There is a pagoda in Fufeng , Shaanxi, called Famen Temple . There is a magnificent underground Xuan Palace under the pagoda, which contains a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry, as well as a bone of Shakyamuni's finger, called Buddha finger relics . A thousand years ago, this Buddha finger relic seemed to have been cursed, "killing" two Tang Dynasty emperors, and almost killed the "cursor caster" himself - Han Yu .
The story starts from 1981. In August that year, it had been raining continuously for many days in Fufeng, Shaanxi. For brick and earth structure buildings, this kind of continuous rain can easily erode the walls and foundations, causing the building to collapse. There is a thousand-year-old pagoda with brick and earth structure on Famen Town, , nine kilometers northwest of Fufeng County, on Famen Temple.
August 24th, in the wind and rain, the walls of the ancient pagoda of Famen Temple cracked. In an instant, bricks and stones and dust fell, and wood chips and scriptures scattered in the wind and rain, spreading all over the streets and alleys.
Famen Temple Remaining Pagoda before restoration
At that time, China had just ended the turmoil, and everything was in trouble. People's awareness of cultural relics protection was not very strong. At that time, the cultural relics and religious departments were only conducting rescue cleaning of the collapsed Famen Temple. It was five years later that the Pagoda of Famen Temple was truly restored.
In May 1986, the cultural relics department established a special group to start restoring Famen Temple.
This repair is a thorough rebuild. All the remaining tower bodies must be removed and a pagoda will be rebuilt on the original foundation according to the original scale and style.
Because we need to protect the remaining cultural relics, the work of demolishing the remaining towers was relatively slow. It was not until the end of the year that the tower body was cleaned and the foundation was exposed. At this time, heavy snow fell from Fufeng in Shaanxi. The work team discovered a strange phenomenon. When heavy snow covered the entire Fufeng ground, snow could not be stored on the ground with a diameter of more than 10 meters in the center of the foundation of the Famen Temple. The snowflakes would immediately turn into water when they fell on it.
Experienced cultural relics experts immediately realized that there should be enough space under the foundation of this tower. This space is like a thermal insulation shed, with the temperature of the air inside being higher than the ground temperature, which causes the snowflakes falling on it to melt.
At this time, a long-standing legend began to spread in the work team.
It is said that an underground Xuan Palace is built under the pagoda of Famen Temple, where the treasure of the Tang Dynasty is buried.
Two months later, when the cultural relics workers used Luoyang shovel to penetrate from the surface into the depths of the tower foundation, they only heard a bang, and the shovel tip hit the hard substance and could no longer be beaten. They tried several times and none of them made any progress. The archaeological team analyzed that the Luoyang shovel should have hit a stone slab. Judging from the sound, there should be a large space under the stone slab.
They quickly reported this situation to the leader who was in charge of the reconstruction of Famen Temple. After discussing with the archaeological team, the leader decided to open the stone slab on the sixth day of the third lunar month. This day was also the day of the ancient meeting of Famen Temple.
The exciting moment finally came. When the archaeological team lifted a corner of the stone slab, they were stunned by the scene below.
legend is true!
There is really a magnificent underground palace under the ancient tower!
The underground palace is filled with various treasures, layered, without any gap. The entire underground palace is full of pearls and treasures, shining with golden light, which is amazing.
The archaeological team is not a tomb robber. You cannot directly open the stone slabs to enter from the top when excavating the underground palace. This stone slab is just the caisson of the underground palace. From this point on, not only will it not be able to understand the overall picture of the underground palace, but it will also cause damage to the integrity of the underground palace.
The so-called "caile well" is what we now call the ceiling. The tops of ancient buildings are often dome-shaped, that is, they are high in the middle and low around them, and the ceiling has a certain slope. From the top, it looks like a grave mound, which is called a caisson.
Dunhuang caisson
Archaeologists judge that this underground palace should have a gate.
After a day of drilling, the archaeological team found a staircase leading to the underground palace gate just south of the foundation.The stairs are covered with copper coins from the Tang Dynasty, with a total of 20 levels from top to bottom. At the end of the stairs is a narrow platform, with several huge rocks behind the platform blocking the way.
After the archaeological team used a crane to remove the huge rock, a dark door suddenly appeared in front of them. The lintel is engraved with a relief of the Vermillion Bird. The vermillion Bird has its wings spread, its tail is high, and its feet are dancing, and its image is extremely vivid. The big lock on the door is already rusty, and archaeological experts have preliminarily judged that the lock should have not been moved. The news of
made everyone excited.
Then archaeologists carefully opened the door lock with mechanical methods, and then pushed open the door that had been closed for thousands of years. As the door slowly opened, the breath of the Tang Dynasty came to the face, and a magnificent underground palace in was fully presented to the archaeological team.
