Master Hongyi's Dharma Statue

Master Hongyi (1880~1942), commonly known as Li Shutong, also known as Li Xishuang, Li An, Li Liang, is also known as Wen Tao, his young name is Cheng Qi, his academic name is Guanghou, his name is Xi Shuang, and his nickname is Ringle; His ancestral home is Pinghu, Zhejiang, and he was born in Tianjin. One of the pioneers of Chinese drama, he has great attainments in music, calligraphy, painting and drama. After returning from studying abroad in Japan, he served as a teacher and editor. Later, he was shaved as a monk, and his name played music. His name was Hongyi, and his name was Wanqing Old Man.

"Tragic and joyful". When Master Hongyi wrote these words with his wonderful pen, which left countless works handed down from generation to generation, he looked back on his thirty-nine years of secular life and twenty-four years of seclusion. Perhaps only these four words can cover and contain his mood at this time! And behind the mage, there are so many different explanations of these four words, which once again daub a layer of mystery in his legendary and enigmatic life, making countless people who admire the mage guess, confuse and feel. In his heyday, the mage, who was once a dissolute young master and a famous person in China, resolutely converted to Buddhism and devoted himself to the practice of law, which enabled many secular disciples to explore the maze of life and follow the path of the mage's life and make permanent relief.

Death is something that no one can avoid and choose, because life is doomed to death, and how to choose their own way of life in the process of "living towards death", everyone has too much freedom. All living beings often feel at a loss between reality and detachment, and it is a new person in the world who can liberate himself by harmonizing the sublime detachment with the dull reality. Many people regard the life of a mage in the secular world and after becoming a monk as a complete opposition and can't understand it. In fact, his monastic behavior is the same as that in the secular world, and it is still a continuation of his loyalty to life and himself.

Master Hongyi was born in Tianjin in 1880. His common surname is Li and his name is Shutong. He was extremely intelligent when he was young. His father, a Buddhist at home scholar, died when Shutong was five years old. Perhaps it was his father's words and deeds that infected the young man, so that he became the first cause of his later seclusion. In the following three thousand years, Shutong, with his unique disposition and perception, devoted himself wholeheartedly to all the world events he has experienced, freely splashed his life, and poured all his enthusiasm into life, whether for his own country, his beloved art or his beloved confidant. The second year after Li Shutong got married in 1898, when Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao failed to reform, Li Shutong worshiped Kang Youwei very much and agreed with the reform. He once expressed his ambition with "Kang Jun in Nanhai is my teacher". This worship of people with political reform aspirations has penetrated his concern and love for the fate of the country, which can also be seen in the popular Song of the Motherland:

"For thousands of years, civilization has developed in one continuous line. It has spread over thousands of miles, and it enjoys natural benefits alone. China is the oldest country in the world, and its people are the great citizens of Asia. Whoa! Great citizens..., let me ride a lion across the Kunlun Mountains, and fly a crane across the Pacific Ocean. Who will hold a sword and wield a knife with me, whoa, great citizens, who will cheer for peace with me?"

How proud of being born and raised in this country! In the autumn of 1905, when he was young, he left a farewell to the motherland in the "Golden Witch", which was once again full of wine and poetry.

Pulse "Hate that Xu Ping has been wandering for many years. It's hard to look back. Twenty articles have shocked the whole world. After all, there is no empty talk! Listen to the howling of the black dragon at the bottom of the box, and you can't sleep in the cold wind all night long. How can Duqun students feel at ease? They are the motherland, and bear loneliness."

Among them, the sentence "Duqunsheng is not worthy of analysis" may be the revealing of his mind when he became a monk, and it is the feeling that he can't save himself after wandering around the world and tasting all kinds of human tastes. So I finally liberated myself from the world stirred by black paint, and looked through the world warmheartedly and coldly, so as to forget the world and explore myself.

For his favorite art, Li Shutong embodies this selfless spirit. As the founder of the first Chinese drama troupe, Chunliu Drama Club, Margaret, the heroine in the play "La Traviata" played by him, and Madame Aimeiliu, the heroine in the Japanese performance of "The Night Slave Calls to Heaven", left an unforgettable impression. In particular, the elegant and graceful character of the camellia girl he played made the audience moved and couldn't help running backstage to shake hands with her. As an artist, he is not only good at painting, but also one of the first people to introduce western oil painting in China. He works in sketch, watercolor, oil painting, Chinese painting and pattern design. As a musician, he combines lyricism, music composition and performance. His song "Farewell" is still popular in the north and south. "Outside the Changting Pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green all over the sky, the evening wind blows the willows, the flute is rustling, and the sunset is far away from the mountains. At the end of the world, at the corner of the earth, the acquaintances are half scattered, and one can enjoy the wine as much as possible. Tonight, I will say goodbye to the cold dream.". Among them, the charm makes many people who can't bear to leave. In addition, he is good at calligraphy, gold and stone. He has copied all the inscriptions on the steles, and even after becoming a monk and abandoning all arts, he has never given up calligraphy alone. He often gives others the Buddhist name of scriptures in calligraphy, and continues to enlighten the world with his art and understanding of Buddhism. Li Shutong also shows his true love for love. He loves his mother with human feelings, whether she is a happy girl or a foreign girl. He was extremely filial to his mother, because he thought that his mother was not his father's wife. He especially understood his mother's lonely and difficult feelings, and went south to Shanghai with his mother in order to give her a comfortable and peaceful environment to comfort her. Even after he became a monk, he tried to commemorate his mother's death. However, it was such a versatile, passionate, unrestrained and elegant young master who, after returning from Japan, shaved his hair, put on his cassock and officially left home on July 13, 1918, the lunar calendar, in Hangzhou's Hupao Daci Temple.

