Chapter 12 Weishan temple discussion on religion

Mao: “At dusk, we arrived at Weishan Temple. Two monks came out of the temple gate to welcome us. We told them that we had come to beg for alms. They said, ‘Paying respects to the Buddha and begging for alms are actually the same thing.’ We saw hundreds of monks slowly walking around. They asked us to put down our bundles and take a bath. We were grateful and followed their instructions.

We wanted to meet the abbot. They looked at our beggar attire and said that the abbot doesn’t casually receive guests! In the end, we asked them to deliver a note written with our heartfelt intentions and signed by both of us to the abbot. After about 10 minutes, they informed us that the abbot was willing to talk to us, so we immediately went to meet him. The abbot was around 50 years old, with a kind and compassionate face. The walls of his room were filled with books and publications. We noticed “Laozi” and “Zhuangzi” among them, along with other Buddhist scriptures and treatises. We couldn’t discuss Buddhist scriptures with him, but we enthusiastically talked about ancient Chinese classics for nearly an hour. The abbot was very pleased and invited us to join him for dinner. After dinner, when we returned to the main hall, many monks had gathered there. They all asked us to write inscriptions on paper fans or scrolls as souvenirs, which kept us busy until almost midnight.”

Journalist: “The monks asked you to write inscriptions, it seems your calligraphy skills are good.”

Mao: “Xiao had good calligraphy skills, while at that time, I still couldn’t write well. The next morning, when we said we wanted to leave, the abbot invited us to stay for a few more days. In the morning, the monks took us to visit the vegetable garden, the incense kitchen, and the veggies dining hall. The gardeners, cooks, water carriers, and others were all monks. In the afternoon, we went to the abbot’s room again, and he warmly received us. This time, he seemed to want to talk about ‘business’ with us. He praised the virtues of Buddhism in a very tactful manner, trying to arouse our interest in religion. However, we had no intention of discussing religious matters; we just politely listened. He continued to mention Confucius and Laozi, and we found familiar topics, so we expressed our opinions. What truly interested us was not Buddhist studies but rather the organization of Buddhism in China. We asked him some questions.

We asked how many monks were in the temple. The abbot smiled and said, ‘There are about a hundred monks belonging to this temple. But we often have visiting monks from distant places. The temple usually houses three to four hundred people. The visiting monks usually stay for a few days and then leave. At one point, there were even eight hundred monks living here, which was the highest record since the temple was built.’

The abbot explained, ‘They come here to listen to sutras and spread Buddhist teachings. This temple has abundant resources, so it is not difficult to accommodate visiting monks for a certain period of time. Monks are renunciants; all temples are their homes. They travel around, discussing sutras and philosophical matters, inspiring each other.’

We asked, ‘How many centers like Weishan exist in the country for preaching sutras?’

The abbot replied, ‘There are at least a hundred such centers, including smaller ones. The number may reach around a thousand.’

‘Do Buddhist books get published?’ I asked.

‘Certainly, there are many publications, especially in places like Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou,’ the abbot answered.

We mentioned our plan to visit some major temples and requested the abbot to write a few recommendation letters for us. The abbot said, ‘That is unnecessary. You don’t need any recommendation letters. Wherever you go, you will be welcomed just like here.’

The abbot wished for us to stay a few more days, but we needed to continue our journey. After expressing our gratitude to him, we set off down the mountain the next morning.”

Journalist: “So you stayed at the Buddhist temple for two days. What insights did you gain about religion?”

Mao: “We had many interesting impressions of the monks’ lives at Weishan Temple. Therefore, as we passed by a teahouse on our way, we stopped to rest and began discussing religion. We talked about how during the Tang Dynasty, there were three officially recognized religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, coexisting harmoniously. I remember during that time, an emperor brought Buddha’s relics to China. There was a famous scholar-monk named Xuanzang who spent over ten years in India studying Buddhist theories. He brought back over 600 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, and he and his disciples translated 75 volumes. All three major religions began spreading during the Tang Dynasty.

We discussed how the Chinese people have a realistic character and have religious beliefs to guide their lives, but rarely do these beliefs escalate to religious fanaticism. That is why the three religions can peacefully coexist. For a nation, it is a good thing that several religions can harmoniously coexist. China has not experienced religious wars like other countries. In history, some religious wars lasted for hundreds of years. We all believe that the philosophy of Confucius serves as a guide for handling interpersonal relationships. He appropriately tells the world what should and should not be done. In everyday life, Confucius provides us with practical and specific instructions.”

Journalist: “Did you and Teacher Xiao discuss your families’ religious beliefs?”

Mao: “Xiao mentioned his family, which is similar to other families, having an ancestral tablet inscribed with the characters for Heaven, Earth, King, Family, and Teacher. However, his grandmother added a tablet for Confucius. Later, she developed a fondness for Buddhism and hung a portrait of Gautama Buddha. After listening to European and American Christian missionaries preaching, she believed that since those people came from faraway places to spread their religion, their religion must also be beneficial to human life. So, she also hung a painting of Jesus carrying the cross. Xiao often referred to the shrine his grandmother set up as the ‘Republic of Religions.’ This is a typical example of Chinese people’s religious beliefs.

We talked until noon when we became hungry, so we had lunch at that teahouse before continuing our journey.”