Complete Notes on the Song Dynasty: Volume 2. Eight

Author: Zhu Yian, Fu Xuanzong, et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
He went to Suzhou, starting with the imperial decree to establish the Craftsmanship Bureau, and then supervised the transportation of timber, stone, and colored materials. He then moved to Xiu State, repeatedly defeating the enemy forces, pursuing them to Bangyuan Cave, where over 200,000 enemies remained and fought fiercely with the imperial troops before retreating into deep caves, forming three hideouts. None of the generals knew how to enter. King Huizong of Han, Shi Zhong, served as a subordinate to Wang Yuan at the time. He secretly traversed the ravines and valleys, inquired about a path from a local woman, and bravely advanced through multiple dangerous terrains, fighting his way into the cave, killing dozens of enemies, and capturing La to lead him out. Subsequently, he seized La’s family, seals, and other followers, causing his faction to collapse. Over the course of his rebellion, hundreds of millions of lives were lost, and Jiangnan suffered devastation, reduced to less than one-tenth of its former prosperity. By the time of the Southern Song’s retreat south, the expenses were immense, and the treasury was exhausted, unable to sustain itself. Without La’s chaos, the regions of Jianghuai and the two Zhejiang provinces would have been prosperous, and perhaps the Southern Song could have used these resources for recovery. Who could have known? Alas, La’s destruction is truly lamentable! But who caused this? Bo Zhaiweng’s records of banditry were not yet known, so King Huizong was omitted. Moreover, many officials were still in office, and the La faction’s secret plots were too extensive to be fully documented. I have therefore exposed these events to warn future officials governing the people.
The practice of eating vegetables and magic was strictly forbidden. Those who violated it, even if their families were unaware, would be exiled to distant lands, with half their property confiscated and the rest seized by the state. Recently, however, more people have engaged in this practice, starting in Fujian and spreading to Wenzhou, then to the two Zhejiang provinces. During the chaos of Fang La’s rebellion in Muzhou, his followers incited unrest everywhere. They forbade the consumption of meat and wine, disrespected gods, Buddha, and ancestors, and refused to host guests. Upon death, they practiced simple burials. Fang La himself, however, wore full attire, and his followers had two men sit beside the corpse. One asked, "Did you wear a hat when you came?" The answer was, "No." So he removed the hat. Next, he asked about clothing, and the clothing was also removed, until nothing remained. Then he asked, "What did you bring?" The reply was, "A bundle of clothes." So they wrapped the corpse in a cloth bag, claiming it would bring wealth later. The ignorant, unaware that abstaining from meat, wine, and lavish funerals could accumulate wealth, joined his faction. The poor were often helped by the group, gradually improving their lives. Whenever they passed through, they were welcomed without prior acquaintance, as if they were family, leading to the saying "no obstacles in being together." Thus, they lured more followers. The leader was called the "Demon King," and his deputy the "Demon Queen," each with their own methods of persuasion. Every morning, followers would burn incense at the Demon King’s residence with four dozen coins, while the Demon Queen collected the money and deposited it with the Demon King, claiming to earn immense wealth annually. They also recited the Diamond Sutra, taking "seeing me with form is the path of evil" to mean they should not worship gods or Buddha but instead venerate the sun and moon as the true Buddha. Their teachings were absurd, such as altering the phrase "All this Dharma is equal, without high or low" to "There is no high or low," often distorting scriptures to fit their beliefs. They called the Demon King "Ma" (hemp), referring to the leader as "Ma Huang" (hemp yellow), possibly to hide his name. When initiating followers, they made them swear heavily, yet they dared not mention "Jiao" (Jiao), the name of their ancestor Zhang Jiao, even though he had died in boiling oil.
It was said that He Zhizhong, who served as an official in Taizhou, encountered followers of this cult, but after lengthy investigations, he could not uncover the truth. Someone suggested that a person from Longquan in Huizhou, where many followers were from, could discern their lies and thoroughly investigate them. When interrogating over a hundred items, he recognized all but one—a ram’s horn—leaving the others unnamed. Thus, he concluded the case. Practices like disrespecting ancestors and funerals had already harmed customs, but they also preached that life was suffering and that killing could save people, calling it "saving others" (duorén). The more people they saved, the more likely they would become Buddhas. Once their numbers grew, they seized the chaos to kill, causing great harm. They especially loathed Buddhism, likely because it opposed their practice of killing. However, due to strict prohibitions, few reported them. When investigations spread, families were confiscated and exiled, treated as if they had died. Officials in prefectures and counties were afraid to act, leading to the cult’s proliferation.
P237-238