Master Hongyi, a generation of eminent monks, commonly known as Li Shutong, is not only an extraordinary talented art educator, but also a master with "twenty articles that shocked the world". In many fields, it has pioneered the splendid culture and art of China. He pushed the art of calligraphy in ancient China to the extreme, "simple and perfect, as natural as nature". Modern cultural celebrities such as Lu Xun, Guo Moruo all regard it as a supreme honor to get a calligraphy by the master.
He was also the first pioneer to spread Western music to China. The " Farewell Song" he composed has been sung for decades and has become a classic song: Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green and the sky is green. . The evening breeze carries the faint sound of willow flutes, and the sun sets outside the mountains. At the end of the sky, in the corner of the earth, only a few close friends are scattered; a cup of turbid wine is all that's left to enjoy, don't sleep in the cold tonight. Outside the pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass reaches the sky. The evening breeze carries the faint sound of willow flutes, and the sun sets outside the mountains.
At the same time, he was also the first teacher in China to initiate nude sketching. Its outstanding artistic attainments have successively cultivated cultural celebrities such as the famous painter Feng Zikai and the musician Liu Zhiping.
Li Shutong, who "almost traveled all over the world of literature and art", later embarked on a legendary life path that was very different from the worldly view.
In 1918, Li Shutong went to Hupao Dinghui Temple in Hangzhou, escaped into Buddhism, and became a monk named "Yanyin" and "Hongyi". A once pure and excellent artist, after putting on hundred robes , he underwent profound changes from his concepts to his actions. He cut off all ties with the world and became detached from the outside world. He almost gave up all his artistic expertise. He listened to the morning bells and evening drums, and practiced the Zen philosophy of the Vinaya sect. From then on, The artist Li Shutong became the religious master Hongyi.
All arts are sparse, but Hong Yi could not give up on calligraphy. During his more than 60 years of life, Hong Yi had at least 50 years of calligraphy activities. Hongyi, who has cut off the worldly ties, no longer sees himself as an artist. As an art of calligraphy that "writes the heart", his ink marks are as quiet as water, calm and free. They are looking forward to the eternal state of a religious "big self" and creating "plain beauty". "The ultimate.
He devoted himself to the Buddha, did not eat after noon, studied Vinaya intensively, promoted Buddhism, and saved all sentient beings from the sea of suffering. He was regarded as the eleventh generation ancestor of the Vinaya sect by Buddhist disciples. He has left endless spiritual wealth for the world. His life is full of legend. He is a typical figure in China who is extremely gorgeous but ends in mediocrity.
Master Taixu once gave a verse: Imprinting the mind with teachings, tightening the body with discipline, making the inside and outside pure, which is the cause of Bodhi. Mr. Zhao Puchu commented on the life of master Hongyi as: Endless treasures are available to the eyes of the world, and a full moon shines in the heart.
From ancient times to the present, how many people have struggled with fame and fortune, and how many people have truly been indifferent to fame and fortune and looked at life with a smile? The legend of Mr. Li Shutong’s life lies in his extraordinary achievements in various fields, but also in his ability to surround people from the world. Seeing him in all kinds of splendor, he suddenly pulled away.