Li Shutong, who became a monk, was named Hongyi. From then on, his half life career of "peerless talent, peerless posture" came to an end. With bamboo sticks and sandals, he strictly adhered to the precepts, studied hard, and promoted widely. He became a generation of eminent monks of Zhongxing Nanshan Law School, which was respected by the Buddhist community.

Li Shutong reached the peak of art in his prime of life at the age of 39 with his unparalleled talent and supreme intelligence. But he will never be satisfied by it. He will explore into the most fundamental depth of life. In the final analysis, learning, literature and art are just the forms on which life exists. Even the body is the materialization of life, while property, descendants and love are just the extension of life. The ultimate goal of Master Hongyi is to explore the essence of life. The sufferings of all living beings were originally caused by greed and love. Love is the root of the bondage, and it is also the main reason for all the sufferings and uneasiness in the present and future. The meaning of love is very deep, and it is hard to get rid of like glue. Although there are various forms of love dye based on different objects, the various forms of love dye that can be attributed to the body, property, descendants, love, art and career are the world's ignorance of the realm of love, that is, "I have what I have". Because of the characteristics of love itself, there are infinite desires and infinite troubles. "What is self and what is self possession?" This is the question that Li Shutong is destined to ponder after experiencing the various forms of life love.

He first read an article about fasting in a Japanese magazine, and then read some articles about Neo Confucianism and Taoism, so he went to Hupao Daci Temple for fasting. In the first week, half starve and gradually reduce food intake; In the second week, I stopped eating and drank only spring water; The third week went against the order of the first week, and had been fasting for 17 days. He recorded in detail how he felt during his fasting period. During this period, he felt very cool and sensitive, and could hear what people could not hear. Realize what people cannot. After this experience, he began to feel that the joy here is the true joy of life, the joy of transcending all the human boundaries bound by greed in the world, to find himself and find his true self. Before becoming a monk, Master Hongyi gave the seals he used in his life to Xiling Seal Engravers' Society, distributed books, calligraphy and paintings, and clothes to several students, resolutely left the secular world, became a monk, cultivated a pure land, and studied disciplines. He regarded the common people's suffering as the greatest joy. This is the only way to explain why the Shutong, who came from a rich family, tasted all the beautiful things in the world and wandered around in the gentle and rich world for half a lifetime, finally broke the world's obsession. Once he entered Buddhism, he studied the precepts diligently and ended his life. Only in this way can it be explained that the brother-in-law, who used to be fond of love and affection for jade, could close the door when he went to visit his beloved wife who had been with him for ten years, which caused him to leave in tears. But at this time, Master Hongyi was no longer his old uncle. He was no longer tied to the love of the world. He was bent on Buddhism and obeyed the precepts.

Master Hongyi's Legacy Ink

After becoming a monk, Master Hongyi lived a very serious life and changed his appearance as a noble son. At first he repaired the Pure Land Sect, and later he repaired the Law Sect. The Law School is very strict, and we must strictly observe the precepts in every move. Every time Hongyi sits in the rattan chair, he should shake it. He is afraid that if he sits down suddenly, he will crush the insects in the rattan chair. He had personally served the famous Master Yinguang at that time, and witnessed the master's frugal life, which had a great impact on Hongyi. He also lived a very simple life. He often used other people's support for his Buddhist career as funding. His self esteem was very thin. When he traveled around, he used a tin rod and shoes, wore three clothes and a bowl, and sometimes carried his own luggage. He was completely an ascetic leader. He strictly abides by the rule of "no food for lunch". Sometimes he is short of medicine and living in poverty, so that his physique becomes very weak.

When Master Hongyi went to Zhejiang and Fujian to hang up a list or close the door in temples, he spent a lot of time collating Buddhist scriptures every time he went there, so as to revitalize Nanshan Buddhism. He integrated his cultivation of Buddhism into his daily mental interest. After becoming a monk, Master Hongyi, old friends and students often went to see him, as well as people who admired his reputation in the secular world, to see his style. However, the mage was thin, indifferent and determined, without the romantic mood of the day, and often smiled silently, without talking, which made many people who went to admire her very disappointed. I'm afraid this is the mentality of people who understand the Tao. They will not and cannot express it more after they understand it.