There are countless treasures buried in the underground palace of Famen Temple , including gold and silver, porcelain, glazed ware, silk fabrics, Buddha statues, and Buddhist scriptures. The most precious one is a Buddha bone relic, which is said to be transformed from a finger of Sakyamuni.
This Buddha bone relic is about 3.9 cm long and is milky yellow all over. It has cracks and mold spots on it. It has been identified by modern scientific methods and is indeed bone.
Buddha bone relic unearthed from Famen Temple
Tang Dynasty Buddhism flourished, and this Buddha bone of Sakyamuni was regarded as a divine object in the Tang Dynasty. For more than 200 years, the eight emperors of Tang Dynasty welcomed and sent this Buddha bone, including the eight emperors of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, , the Emperor Gaozong of Tang, , the Emperor Gaozong of Tang, , the Emperor Gaozong of Tang, , the Emperor Gaozong of Tang, , the Emperor Gaozong of Tang, , the Emperor of Emperor Xizong of Tang, welcomed and sent this Buddha bone. Every time you welcome and see off, a grand ceremony will be held. The emperor is devout like a star-chasing child. The civil and military ministers in the court must accompany you to play the show, whether you believe in Buddhism or not. The high specifications and great momentum are unimaginable.
At this time, even if the ministers have different opinions, they have to hold back. Few people sing opposites, because the consequences of disturbing the emperor's interest are often very serious.
However, there are young people who are not afraid of death at any time, such as Comrade Han Yu, who we were very familiar with when we were studying.
Day street is as smooth as a crispy rain, and the grass looks close but nothing.
is the most beneficial year for spring, which is better than the willows and willows in the imperial capital.
——Han Yu's "Early Spring Presentation of Zhang Shiba, the Ministry of Water Affairs"
In the 14th year of Yuanhe of Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty (819), in order to pray for the good weather in the Tang Dynasty and his longevity and health, Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty sent eunuch Du Yingqi to lead thirty palace maids to Famen Temple to welcome the Buddha's bones. After entering Chang'an, Emperor Xianzong of Tang held a large-scale welcoming ceremony.
This Buddha finger relics were first offered in the palace for three days, and then went to Chang'an City major temples to take turns offering. All the capital was shocked, and all the celebrities from all walks of life were flocking to give alms, fearing that they would fall behind. Many people would spend their entire lives and even seek to provide for their own business.
Han Yu really couldn't stand the behavior of these brain fans, so he wrote a memorial, suggesting that Emperor Xianzong of Tang stop offering Buddha bones. This is the famous " on the Buddha bones " in history and literature.
Friends who like ancient Chinese should know something. Han Yu's articles are known for their eloquence, with rigorous logical thinking and magnificent language. We learned his "Talks' Talks" and "Talks of Horses" in junior high school. In these two short and concise articles, Han Yu's ability to think and debate is fully demonstrated.
In "On the Buddha's Bone Table", Han Yu presented facts and reasoned, trying to convince Emperor Xianzong of Tang not to offer to Buddha's bones. In the article, he listed examples of ancient emperors to prove that before Buddhism was introduced to Middle-earth, those long-lasting dynasties and long-lived kings had nothing to do with the Buddha; after Buddhism was introduced to Middle-earth, the influence of superstition Buddhism was either the short life of the dynasty or the short life of the monarch. Only Emperor Wu of Liang was the emperor for 48 years, but the outcome was very tragic. Later, he was starved to death in Taicheng due to the Hou Jing rebellion.
It seems that superstitious Buddhism is not a good thing.
After talking about his arguments, Han Yu began to talk about Emperor Xianzong of Tang himself.
He first flattered Emperor Xianzong of Tang, saying how wise and powerful Emperor Xianzong of Tang was, and that he should not make such a small mistake. Then he brought Confucius out and said that he should "respect the ghosts and gods and stay away from them."
After flattering, Han Yu began to attack Buddha personally.
He said that Buddha was just a foreigner and did not understand China's national conditions at all. He was dead. A bone was just a dirty thing and should not be exhibited in the palace.
Finally he said, since I have said such disrespectful words to the Buddha, if the Buddha has a spirit, he will bring disaster to me. The implication is that if the disaster is not brought to me, it means that the Buddha is not effective.
Han Yu's portrait
This article "On the Buddha's Bone Table" made Han Yu make a big fuss because he didn't understand, and Emperor Xianzong of Tang was also a brain fan. In addition, Han Yu's first half of also had problems with the argument. He said that those monarchs had short life in the dynasty and short life in the monarchs because of their belief in Buddhism. In the view of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, this was almost the same as a curse.
