Fu Yi
Encyclopedia
Fu I. AD 554-639. An official of the Sui dynasty
, who became Historiographer under the first Emperor of the Tang dynasty
. He presented a memorial asking that the Buddhist religion might be abolished; and when Hsiao Yu questioned him on the subject, he said, “You were not born in a hollow mulberry-tree; yet you respect a religion which does not recognize the tie between father and son!” He urged that at any rate priests and nuns should be compelled to marry and bring up families, and not escape from contributing their share to the revenue, adding that Hsiao Yu by defending their doctrines showed himself no better than they were. At this time Hsiao Yu held up his hands, and declared that hell was made for such men as Fu I. The result was that severe restrictions were placed for a short time upon teachers of Buddhism.
The Emperor Taizong of Tang
once got hold of a Tartar priest who could “charm people into unconsciousness, and then charm them back to life again,” and spoke of his powers to Fu I. The latter said confidently, “He will not be able to charm me;” and when put to the test, the priest completely failed. He was the originator of epitaphs, and wrote his won, as follows: --
Fu I loved the green hills and the white clouds.
Alas! He died of drink.
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
, who became Historiographer under the first Emperor of the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. He presented a memorial asking that the Buddhist religion might be abolished; and when Hsiao Yu questioned him on the subject, he said, “You were not born in a hollow mulberry-tree; yet you respect a religion which does not recognize the tie between father and son!” He urged that at any rate priests and nuns should be compelled to marry and bring up families, and not escape from contributing their share to the revenue, adding that Hsiao Yu by defending their doctrines showed himself no better than they were. At this time Hsiao Yu held up his hands, and declared that hell was made for such men as Fu I. The result was that severe restrictions were placed for a short time upon teachers of Buddhism.
The Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
once got hold of a Tartar priest who could “charm people into unconsciousness, and then charm them back to life again,” and spoke of his powers to Fu I. The latter said confidently, “He will not be able to charm me;” and when put to the test, the priest completely failed. He was the originator of epitaphs, and wrote his won, as follows: --
Fu I loved the green hills and the white clouds.
Alas! He died of drink.