Evolution and Origins of Li Shimin's Policy of Suppressing Buddhism
After the pacification of Luoyang in the fourth year of Wude,Li Shimin petitioned the emperor to relocate two hundred senior monks from Luoyang to Tongzhou and Huazhou,so that these monks could avoid resuming secular life.He also placed the"Five Great Monks"at Shengguang Temple,and with Shengguang Temple and Hongyi Palace as the center,in the mid to late period of the Wude,he actively competed with Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji for the support of the Chang'an monk group and its followers.After the Xuanwu Gate Incident,he ordered the cessation of the impe-rial edict issued by Li Yuan in the ninth year of the Wude to abolish and reduce temples and monks,earning the praise of the monk group for"the sun of Buddhism shining back on the world of the Tang Dynasty.".After ascending to the throne,he issued an edict to establish seven temples on seven bat-tlefields,and on the other hand,to eliminate impersonated and redundant monks and nuns,and se-verely punish those who privately tonsured monks and nuns.During the serious illness of Empress Zhangsun in the ninth and tenth years of the Zhenguan,he also repaired over 300 abandoned temples and partially abandoned Taoist temples nationwide,praying for her blessings.However,the recon-struction work of abandoned temples did not continue thereafter.In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan,he issued an edict mandating that Taoism be revered,followed by Buddhism.His shift from protecting Buddhism to suppressing it is quite similar to Li Yuan,but his policy of suppressing Buddhism is relatively plain and moderate.
Wude periodLuoyang senior monkZhenguan periodseven templesrestoration of abandoned temples
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