What would you do if one day your insistent views were refuted and disapproved by the whole world?
Do you compromise with those around you for worldly success, or do you stick to the truth in your heart and be proud forever?
Let's make this more concrete:
The country's high-ranking intellectuals and princes and nobles, a total of 64 people, have united and written 75 articles in a short period of time to criticize you, and your nephew and affectionate brother are also among them.
Your former friend, the emperor who is now loyal to you, also laughed at you and wrote two articles to refute you.
In your limited life, you can hardly find a few friends who share your views.
In other words, what would you choose to do in the face of such a situation?
Fan Jian of the Southern Dynasty Qi and Liang Dynasties used his bumpy life to give this answer: It is better to be the enemy of the whole world than to adhere to the truth in his heart.
If we had to name the worst dynasties in ancient Chinese history, I think many people would vote for the two Jin Dynasties, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, just like the Guoshi.
In the twenty-seventh year of Emperor Yuanjia of Song (450 AD), a large-scale conflict broke out between the two regimes of Song and Wei, known in history as the Second Battle of Yuanjia. It was also around this time that Fan Jian was born in a declining family of scholars.
The Second Battle of Yuanjia was the hardest hit by the Southern Song regime, and the history records that "the six prefectures of Xu, Yu, Qing, Ji, and Eryan were invincible, and there was no red land left in the prefectures and counties they passed." "Since then, the form of north and south has been transformed from a balance of power to a weak and strong north in the south." Yuan Jia caocao, sealing the wolf Juxu, winning the canghuang Beigu" is talking about this history.
The people in the north of the Liu Song Dynasty had no food or clothing, and the people in the south were even more brutally exploited and plundered. In order to satisfy the extravagant use of the family and the royal family, Liu Song "increased the enlistment in the past", resulting in "small people screaming, no happy life".
The Liu Song imperial family killed each other for power and profit, and the people rose up. Such an era is destined to lead to the tragedy of countless people, and Fan Zhen is a small microcosm of it.
Fan Miao's father, Fan Mao, only became a minor official, but died shortly after giving birth to Fan Miao. Fan Zhen followed his mother back to his hometown of Wuyin in Nanxiang (present-day Biyang, Henan).
Fan Zhen grew up in a poor village, he studied diligently, read well, filial piety to his mother, Shi Zai: "Zhen Shao is lonely and poor, and his mother is filial and respectful." At about the age of 18, Fan Ji left his hometown for Danyang (present-day Nanjing; YishuXiang County, in present-day Suixi City, Anhui) to join the master of classics, Liu Yong.
He "studied diligently without a group", which made the master of scripture, Liu Yongdu, look at him differently, "very strange", and personally held a crown ceremony for him. However, in the special era of the two Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, even if you have outstanding talents, you will most likely be buried by your "lowly" origins.
A large number of noble disciples of the upper door valves under Liu Yong's door were "many cars and horses and noble tours", while Fan Zhen could only "dress in cloth and walk in vain on the road".
Children who usually grow up in such an atmosphere are either extremely inferior or cover up their humble family through extreme pride, while Fan Zhen obviously belongs to the latter, he is "straight in nature, so he is dangerous and high-minded", so he is "not at ease with his friends". At this time, only his brother Xiao Chen talked with him very happily.
His educational experience laid the groundwork for his later life tragedies, and his best friend "betrayed" him in the end.
After completing his studies, Fan Zhen was proficient in the Three Rites, but under the decaying door valve system, because of his humble origins, his talent was useless. The history books do not record what Exactly Fan Jian did when he was 20-30 years old, but he was already "white" at the age of 29.
He went to Jianye (present-day Nanjing) to become a "Beijing Drift" youth, but he ran into walls everywhere. Fan Zhen once boldly proposed political reform to the royal family, but in the end it was a stone. He wrote "Sad Twilight Poem" and "White HairEd Chant" to talk about masturbation.
