zanpu to consolidate power, he must find a way to weaken them."
"Ordinary Buddhist sects are too simplistic and lack the ability to control the doctrines and defend the monarchy on behalf of the king."
"There is a Buddhist sect in India called Tantric Buddhism. Eminent monks such as Kumarajiva have translated its scriptures. The Empress Dowager must have heard of it."
"This sect emphasizes a sequential approach to practice, requiring hierarchical transmission. It is more solemn than Bon and is enough to intimidate the Tibetans."
"Once the Zanpu (king) obtains it, he can break free from the constraints of the high priest and rule his people according to hierarchy..."
"Wait," Wu Zetian called out, raising her hand to stop them.
She had a general understanding of Lu Jun's strategy, which was to invite eminent monks of Tantric Buddhism from the Western Regions or India and send them to Tibet to spread Buddhism under the guise of peace negotiations and marriage alliances.
But a question arose in her mind: "Since Tantric Buddhism is suitable for a king to consolidate power, wouldn't doing this be helping him?"
Lu Jun smiled and replied, "The king wants to use Tantric Buddhism to seize power, but how could the nobles allow him to grow so powerful?"
A sharp edge was subtly hidden beneath his smile.
Esoteric Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist sect that originated in India and was not yet widely spread in the Tang Dynasty at that time.
Until the Kaiyuan era, the three great masters Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra came to the Central Plains to spread the Dharma. They were revered as national teachers, and officials and common people vied to make offerings to them. The magnificent Dharma flourished as a result, and it held a very high position in the Tang Dynasty. It then crossed the sea to Japan, where it has been passed down without decline.
During the Huichang persecution of Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism suffered a severe setback and never recovered in popular circles—but that's another story.
At this time, there was no Tantric Buddhism in Tibet.
Historically, after the death of the current Zanpu (Tibetan king) Qinu Xilong, his son Tride Zuzan negotiated peace with the Tang Dynasty, married Princess Jincheng, and once again promoted Buddhism in Tibet.
The goal was to gradually erode the power of the nobility and bring them under his control, so as to seize absolute power.
For this reason, Tride Zuzan fought with the nobles for a long time, and was eventually assassinated by them.
The new king Trisong Detsen introduced Indian Tantric Buddhism and established it as the state religion, while Buddhism and Bon continued their endless struggle.
During this period, when nobles gained power, they suppressed Buddhism; when the emperor gained power, he supported Buddhism. The internal divisions could never be eliminated.
Coupled with attacks from both the Uyghurs and the Tang Dynasty, Tibet finally declined and perished due to internal turmoil.
This process lasted for over a hundred years, and Lu Jun suggested introducing Tantric Buddhism in order to expedite this process.
"So that's how it is, another ingenious scheme!"
"First, let the Zanpu (King) fight among himself and the Gar clan, then let him fight with other nobles, and let the fighting continue for generations to come!"
"Chu Yu, your vision is incredibly far-sighted; you are truly a nightmare for the Tibetans!"
Wu Zetian, understanding the implied meaning of the song, immediately imagined the future course of events. Thinking that Tibet would never have a peaceful day again, she couldn't help but smile and burst into laughter.
Schemes can eliminate people and also bring down a country; Lu Jun's ideas suited her taste perfectly.
Whenever she gets excited, she likes to pace back and forth, and by then she has already walked more than ten laps.
He suddenly stopped: "Right, this strategy can weaken Tibet, but how can we make them permanently submit to the Tang Dynasty?"
Lu Jun replied:
"When Tibet was weakened by internal strife, according to the plan of the vassal army system, the Tang Dynasty already had an army that could roam freely in Qinghai."
"We can first reclaim Tuyuhun, then deploy troops near Qinghai Lake, and Tibet will have no choice but to submit and surrender."
"After years of promotion by the Zanpu (Tibetan king), Buddhism had penetrated deeply into the Tibetan people, and the Zanpu and the people were of one mind."
"The imperial court only needs to use the name of the Dharma King who protects the Tantric religion to win him over, without setting up prefectures and counties to control him, and the Tibetan people will accept it."
"We can also bestow the title of 'King of the Nation' upon the nobles, thus dividing and ruling them. All the forces in Tibet will yearn for the Celestial Empire's investiture, making it difficult for chaos to arise in their land."
"The snowy region is far and the weather is cold, making it difficult for the Celestial Empire to station troops there, but these investitures are more effective than a large army!"
"The tribes of the northern deserts can also be treated in a similar manner."
Wu Zetian nodded repeatedly: "That's right!"
Using ideology to govern local areas and the people has always been much cheaper than using the army.
At this point, Lu Jun's vision for the future and his strategy for long-term rule over Tibet, the northern deserts, and other regions had become clearly outlined.
However, Wu Zetian had some doubts about the details: "Dharma King, King of the Sect, are these titles in Esoteric Buddhism?"
"That's possible," Lu Jun smiled slightly.
My mind is racing, how can I explain this...?