The Ministry of Internal Affairs was a unique institution of the Qing Dynasty, with up to 3,000 officials specializing in the management of royal affairs, so the people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were usually relatively wealthy, and Liu Shoumian was the only son of the Liu family in the capital Guangdong, belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose ancestors had also been responsible for overseas trade in Guangdong.
Since it was the Liu family that passed to Liu Shoumian, there was only one male liu Shoumian, so Liu Shoumian naturally inherited all the property of his father and uncle, and half of Beijing's Xizhimen Street was his family's property.
Liu Shoumian eats and drinks without worry, but he is not a clumsy disciple, he has great kindness, especially sympathy for the poor, often helps and helps others, has the title of "Liu Dashanren", and Liu Shoumian also has a great influence on Lao She.
Lao She's ancestors were once the guards of the Liu family, but when Lao She was born, the Lao She family and the Liu family had little contact, and in 1900, After Lao She's father died in Beijing after the Eight-Nation Alliance army entered Beijing, the whole family relied on her mother to wash clothes for people and do work, and it was difficult to live.
Because the family is poor, Lao She is still illiterate when he is 9 years old, and his mother thinks that it is not a problem, but who can she borrow money from? But it happened that this year, Liu Shoumian entered the Lao She family, he knew the difficulties of the Lao She family, and then funded all the tuition fees of the Old She, and since then, the Old She has often run to the Liu family compound to play.
Lao She also witnessed Liu Shoumian's charity, Liu Shoumian is not good at managing wealth, but he will run a porridge factory, lend money, run a righteous school, etc. Some people have a bad heart, they will cheat Liu Shoumian's money, but Liu Shoumian does not care, all day long happy, as a result, by the time Lao She graduated from middle school, Liu Shoumian has already scattered his family wealth.
Although some people say that Liu Shoumian is a loser, but more people remember Liu Shoumian's goodness, but the heavens are unfair, Liu Shoumian's only son died unexpectedly, Liu Shoumian's white-haired people sent black-haired people, the heart is naturally sad, and then in 1925 escaped into the Buddhist Gate, the legal name "Zongyue", Liu Shoumian's wife and daughter in the chaotic world has long been cut into a nun, looking down on the mundane.
However, Liu Shoumian did not stop his good deeds because of this, not to mention "I am a Buddha and mercy", without money, Master Zong Yue can also contribute, after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Master Zong Yue actively supported the anti-Japanese actions of the Chinese military and people.
After the fall of Beijing, the Japanese wanted to win over Master Zongyue and ask him to join the Buddhist Society of the Japanese and puppet organizations, but Master Zongyue sternly refused, and at the same time, Master Zongyue also actively organized relief, leading dozens of monks and a small number of young laymen to bury the remains of Chinese soldiers and civilians.
Even if the Japanese were ashamed and angry and arrested him, Master Zongyue did not agree, because master Zongyue's influence was not small, the Japanese were forced to release Master Zongyue under pressure, and Master Zongyue still took people to bury the body, after more than a month, they buried all the corpses, during which Master Zongyue also found the remains of The Japanese soldiers, but he did not stand idly by and buried the bodies of the Japanese.
In 1939, Master Zongyue passed away, and it is said that after his body was cremated, he left a lot of relics, and on the day of the funeral, half of the poor people in the capital also automatically went to the funeral for Master Zongyue.
Master Zong Yue's kindness gave Lao She a great shock, and also let Lao She embark on the road of charity, and Lao She later wrote in prose:
"Without him, I probably wouldn't have enrolled in school for the rest of my life."
Without him, I might never have remembered
What fun and meaning is there to help others.
Did he really become a Buddha? I do not know.
However, I do believe that his intentions and words and deeds are similar to those of the Buddha. ”