It was not until 479 AD, when Xiao Daocheng, a general of the Liu Song Dynasty, seized power and established Southern Qi that Fan Jian had a place to play, "starting the Qi Ning Barbarian Master Book, and gradually moving the Shang Shu Dian Zhonglang." After that, he also became an ambassador of the Qi Dynasty, "making Wei married". As a member of the high-ranking civil service, Fan Jian often gathered with the princes and nobles.
A literary group was formed in the palace of Xiao Ziliang, the king of Jingling, known in history as the "Eight Friends of Jingling", which included Fan Yun's brother Fan Yun, Fan Zhen's maternal brother Xiao Chen, and the future Liangwu Emperor Xiao Yan.
Even after obtaining a higher official position, Fan Zhen was still as "straight" as he was then, and he saw that the dignitaries and poor people around him believed in Buddhism and felt that this might be a serious threat to society.
Buddhism gradually spread to Middle-earth during the Two Han Dynasties, because the theory of cultivating the afterlife catered to a large number of toiling people, and developed rapidly, alleviating social contradictions to a certain extent.
The rulers built a large number of monasteries, all of which were anointed by the people. For example, when Emperor Ming of Song built the Xianggong Temple, saying that he was accumulating merit, the chancellor Yu Yan rebuked him, saying, "These are all the work of the people who sell their children and women for money... Sin high floating chart, what merit has! "
The monastery landlords became the new landlord class, they wore robes, with the support of the government, plundered the wealth of the toiling masses, carried out crazy land annexation, and the history records that the monastery landlords "usurped the small people and occupied the fields and houses", and at the same time, most of them were tax-free and exempted, that is, "no silk was lost to the official government, and the rice was not entered into the public warehouse", which became a special extralegal place.
Fan Zhen believed that this was "floating slaughter and harming the government", so he carried out a series of anti-Buddhist struggles. But most of the intellectuals of the Southern Dynasty at that time also believed in Buddhism, such as his superior, Xiao Ziliang, the King of Qi Jingling.
Fan Ji," whose face was "called no Buddha", also openly refuted the concept of cause and effect at a banquet. Xiao Ziliang asked him, you don't believe in cause and effect, why do people have wealth and poverty? Fan Zhen laughed and said, "People are like this tree and flower, falling with the wind, some falling on the top of the infim, some falling on the toilet, falling on the infim is His Highness, and it is I who fall in the infidel, where is the cause and effect?" "
However, such a rebuttal is clearly not very forceful. Later experts called this a "critique of idealism by historical idealism," but privately thought it had reached the pinnacle of his time.
Xiao Ziliang summoned many monks and scholars to debate with him, but none of them made him submit, and Xiao Ziliang used his official position to persuade him, saying that if he was willing to give up his theory, he could become ZhongshuLang. Fan Zhen laughed: "Let Fan Zhen sell the theory to take the official, has reached the end of the order servant, He Dan Zhongshu LangYe!" "
After that, Fan Jian wrote the book "The Theory of The Annihilation of Gods", criticizing the Buddhist idea of "the separation of form and god, and the immortality of the form of the dead", pointing out that only the form of the living person has a spiritual effect, "the dead are like wood, and there is no knowledge of different wood", and also said that "God is the form, and the form is the god." It is the existence of the form and the existence of the gods, and the form of the gods is destroyed. Through these expositions, the Buddhist concept of "cultivating the afterlife" is fundamentally rejected.
"This argument is out of the clamor of the government and the opposition."
After that, Emperor Wu of Liang appointed Fan Zhen as the Taishou of Jin'an, and in the era of "all the officials were greedy", Fan Zhen actually "cleared the covenant in the county, and the capital was only Gonglu", except for Feng Lu, he did not take much.
When Emperor Wu of Liang identified Buddhism as the state religion, Fan Zhen's Theory of Divine Annihilation was undoubtedly a "heresy", and Fan Zhen was exiled to the barbaric Guangzhou at that time because he gave all his possessions to a friend who angered Emperor Liangwu, during which time he still disregarded the risk and promoted the views of the "Theory of Divine Annihilation".