Many people who asked him for words and advice, Master Hongyi just wrote some of the most common and ordinary Buddha names, such as "Amitabha Nanwu". People always concentrate on practicing the law and strictly abiding by the rules. What's more, his teaching to people also starts from daily life, which is all mysterious for no reason. He treats everything with a common mind.

Master Kuan Yuan, who worshipped him as his teacher, has always followed Master Hongyi. He taught him how to learn culture, how to live in the world, how to be serious, and taught him many maxims. For example, "relax your belly and hold your feet", "discipline yourself with autumn spirit, and deal with life with spring wind"; "You must think for others in temporary affairs, and think about yourself first in terms of others"; "Be determined to be bitter, have fun, be magnanimous, and be cautious when speaking." Therefore, after becoming a monk, the mage was indifferent to people and things, did not plunder or get angry, and dealt with them calmly. He really achieved the "people are not expected to be arrogant" he taught people. He said to Master Kuanyuan, "There are three things that are hard to come by in life. First, China is hard to come by, second, Buddhism is hard to smell, and third, good teachers are hard to meet." Master Hongyi also explained this one by one, saying that China is a large country with a large population, vast territory, beautiful scenery, and a long history in the world. How happy it is to be a Chinese. The Dharma smells bad, but it means that being a monk is not to wear cassocks, even if you are converted to Buddhism. You must eliminate all distractions, adhere to the precepts, and study hard to attain the Tao and surpass all living beings. To learn Buddhism and attain the Tao, one must first acquire knowledge and understand the essence of Buddhist scriptures. To achieve this step, we need to use certain methods, which requires guidance and guidance from good teachers. This is what Master Hongyi learned from studying his life. Although his words are plain and simple, they are the middle way of life. It is the master's conscious awareness and self disciplining. Although it is for the disciples who become monks, but also for those who become famous, it has its own limitations. He not only taught the younger disciples in this way, but also the serious and noble character he first recognized in the process of becoming a monk was more than in the secular period, which was reflected in his words and deeds.

Since Master Hongyi had retreated from the busy world to the empty house, he had long ignored the fame. Therefore, during his practice, he tried to avoid worldly entertainment, especially making friends with officials. In 1937, Master Hongyi went to preach law at the request of Zhanshan Temple in Qingdao. There are three chapters before leaving: First, not to be a teacher; 2、 No welcome meeting; 3、 Don't make a name in the newspaper. In addition, in order to prevent people from picking up the ship, he specially changed to another ship temporarily. After arriving in Qingdao, in addition to talking about the law, I closed the door and thanked guests. One day, when the mayor of Qingdao visited, the mage refused to meet. The mayor invited him to Zhai, but he could not be invited. Master Hongyi wrote a verse of "Living together in the valley for monks is not suitable for a national feast" to thank the mayor for his hospitality.

When the Anti Japanese War broke out in 1937, the mage continued to follow the schedule despite the barrage of gunfire. In the winter of this year, the situation in Xiamen was tense. Everyone persuaded Master Hongyi to take refuge in the mainland, but he was determined not to leave Xiamen. He wrote a title for his room, "Sacrifice for the Church", and vowed to protect the Dharma of all temples. He would live and die together. In case of turmoil, he was willing to die for himself, and expressed his ambition with the poem "Never mind that the old garden looks pale in autumn, and still has the fragrance of yellow flowers in the evening". This kind of lofty and lofty integrity can also be seen in his poem entitled "Red Chrysanthemum" in the winter of 1941: "There is a branch of chrysanthemum in the pavilion, which stands high for the festival, and the clouds are so red that martyrdom should lead to bloodshed." He claimed that "when you recite Buddhism, you should not forget to save the country, and you must recite Buddhism to save the country." He also explained that "the Buddha, who is aware of the truth, can swear to sacrifice his life and sacrifice everything, work hard and save the country, so he must recite Buddhism to save the country". He unifies the understanding of body, family and country, and truly forgets all my world, explores myself, and does not look at the world from the standpoint of self, thus truly understanding the world and saving it. It can also be seen from this saying that his early enthusiasm for his motherland had melted into the devout preaching of Dharma, and his life and death were beyond his control.

In 1942, Master Hongyi felt that he would soon die. He wrote a letter to several friends like Xia Beggar Zun in advance about his death date, and then wrote the last words of "mixed sorrow and joy". At this time, his eyes were filled with tears.

In his life, whether he was a man or a monk, Master Hongyi poured his passion for life into the cause he loved and dedicated to, and consciously chose the way of life with extraordinary wisdom, so that his life transcended life and death in the process of life and death, made permanent relief, and achieved infinite purity.