There were occasions when Emperor Wu convened monks for doctrinal debates, citing the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra's teaching that "eating flesh cuts off the seed of compassion." Once one enters the monk's path, one must strictly observe the precepts; thus the harshest proscription against meat-eating in the world's Buddhism was enacted. Vegetarianism in Chinese Buddhism has deep historical roots, scriptural basis, popular acceptance, even imperial edicts, and the support of favourable natural conditions. In Tibet, however, the land is cold and barren, vegetation scarcely grows, so Buddhism there adapts to time and place and does not emphasize vegetarianism. How wondrous the world's ways are: the Buddha himself did not live as a vegetarian. He accepted whatever was given and had no choice—because the Buddha taught that renunciates should be content with what food is received and must not be fastidious. After Buddhism reached our Middle Kingdom and developed for over seven hundred years, by the Tang it had come to be labeled by people as the religion that "does not eat meat." Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, strictly kept his vow: he wore a hemp cap, dressed in plain cloth, went barefoot in straw sandals, and ate only coarse rice and bean broth. Yet ultimately, through his pious devotion to Buddhism, he both realized and ruined himself—becoming the pious emperor who presided over the fall of a realm.
Murong Gui was startled and said:"Lord Wu Tong is learned and widely read—Black Dragon Sect admires this. But Reverend Weiyan and his four captains have already taken up the monk's robes; why trouble men who have left the world?"
Abbot Benjue of Shaolin then spoke aloud:"Amitābha! Chinese Buddhism differs from other lands; our ordained are especially strict. Once one has taken the tonsure, eating meat violates the compassionate tenet of the Dharma."
Great Dharma Lord Aros of the Nestorian Church said:"In our Nestorian, Manichaean, and Zoroastrian orders the monks too abstain from meat; we have incorporated it into our rules."
Dharma King Li Rui of the Manichaeans said:"If one does not honour the precepts, how can one be a monk?"
Zoroastrian Fire-King Zhao Ke said:"How could a monk eat meat and still face the people with a clear conscience?"
Liu Xuan, head of the Celestial Sect, declared:"Only by practising according to the precepts is one a true renunciate. If a monk breaks the Bodhisattva precepts and eats meat, how can he protect and sustain the Dharma?"
Wu Tong then spoke aloud:"As Lord of the Loyalty Hall I dare not talk proudly, but justice in the jianghu falls to me. If the matter truly rests with Abbot Weiyan of Fahua Temple, then the Loyalty Hall will not shirk its duty: if these men are guilty of slaughtering the Wang household, we shall not spare them. The Wang heirs wish to slay this demon—Master Murong, I beg you, do not obstruct them!"
Murong Gui sneered:"Lord Wu Tong speaks grandly! But this is not your decision alone to make."
Wu Tong smiled calmly:"My concern is the common folk and the righteousness of the martial world. The Loyalty Hall's character is to uphold justice and root out tyranny. We ask only whether the act is right; whether it succeeds is another matter—we must do our utmost." His words landed like heavy blows; the crowd felt moved by his noble bearing and respected him. The assembly cried aloud:"Life for life!" "Fight to the death!" "Life for life!" "Fight to the death!"
At that moment a youth stepped forward—Wang Yun. He bowed to Murong Gui and said:"I am Wang Yun. Burdened with the Wang family's blood debt, I was fortunate to be taken as a disciple by Master One-Leaf. This hatred will never fade. Unless I avenge it, I will not be a man. After ten years of bitter training I have come to settle my parents' blood. No matter how these men slander or plead, I seek nothing else. I ask only that Master Murong put himself in my place and allow no other's hand to do what I must do. If my skill fails and I die, then I will have only myself to blame. I seek nothing more—let Wang Yun fight the murderer who destroyed my family!"
Murong Gui, seeing the crowd's fury, shuddered and said:"So you would stand one against five?"
Wang Yun bowed again and replied:"Master Murong, I beg you to grant this one wish: let me avenge my parents."
Facing the multitude's wrath, Murong Gui found he could no longer hold his ground.
Wu Tong, a man versed in letters and learning yet not immune to doubt, grew grave and said:"Zixia asked Confucius: 'When one sits upon a parent's vengeance, what should one do?' The Master said: 'Lie on straw and sleep on a mat, do not serve the world, do not share the realm. Encountering the marketplace, do not meet weapons with weapons.' Master Murong, say no more."
Murong Gui opened his mouth to argue further, but all the heroes cried out in passion:"Life for life!" "Fight to the death!"—a wave after wave of outrage rose like the tide. After all, the eleven-person massacre of the Wang household was an inhuman atrocity that shocked the senses.
Murong Gui sighed, looking toward Abbot Weiyan and the four captains of Fahua Temple:"Reverend Weiyan, I have tried to mediate. But the Wang household's massacre, the orphan's vow, and the assembled heroes' fury—this is beyond my power to stop. If the orphan chooses to fight five men to the death, Black Dragon Sect will be a spectator."
Abbot Weiyan and the four captains stood stunned for a moment. Abbot Weiyan finally said:"What will be, will be."
The four captains exchanged glances and were speechless. Then Shixin, one of the four, pressed his palms together and intoned:"Amitābha—today, on the day the Fahua bell is consecrated, I beg the warriors to put down hatred and attain Buddhahood on the spot." Yet even as he spoke, they feigned innocence while knowing full well the truth.
Judge-pen Li Yan spoke coldly:"Even if you shave your heads and become monks, life for life—Heaven and Earth must be satisfied!"
Judge-blade Sun Tian also said in a chill tone:"Do not play tricks. When you slaughtered the Wang household that night, did you consider all the innocent lives? You are men guilty of the Ten Evils. Even if you later train in virtue, you must face a duel. Come—Wang Yun awaits you!"
Chief Judge Cui of the Judgment Sect, decisive and clear-sighted, judged friend from fiend. Seeing the moment ripe, he proclaimed:"There is one quarter-hour until the duel. At noon the two sides will decide life and death. After this duel, all grievances will be wiped clean."
For Wang Yun there was no other way. Under the pressure of competing forces, this was his best chance. Ten years he had borne his family's blood hatred; a gentleman's revenge is not late after ten years. Skill repays the diligent—Wang Yun had trained for this day. Though he stood alone physically, many heroes of the jianghu offered aid. He had trained in the wilds for a decade to wash away this hatred. What more could he ask? He sought justice and would take it if heaven allowed.
"Life for life"—such is the jianghu. Abbot Weiyan and the four captains' hands were wet with blood; what compassion could be claimed? "Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha" — to many, such a phrase suggests that no matter the past crime, a single turn of heart can make one good. But at the Wang household's public trial no one agreed. Even if Reverend Weiyan and his captains renounced the blade and devoted ten years to charity, they could not erase the brutal fact that eleven were slaughtered that night. If repentance and the tonsure could instantly make one a Buddha, then there would be no justice in the world.