In 507, Fan Was transferred back to Kyoshi to serve as Zhongshu Lang and Dr. Kuniko. Emperor Wu of Liang's motives were not pure, and after recalling Fan Zhen, he wrote two articles on the Annihilation of the Gods under the Imperial Household, and the Book of Nobles with the Prince of the Princes to refute Fan Zhen's Theory of Divine Annihilation.
The princes and nobles responded, and 64 dignitaries and literati wrote 75 articles, including fan xiaocai, the son of his brother Fan Yun, and his brother Xiao Chen, who had a good relationship.
This time, Emperor Wu of Liang seemed to want to completely discredit Fan Zhen and "never be able to live forever", but Fan Zhen made an even more amazing move. At the request of Emperor Wu of Liang, he changed the "Theory of Divine Annihilation" to a question and answer question to refute these opposing views.
After debating with the entire court, in the end, Fan Zhen actually retained his official position as "Dr. Guozi", and in the case of being an enemy of the whole world, he finally grew up in the official position at the age of 55.
Fan Zhen's anti-Buddhist struggle was like a shooting star, shining brightly but failing to bring about obvious changes in the society at that time.
For the rulers, the various theories of Buddhism did have a certain positive effect on the consolidation and stability of the society at that time. For example, Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty pointed out in his edict to restore Buddhism that Buddhism can "help the forbidden laws of the royal government and the goodness of benevolence and wisdom." Arrange the evil of the crowd and start to perform enlightenment. Emperor Wen of Song of the Liu Song Dynasty also said: "If all the shores of the land are purified in this way, then I will sit in peace and restore nothing." "
Zhang Jian, an expert in the history of religion and philosophy at Chinese Min University, said: "In the social turmoil of the Wei and Jin dynasties, there was obviously no way to fundamentally change the nature of society through revolution... Therefore, at that time, all religious and philosophical ideas that were conducive to maintaining social stability, coordinating social relations, and eliminating contradictions between the upper and lower levels had a positive effect. "
To this day, Buddhist thought has been integrated into all aspects of Chinese society, and "the unity of the spirit of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Taoism" has become the "standard" of Chinese intellectuals.
Fan Zhen's anti-Buddhism was not so much to oppose Buddhism itself as to oppose the evil situation of the monastic landlords who embezzled the people and state property at that time. He comes from the middle and lower classes of society, and naturally runs for the social toiling masses.
His indomitable life is worth learning and learning from future generations, and Fan Zhen has also been included in the university textbook "Ancient Chinese History" in the first volume.
If you are fortunate enough to come to Fanjian Road, Biyang County, Zhumadian City, Henan Province, and remember this uncompromising fighter in your heart, it is the greatest respect for him.
Resources:
The Biography of Nanshi Fan Zhen
Nanshi · Song Benji
Nanshi · Qi Benji
Nanshi · Liang Benji
The Biography of Liang Shu Fan Zhen
Book of Southern Qi · Prince Liang of Jinling
"Hirohiro Akiyoshi Volume 27"
Li Caiyuan," "Also Talking About the Age of Fan Filling's Publication of the Theory of Divine Annihilation"
Zhang Jian, "The Auxiliary Role of the Theory of The Immortality of God on the Secular Political Order: On Fan Jian's "Theory of The Annihilation of God""
Zhao Yunxi, "Outstanding Atheist - Fan Zhen"
Dun Songyuan"Fan Jian's Life Deeds Examination"
Pan Fuen Ma Tao's Commentary on Fan Zhen
Qing Shangzhuan," "A New Exploration of Fan Zhen's "Theory of Divine Annihilation" Thought"
Jian Xiuwei Xia Yihui, "A Preliminary Study on the Economy of Monastery Landlords in the Southern and Northern Dynasties"