Historical records show that after reading this memorial, Emperor Xianzong of Tang was furious and planned to kill Han Yu. Prime Minister Pei Du pleaded with mercy and said that Han Yu wrote a letter to persuade him. Although what he said was wrong, he could not be sentenced to death. If Han Yu was convicted for his words, no one would dare to write a letter to speak out later.
After the pleading of ministers such as Pei Du, Emperor Xianzong of Tang decided to demote Han Yu to Chaozhou as the governor, send him out of the court, as far as he can go.
There is no beauty in the New Year, and the grass buds are shocked in early February.
But the snow is too late in spring, so she walks through the courtyard to make flying flowers.
- Han Yu's "Early Spring"
When Han Yu was demoted from Chang'an, it was the first month of the 14th year of Yuanhe. The weather was still very cold and it was snowing heavily in Shaanxi. Han Yu rode his horse away from Chang'an and ran to Chaozhou eight thousand miles away. At that time, his nephew, Han Xiang, saw him off. The road is long, I don’t know when it will take. The heavy snow blocked the view, and the scenery in front became blurred, just like Han Yu's own career.
When he walked to Lantian County , facing the vast Qinling , Han Yu couldn't help but feel undulating, and he wrote the famous " Moving left to Languan to show his nephew Sun Xiang " in his mixed feelings.
A letter from the nine heavens in the morning and demoted to Chaozhou Road in the evening.
If you want to eliminate bad things for the Holy Dynasty, you will be willing to cherish the decay!
Where is the home of the Qinling Mountains? The snow is surrounded by Lan Pass and the horse is not moving forward.
I know that you should come from afar and be willing to collect my bones by the river.
- Han Yu's "Moving left to Languan to show his nephew Sun Xiang"
In the poem, Han Yu believes that he wrote a letter to remove bad policies for the court, and that his old bones have nothing to pity, so he not only does not think that he has done something wrong, but on the contrary, he also has a heroic spirit of dying generously. However, he realized sadly that his career might be over, and he might never return to Chang'an, and maybe he would die in a foreign land.
After Han Yu arrived in Chaozhou, he devoted himself to his new job and tried his best to do something good for the people.
When he first arrived in Chaozhou, he learned that the people in the western part of the county were generally poor, so he went to investigate and research. The local people told him that there were big crocodiles in the lake here, several feet long, eating up all the animals of the people, so the people were poor. If we look at it from the current poverty alleviation policy perspective, their cause of poverty should be caused by natural disasters.
Han Yu lived by the lake for a few days, and after doing sufficient investigation and research, he developed a poverty alleviation plan that we now call it very sexy.
He ordered his subordinates to prepare a pig and a sheep and throw it into the lake. At the same time, he read a congratulations he wrote by his own congratulations . Here we call his congratulations a war letter or a threat letter more appropriate.
In the congratulations, Han Yu said that he was ordered by the emperor to govern the people in the area, which is equivalent to the boss of this area. What a group of crocodiles actually want to compete with me for the position of boss? I will give you three to seven days to get out of Chaozhou, otherwise I will gather strong civilians and take you all with strong bows and poisonous arrows.
On the evening of the day after reading the greetings, strong winds blew in the lake, and lightning and thunder were heard on the lake. A few days later, the lake was completely dried up, and the lake water moved to a place sixty miles west, and from then on there was no crocodile trouble here again.
This is a record in "Old Book of Tang. Biography of Han Yu". Whenever I see this, I doubt the authenticity of this record. I don’t know whether it was the crocodile who understood Han Yu’s words or whether one of the parties used a magic spell. Anyway, the local crocodile disease was solved mysteriously, and the local people were confused and got rid of poverty.
The grass and trees know that spring will return soon, and all kinds of red and purple fight against the fragrance.
Poplar flower elm pods have no talent, but they can only flow into snow.
- Han Yu " Late Spring "
After Han Yu settled in Chaozhou, he gave Tang Xianzong a thought report. In the report, he apologized to Emperor Xianzong of Tang and said that he was not good at speaking and was not very good at speaking. There was nothing outstanding about that article at that time. Then he flattered and praised Emperor Xianzong of Tang as a hero of a generation.
Emperor Xianzong of Tang was not a fool either. When he saw Han Yu's article "On the Buddha's Bone List", he was angry and cured Han Yu's sin. Later, Emperor Xianzong of Tang also repented himself, but he was demoted by himself and was embarrassed to call him back for no reason. Han Yu's thought report just gave him a step. He took the book and said to the ministers around him: "Although Han Yu's statement on Buddha bones is a bit inappropriate, I know he loves me. The reason I was angry at that time was just because some of his sentences were a bit too extreme." After
, he looked at the performance of the ministers. It is obvious that Emperor Xianzong of Tang was throwing a stone to ask for directions and wanted to re-activate Han Yu.
