Recently, there was a calligraphy hanging in the study: "Contentment is always happy." Master Hongyi's calligraphy is plain and natural, simple and pure, and has a feeling of returning to nature, which makes people feel calm and peaceful.
Master Hongyi is an eminent monk of the Vinaya sect of modern Buddhism. He is exquisite in Buddhism and full of virtue and wisdom. When he was young, he was a famous writer, art educator, calligrapher and drama activist, and he was famous.
From a generation of talented scholars full of knowledge to a monk who has always been with the Han Deng Ancient Buddha, people feel the impermanence of life and at the same time, they can't help but wonder about the reasons behind such a huge change in the life of this legendary monk.
01 A genius boy from a well-known family
Master Hongyi, whose common name is Li Shutong, was born into a wealthy family. He lost his father when he was young. When he was young, he wrote such sentences as "Life is like the sun on the west mountain, and wealth is like frost on grass." It is amazing and he is called a young genius.
Li Shutong was born in 1880, one year older than Lu Xun, but his family background was much better than Lu Xun's. He received a good education since he was a child and studied with famous teachers. He received the best education from the Chinese Four Books and Five Classics to Western music and painting. He also had a wide range of hobbies, from literature to art, and was proficient in Chinese and Western culture. He was rich in economics, especially in literature and art, and had unusual talent.
Li Shutong was good at calligraphy, music, poetry, painting, epigraphy, oil painting, piano, comedy, and drama. He was famous for his integration of various martial arts.
For example, the song "Farewell" that we are familiar with, "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green and green..." is the song written by Master Hongyi.
It can be said that Li Shutong in the first half of his life was a rare all-rounder who combined literary talent in various fields.
02 The famous bohemian talented man
Li Shutong, who was born into a wealthy family, had no worries about food and clothing. When he was young, he was keen on poetry, wine and romance, indulged in sex, and played games in the world, just like a "dandy". At the same time, in the early 20th century when the political situation was turbulent and revolution was surging, he was also worried about the country and the people.
Since the age of 15, he has been hanging around theaters and brothels, reciting poems and composing music, and has become quite famous. He looks like a rich and famous person. At the age of 26, he traveled to Japan and studied painting at Tokyo Art School. also showed outstanding talent in the field of painting and loved oil painting. His modern oil paintings were earlier than those of his contemporaries, such as Liu Haisu. His Japanese female model eventually became his wife and followed him back to China.
After the Revolution of 1911, Li Shutong's family fell into poverty and he came to Zhejiang Normal School to teach music and painting. He maximized his strengths and talents and set many precedents in domestic art and music education. The picture below is a photo of Li Shutong when he was a teacher in Zhejiang.
Li Shutong had contacts with many famous figures at that time, such as Huang Yanpei, Cai Yuanpei, Liu Yazi, Xia Chuzun, Xu Beihong, Wu Changshuo, etc. He also trained famous disciples such as Feng Zikai. From the perspective of a talented scholar, Li Shutong was undoubtedly extremely successful.
03The monk who saw through the mortal world
Due to the influence of his mother, Li Shutong was required to read Buddhist scriptures from a very young age. This may be the first time he became associated with Buddhism. Before becoming a monk, there were no symptoms.
As his family fell into decline, Li Shutong worked as a music and art teacher in Zhejiang and settled down. Friends found that his clothes had a Buddhist flavor. For example, his friend Xia Chuzun, a famous educator and publisher, noticed when he came to see him. He wore Haiqing (the traditional attire of Buddhist laymen) and long hair every day. He felt that it did not match this elegant and talented man, so he joked that he might as well just become a monk. Unexpectedly, his words came true. What his friends didn't know was that Li Shutong had been thinking about becoming a monk for a long time, and he had already begun to eat vegetarian food, meditate, and occasionally fast.
In August 1918, 39-year-old Li Shutong was officially ordained and became a monk at Hupao Temple in Zhejiang Province. He became a monk under the name of Master Hongyi and was completely cut off from the first half of his life.Some time before he became a monk, Li Shutong arranged his affairs properly, such as the lives of his wife and children, so that they would have no worries.
After Li Shutong became a monk, his wife brought their children to kowtow to each other, but Master Hongyi refused to see her. The son cried and said, since you can't fulfill your responsibilities as a father, why did you give birth to us? His wife even knelt in the snow and said softly: "You are compassionate to the world, why do you hurt me alone?" Facing his wife's soul inquiry, Master Hongyi did not answer and turned around to leave. Maybe in Master Hongyi's heart, he only has the pursuit of Buddhism.
There are different opinions about the reason why Li Shutong became a monk. His disciples believe that he advanced from the pursuit of art to the pursuit of religion, his friends think that he has a deep connection with Buddhism, and the world thinks that he saw through the world in troubled times. The real reason may only be known to Master Hongyi himself.
But one thing that is confirmed is that the troubled times have lost a handsome young man, and Buddhism has gained an enlightened monk.
04The "Intersection of Sorrow and Joy" of a First-generation Vinaya Master
In Nan Huaijin's articles, Master Hongyi's deeds were mentioned many times, saying that he was superb in Buddhism, very wise, had the virtues of a Buddhist monk, and was very strict in observing the precepts.
Master Hongyi is the eleventh generation ancestor of the Vinaya sect in mainland China. He abides by the clear rules and precepts of Buddhism, devotes himself to studying the Vinaya sect and Buddhism, writes books and expounds the Dharma, and makes his own characteristics from the Buddhist Vinaya classics and thoughts. In order to promote the Vinaya, Master Hongyi studied " Four-point Vinaya " and spent 4 years to write "Bhikkhu Rongxiang Biaoji of Four-fen Vinaya". This book and "A Brief Introduction to Nanshan Law at Home" written by him in his later years are two masterpieces carefully written to promote Buddhism.
From the time he became a monk in 1918 to his death in 1942, he traveled to various places to promote Buddhism and taught people to be kind by his own example for 25 years. He became a highly respected Vinaya master in the modern Buddhist world and a well-known eminent monk in the Buddhist world at home and abroad.
In 1942, the 63-year-old Master Hongyi passed away peacefully, leaving behind the words "a mixture of sorrow and joy" for the world.
Looking back on the life of Master Hong Yi, he has made remarkable achievements in art, literature, and Buddhism. He was prosperous for half of his life and poor for the other half. From a handsome young man to a Buddhist monk who saw through the world of mortals, the turning points and legends of his life make people sigh. The so-called "life is like a dream and a play", and "the rolling red dust, the dusty past" is nothing more than this.
From the natural purity of "Hong Yi Yi" calligraphy, we can imagine: Under the ancient Buddha with green lanterns, amidst the sound of morning bells and evening drums, in addition to the persistent pursuit of Buddhism, are there memories and insights about the past that linger in Master Hong Yi's heart? When he wrote the words "sadness and joy" before his death, what was "sadness"? What is "happy"?
For us readers, when we read history, literature, and biographies, what exactly are we reading?
I think that one of the purposes of "reading thousands of books" is the same as "traveling thousands of miles". One of the purposes is to increase our life experience and experience. Life is only a hundred years, and we cannot change the length. What we can do is to increase the breadth and depth of life, to experience the joys, sorrows, joys and life choices of millions of people, thereby affecting us and the people around us, thinking about what kind of people we want to be and what kind of life we want to achieve.
The author of this article is Sun Yangzheng, which comes from the public account "Thinker's Notes" (ID: SXZzhaji)
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