Anbalism originated in the Southern Song Dynasty and was born out of Tiantai Sect of Buddhism. In the early days, there was a good honeymoon with the imperial court, and even some leaders took Rhizoma Atractylodis as a tribute and directly embarked on the high-end route. It's just that there were two great gods among the people at that time. One is Manichaeism, the famous Zoroastrianism, which preaches that god of light defeated the dark god and created the world. One is Maitreya. In the hearts of Maitreya's pregnant brothers and sisters, Maitreya, as the future Buddha, will replace Tathagata to save the working people living in dire straits. At that time, the two great gods were already a big Sect with many believers, and big news broke out from time to time, and uprisings and riots were commonplace. I don't know whether the White Lotus Sect borrowed from others, or whether the bosses like this new younger brother with unlimited potential, and why they always want to convey it to others, so that later researchers, that is, when we went to dig up documents, always had the illusion that the White Lotus Sect had developed for a long time, but it was actually Zoroastrianism and Maitreya Sect.

Although the White Lotus Sect lived peacefully with the government for quite a long time in the early days, it finally embarked on the road of rebellion by different routes under the flap of various butterfly wings. Especially since the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, who made a fortune by relying on the Anbaili uprising and knew its power, explicitly prohibited it. "The leader is distorted, and the followers each hold one hundred and flow for three thousand miles." This is not funny. The White Lotus Sect wanted to act in secret, and since then it has become a member of the legendary folk secret religion, which is difficult to appear in broad daylight, and the thing of dividing peaches in the past has ended.

However, the government's strict control is only an appearance, which essentially reflects the growing civil forces in the Ming Dynasty. There are too many reasons for this, including the prosperity of commodity economy and the development of civil culture in Ming Dynasty, and the large-scale drought, locust plague and plague caused by the untimely cold period. Ah, there are too many refugees who lost their land because of the landlord's crazy land annexation, and so on. This is really a hotbed for the development of folk secret religion. If we don't make good use of it, wouldn't it be a pity that Maitreya, the Ming emperor, had no mother? In this case, the government is still struggling to catch the white lotus believers there, and every time there is an uprising, it is quickly suppressed. If the symptoms are not cured, Bailian Sect will probably feel wronged. Do you blame me for not helping the government?

However, we can't underestimate the control of the government, and they can also play a role-after all, they directly promoted the birth of a large number of new sects that historians regard as An Baili sects. Luo religion, Huang Tian religion, Hongyang religion and Wenxiang religion are all the same. As soon as they were born, they immediately drew a clear line with the number one cult on the blacklist, such as the White Lotus Sect, changed their faces and became new folk upstarts. Even the lucky ones like Luo Pai were given preferential treatment and connivance by the Emperor Erwuyan, and they thrived as a weapon against the forces of the White Lotus Sect. Although I finally embarked on the old road of "all roads lead to the same goal" like the White Lotus Sect, I was also labeled by the government as "taboo in the name of the White Lotus Sect and practicing the White Lotus Sect", and decades of struggle were all wasted in this sentence.

Here, we can basically understand that Bailian Sect is not a villain who only wears a black trench coat from beginning to end, but in its long development history, it has had a lush life as pure as a small lotus flower, a blackening period when eyeliner flies to the temple, and a thousand-faced fox period with a vest of 3,000. Its interior is not monolithic, but you sing and I come on stage. Maitreya Wang Ming is called a brother, and he has no mother in his arms. Only you can't think of it, and you can't do it without it.

Daily life in the depths of the city: the traditional folk association behind An Baili's religion

Some people may ask, where is the charm of White Lotus? How can there be so much energy? But in fact, even if the literacy rate of the Ming people is more optimistic than that of the previous generation, can they read the words on the scroll? Can they understand the profound truth contained in the teachings born out of Buddhism and mixed with many religions? I'm afraid everything is difficult. Therefore, in the past, it was thought that Bailian religion used the teachings of Buddhism, Maitreya and Pure Land Sect to turn them into knowledge that ordinary people could understand, so as to attract a large number of ordinary people seeking spiritual sustenance to join the religion. This idea is likely to be problematic. This top-down presupposition itself is a manifestation of intellectual chauvinism, except that ordinary people are "stupid husbands and stupid women"

However, if we understand some traditional folk organizations and secret religious history, we will find that they have played a very important role in the development of religion in An Baili.

The so-called folk secret society, whether in the form of religious sects or social gangs, has a certain folk background. Even in a general sense, some folk sects are the same body of temple fairs, just replacing nature worship or local worship with the gods of a certain sect. The villagers will not reject this "functional god hodgepodge". On the contrary, "efficacy" is what they value more. If the new Sect God is more effective and Xiangtou can cure diseases and save lives, why not? This is not a serious conversion, but an invitation to the new god to enter the old home. Go and see the scene of civil fighting, that is the real eight million immortals sitting together in harmony! If religious factors are not considered for the time being, folk associations are actually self-help and mutual aid organizations. On a higher level, folk association is, to a great extent, the continuation of rural society as the basic unit of ancient China society. As the saying goes, mutual help and support in disease and health is the primary purpose of the association. So whether the government likes it or not, there is always a tradition of association among the people. Don't just look at religion. For example, YMCA visits daily farming, weddings, funerals and driving meetings. Isn't this all association?

What's more, it is often the marginal people, the old, the weak, the sick, the hooligans and the poor and bankrupt farmers who take the lead in communication. They can't get help from the government and clans in real life, so they have to unite and help each other through various forms of associations. Or take blood as an alliance to form quasi-kinship; Or worship three times and nine times to form a mentoring relationship; Or burn incense and kowtow, and be the parents and grandchildren of childless mothers together. It is in this form that White Lotus firmly controls these people.

You have come to a hell without doors: Why is the Anbaili Uprising so popular?

So why do these secret associations often end up on the road of rebellion? And there's always a lot of drama? If the charm of doctrine is not so great, is it because of the charisma of leaders?

Of course not. For example, if you are a poor peasant in a certain place in Henan, there is a sect thriving there. The head of the sect (or the head of a famous church or community) is very effective in seeing a doctor, and the congregation also helps each other. Better than you anyway. You are ill, so you have to go to the alley to see a doctor. When you are ready, will you join the benefactor's sect? You joined this sect, and you have brothers and sisters to share your difficulties. Although life is still very sad, it is better to have a helper together than nothing, isn't it? What's more, who doesn't want to contribute to the wedding? Now Xiangtou worships her childless mother, and she wants to call on us to get what we deserve. Won't you come with us? Maybe you are afraid, thinking about your youngest son at home, and dare not roll up your sleeves with you. What does Xiangtou think of you? Who will preside over your old mother's funeral after her death? Your child is very ill. Who will ask God to cure him? Of course, you dare not make this budding citron. This is the edge. Do you still want to be the edge of the edge?

Social leaders' control over local areas can be seen. Under such a collective group and control, the ties within the region are getting closer and closer. When disasters and famines came, the government suppressed them, and the spokesmen of childless mothers appealed, and these people flocked to respond. But what they support is not illusory ism, nor is it for money and power that can't fall on their heads at all, but for a mouthful of rice and water, in order to fight for a life with his boss's uncle Li and his sister Zhang.

Many white lotus uprisings recorded in history books are nothing more than this. White Lotus Sect is a selected prop, a used costume and a slogan with outstanding effect, but it is never the ultimate goal. In the muddleheaded world that drives people to death, the people who struggle, jump up and down, and strategize are not Maitreya, Wang Ming or his mother who saved people from fire and water, but all beings who push forward desperately for different purposes, although the road ahead is bright or dark, which is always unknown to them at that time.