However, Han Yu's integrity not only offended the emperor, but also offended other ministers. Prime Minister Huangfu Jing said that Han Yu was too arrogant and just transferred him to another place to be the governor. So Emperor Xianzong of Tang transferred Han Yu to Yuanzhou governor. Yuanzhou is in Yichun City, Jiangxi Province. Although it is still far from the Central Plains, it is much better than Chaozhou in the wilderness.
It seems that Emperor Xianzong of Tang forgives Han Yu. However, Han Yu's article "On the Buddha's Bone List" did not "forgive" Emperor Xianzong of Tang.
In the 14th year of Yuanhe of Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty, Han Yu submitted to "On the Table of Buddha's Bones". By the 15th year of Yuanhe, Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty died. is afraid of anything. Emperor Xianzong of Tang believes that some of the remarks in Han Yu's articles are a bit like curses. Unfortunately, Han Yu's "curse" came true, or a prophecy came true.
Of course, the cause of Emperor Xianzong of Tang was definitely not because of Han Yu's "curse", but because of murder, or the direct reason was that he was taking pills.
Gilded copper unearthed from Famen Temple
In his later years, Emperor Xianzong of Tang often took elixirs to prolong his life. Pills play an important role in the abnormal deaths of ancient Chinese emperors. Elixirs often contain a large amount of heavy metals such as lead and mercury. If you take these elixirs for a long time, heavy metals will be deposited in the human body, causing great damage to health.
Since this is the case, why are there many emperors taking pills?
It is said that the elixir is dry and after taking it, it will bring a certain degree of mental excitement, creating an illusion of spiritual renewal. This is like a stimulant, which is very effective in the short term, but taking it for a long time can cause great damage to the body. It is this short-term mental excitement that has made many emperors and high-ranking officials unable to stop elixirs and ultimately harmed themselves.
According to the "Zizhi Tongjian", Emperor Xianzong of Tang often took pills in his later years. The side effects of the pills made him very irritable and moody. He often had no signs of emotions, beat and scolded the eunuchs around him, and even executed them. The eunuchs in Daming Palace feel insecure when they work next to such an emperor.
yuan and the first month of the fifteenth year, on a hideous night, eunuch Chen Hongzhi killed Emperor Xianzong of Tang, just one year after Han Yu appeared on "On the Buddha's Bone Table".
Golden silver-holding bodhisattva unearthed from Famen Temple
In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, it became almost a routine operation for eunuchs to support the emperor, and it was almost a high probability that he would kill the emperor. In addition to Emperor Xianzong of Tang, the emperors who were murdered by eunuchs clearly recorded in historical records also had the grandson of Emperor Xianzong of Tang Tang Jingzong . In addition, Emperor Xianzong of Tang also died inexplicably. It is said that he was murdered by eunuch Ju Wenzhen .
yuan and fifteen years, Han Yu was transferred back to Chang'an, and his career has been stable since then. Until his death in the fourth year of Changqing, Han Yu was an official in the court and never left the capital again.
There are still some unlucky rumors about Han Yu's death.
According to the "Qingyi Lu", Han Yu was "very keen on fat" in his later years and raised many concubines, but after all, he was old and often felt overwhelmed. To keep it in place, he began taking sulfur. However, some people told him that the sulfur medicinal properties are too dry and taking them for a long time is harmful to the body. He suggested that he let the chicken eat sulfur and he eat chicken again to reduce the sulfur medicinal properties.
Han Yu adopted his suggestion. He mixed sulfur into porridge and fed the roosters for a thousand days. In folk remedies, this kind of rooster is called "Huolingku". Han Yu ate this "fire spirit library" a day, which is very effective in the short term, but eating it for a long time still damages his physical health and eventually leads to his death.
Of course, this record is not completely fabricated, it is proved by Bai Juyi's poem. In Bai Juyi's era, among the few poets we are familiar with now, Bai Juyi should have lived the longest. In his later years, Bai Juyi recalled his deceased friends of his contemporaries and wrote a poem called "Thinking of the Old".
took sulfur and did not recover from the disease.
小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小小�
Du Zi gets the alchemy technique and will be cut off all day long.
Cui Jun praised the power of medicine, but did not wear cotton clothes during winter.
Whether it is sick or sudden, it is nothing but middle-aged.
Ye Yu refused to accept the food, and his life was delayed.
