However, a major rebellion erupted when the Sui Dynasty, led by Yang Jian, invaded the north and destroyed the Liang Dynasty. In this war, the Shaolin side supported the Liang Emperor Wu Ti. Therefore, when the Liang Dynasty was defeated, the new Sui Dynasty destroyed all Buddhist monasteries, and Shaolin Temple was also destroyed. The Shaolin Sect disciples and warriors who managed to escape scattered, while the monk fled to hide or meditate on mountaintops and in secluded places.
However, because the Shaolin Sect warriors had spread their valiant and good deeds everywhere, Emperor Yang Jian finally pardoned them and even allowed the Shaolin Temple to be rebuilt.
Until Emperor Yang Jian was succeeded by his son, Emperor Yang Ti, the situation in Shaolin remained good, although Emperor Yang Ti favored the Taoist monks of the Taoist religion (Taoism) over Buddhism.
A kind of hostility had long existed between Buddhist and Tao religious figures. This arose from a kind of rivalry and jealousy. If the emperor's government approached Buddhism, the Taoist monk would feel jealous, conversely, if the emperor approached the Taoist monks, the Buddhist monks would feel jealous and unhappy.
Jealousy is a mental illness that arises, leading to the emphasis and importance of the self. This mindset creates an exaggerated sense of self, making it so important that if it is ignored, feelings of envy and disappointment arise. We have become so selfish, always prioritizing ourselves, that we try to monopolize everything that is pleasant and good, and to keep it all for ourselves.
Even the The All-Just God's His justice wants to be monopolized by us, so that it is only for us, for our benefit and pleasure. Likewise, the love of the All-Loving One also us to be monopolized. Because every individual has their own selfish tendencies, it is not surprising that this world is full of personal enmities, enmities between families, between groups, between tribes, and between nations. These interests collide and give rise to conflict.
Enmity always breeds revenge. When Shaolin Sect was attacked by the emperor and the government, not only the general and commanders attacked Shaolin Temple, but also master from the Tao religion, namely the Taoist master who assisted the government.
Therefore, when the government leaned toward the monk, it was the taoist turn to be the enemy! Endless resentment seems to have become human nature. Only ourselves are able to remove it from ourselves.
Now the situation had changed again. Seeing how the canal construction had cost the common people so much, causing misery through forced labor by local officials, through flattery and corruption, many Shaolin Sect warriors became unhappy. Opposition began to emerge from the Shaolin Temple side. The Shaolin Sect warriors clashed with the implementers of the people's labor gathering. Fights broke out everywhere between the implementers, who had their own champions, and the Shaolin Sect warriors. Naturally, this reached the officials, and resentment began to grow toward Shaolin Temple.
This was a perfect opportunity for the monks' rivals, the taoist. The Taoist monk, who had previously felt marginalized by the close relationship between the monks and the government, now saw a perfect opportunity to advance. They attempted to widen the gap between the government and the Shaolin Temple faction. Some incited the rebellion, while many assisted the government in confronting the Shaolin Sect warriors.
The intervention of these taoist naturally intensified the conflict between the monks and Shaolin Sect warriors and the government, resulting in frequent large-scale clashes that resulted in numerous casualties, especially among government troops. This reached his superiors. The Emperor, who heard reports that the Shaolin Sect people were opposing the government's policy of building a large canal, even attacking the implementers of the major project, was naturally enraged. Emperor Yang Ti ordered the punishment of Shaolin Sect, the extermination of those who rebelled, and the destruction of the large Shaolin temple, which had been built with the assistance of the palace.
The Shaolin authorities were aware of the dire situation, and that morning, the Shaolin Sect leaders gathered at the temple. It was a quiet and tense morning, as the Shaolin Sect disciples had arrived bearing some disappointing news.
The Shaolin Temple was indeed vast. It was surrounded by thick, high walls like a fortress. The front gate was large and thick, always guarded by temple disciples. Within the spacious interior were various buildings, and quite a number of them. At that time, the Shaolin Sect disciples who had been living in the temple area and had come there flocked up a small hill within the temple complex.
The small hill was not very high, but at its summit stood a small building. This was where the highest leader of the Shaolin Temple resided, and he was also the highest-ranking figure in the Shaolin Sect in general.
The tiny hut turned out to have no rooms; it was a large, open space. Two elderly monks were seated on a round couch, cross-legged, facing each other. They were elderly, certainly at least seventy years old. One was tall and thin, dressed in a yellow robe. His face was as clean as his head, devoid of any hair. His face and eyes were often downcast, but a firmness could be seen in his eyes and in the lines along the edges of his mouth, chin, and eyes. He is the leader of Shaolin Sect at that time, a monk who had studied religion in India and had also inherited the martial arts from Shaolin Sect. His nickname was Thian Cu Monk, and he was renowned as an honest, just, and firm leader, and was respected by all the disciples of Shaolin Sect.
Because he felt older and preferred meditation, for nearly two years, Thian Cu Monk had barely interfered with matters outside the temple. He only meditated in his room and only left when he felt the need to provide religious instruction to his students. Occasionally, when he was feeling happy, he would observe the students practicing martial arts in the martial arts training room and give guidance to some students whose movements were not quite perfect.
However, over the past few days, Thian Cu Monk had received a visitor, a monk of the same age as him. This monk was his senior brother and a Buddhist monk who traveled extensively to spread Buddhism. Due to living outside for too long, his skin had darkened, and he was nicknamed Black-Faced Monk because his face was so dark, sun burned during his years in the northern desert.
He had spent decades deepening his knowledge in India, Nepal, and the Himalaya. It was in this last place that he met Thian Cu Monk and learned together from a powerful ascetic, making Black Faced Monk consider as senior brother of the Shaolin Sect leader.
Thian Cu Monk was overjoyed to receive his senior brother's visit, and they chatted for several days, not only about the development of Buddhism but also about the unrest among the people due to the forced labor of digging canals.
"How could Pin-ceng's heart not be troubled, Senior brother? Even though Pin-ceng has not left the temple for a long time, many reports from my disciples tell of the suffering of the common people due to the government's efforts to dig a large canal between the Yellow River and Yangtse River.
Like it or not, the Shaolin Sect disciples had to protect the common people, and as a result, clashes often broke out with government officials who were recruiting people's labor. These were not small clashes, but even battles with casualties on both sides. This truly worries Pin-ceng, Senior brother" said Thian Cu Monk, complaining about the conflict.
*Pin-ceng = humble self, the way of buddhist monk to call himself