——Excerpt from Bai Juyi’s “Thinking of the Old”
The poem “Tuzhi” is Han Yu, whose name is Tuizhi. Bai Juyi's poem is very credible because the two of them were officials in the same dynasty at that time and had a good relationship. When Han Yu was appointed as the Minister of War, one day after the rain, he invited Zhang Ji, who was then the Minister of Water Affairs, to visit Bai Juyi, who was appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat. Because Bai Juyi was too muddy on the road, Han Yu, who was released from pigeons, wrote a poem to Bai Juyi and complained.
The yin is open to the sun, and the blue sky and white sun reflect the tower.
Qujiang River is full of flowers and trees, and I refuse to come when I am busy?
- Han Yu "Send the Twenty-Two Sheren from the Spring Outing of the Ministry of Water"
Han Yu and Tang Xianzong, the happy enemies, died directly or indirectly, from taking "stimulants" that should not be taken. This is a joke that fate played against them.
From Bai Juyi's song "Thinking of the Old" we can also find a problem, that is, taking elixirs almost became a fashion in the upper class at that time. Only Bai Juyi himself kept a clear mind, neither taking elixirs nor being obsessed with fighting for power. He became marginalized and took the initiative to ask to be transferred to Luoyang to be a free official.
In Luoyang, he appreciated peonies every day, went to Longmen to play, and rode on Yihe , asked three or five friends to drink and sing poems together, cultivate their character, and finally lived to the age of 75. Under the medical and nutritional conditions at that time, he was already considered a long life.
I don’t know if the death of Emperor Xianzong of Tang played a certain warning to the emperors behind him. His later Tang Muzong , Tang Wenzong , Tang Wuzong , Tang Xuanzong , and Tang Xuanzong never offered the Buddha bone again. During the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Tang Dynasty, he also vigorously destroyed the Buddha's finger relics, intending to destroy the Buddha's finger relics. It is said that the host of Famen Temple used jade to forge several "Buddha finger relics" in his hand, intending to use false to distort the real ones to prevent the real ones from being destroyed and ultimately to preserve the real ones.
Emperor Yizong of Tang was the third last emperor of the Tang Dynasty and was recognized as a relatively stupid monarch. He only knows how to go out for banquets and have fun all day long, and never takes small matters like national affairs to heart.At that time, the Tang Dynasty was already in turmoil and there was no hope of revival.
gilt silver turtle box unearthed from Famen Temple
Historical records show that Emperor Yizong of Tang welcomed the Buddha's bones this time was the most luxurious in history.
In order to create momentum for the welcome of Buddha bones, Emperor Yizong of Tang ordered the construction of a large number of pagodas, treasure tents, incense pavilions, banners, flowers, and umbrellas decorated with gold, jade and jewelry. On the road from the capital to Famen Temple more than 300 miles, there were endless cars and horses day and night.
After the Buddha's bones entered Chang'an City, Emperor Yizong of Tang held an unprecedented welcoming ceremony, directly using the imperial guards as a guard of honor, and the drum band and incense and candle team stretched for dozens of miles. Emperor Yizong of Tang climbed to Anfu Gate and worshiped the Buddha's bones, and tears flowed from the stream. The Buddha's bones were first placed in the palace for three days, and then sent to various major temples in Chang'an for take turns offering.
Unfortunately, Han Yu's "curse" came true again. Just four months later, Emperor Yizong of Tang died, which fulfilled his dream of "will see it in life and death without hatred."
When Emperor Yizong of Tang died, the Buddha's bones were not sent back to Famen Temple, which means that he had the life to greet him and was sent back to him without his life.
After the death of Emperor Yizong of Tang, Li Yan , who was only 12 years old, succeeded to the throne and was Emperor Xizong of Tang.
In the eyes of the ministers, this Buddha finger relic is really an ominous thing. Whoever welcomes whom he dies, may he be a demon if he stays in Chang'an? It is better to send it back to Famen Temple as soon as possible.
While Emperor Xizong of Tang sent the Buddha bones back to Famen Temple, he also sent many rare treasures hidden deep in the palace. He put them into the underground palace of Famen Temple, then locked the gate of the underground palace and sealed them with huge stones outside. This Buddha bone, together with gold, silver, pearls and jade, was buried underground forever.
Thirty-five years later, the Tang Empire was destroyed, and the treasures of the Tang Dynasty court buried in the underground palace of Famen Temple were fortunate to escape repeated lootings. The cold and the heat are coming and going, and the underground palace gate was opened a thousand years later. The Buddha's finger relics, which were regarded as unknown, and a large number of rare treasures, reappeared in the world with the breath of the Tang Dynasty, as if telling unknown historical stories to people in the future.
