preface
On August 19, 1918, the thirteenth day of the seventh lunar month, Li Shutong held a shaving ceremony at the Hupao Daci Temple in Hangzhou, and officially became a monk, with the legal name of Hongyi.
This year, Li Shutong was 39 years old.
The news of Li Shutong's renunciation in the West Lake spread from Hangzhou throughout the country, and even spread at home and abroad, becoming a mysterious topic discussed and explored by countless people: the mercurial, versatile, and one of the pioneers of modern art, why should he be willing to take refuge in the Three Jewels.
To this question, his student once asked him, "Teacher, why did you become a monk?" Uncle Li said lightly, "Do nothing." ”
The student asked, "How about throwing flesh and blood?" "Meaning, are you willing to abandon your wife and children?" Li Shutong did not answer, he looked out the window, looked at the raindrops, his heart was as calm as water, he said quietly: Personnel is impermanent.
He has been known as a prodigy since childhood
There is no doubt that Li Shutong is a genius, Zhang Ailing once said: Don't think that I am an arrogant person, I have never been, at least, outside the walls of Master Hongyi's monastery, I am so humble.
His talent is not just talking, and he is a generalist, writing poetry, writing articles, painting, calligraphy, omnipotent, and learning chinese and Western, playing piano, acting drama proficiently, coupled with his handsome appearance, the so-called talent with beauty, Li Shutong can get the hearts of countless young girls, reasonable.
Li Shutong was born in the sixth year of Guangxu, that is, the twentieth day of the ninth lunar month in 1880, his father was Li Shizhen, a famous businessman in Tianjin, it is said that when he was born, a magpie came to the delivery room with a pine branch, everyone thought that this was Xiangrui, and finally this pine branch was always taken by Li Shutong.
Because of the family's belief in Buddhism, Li Shutong was often taught by his father when he was a child to recite the "Great Compassion Mantra", Li Shutong was not yet 6 years old, he already knew a lot of words, and could read some simple books. For example, "Hundred Filial Pieties" and "Aphorisms", when he was 12 years old, Li Shutong studied with his brother, and was strictly educated by his family and completed his "homework" on time, which had a very profound impact on Li Shutong's future knowledge.
It is worth noting that it may be very difficult for a 6-year-old child to read the Anthology, not to mention that in the old society at that time, when he was 12 years old, he had begun to practice the calligraphy of many people, especially the lyrics, which was simply amazing, and he was called: prodigy.
Life is like the day of the western mountains, and wealth is like frost on the grass. This famous poem is from the hand of Li Shutong, who is in his 10s. At the age of 17, Li Shutong followed the Tianjin celebrity Zhao Youmei to formally learn poetry, in the eyes of the teacher, Li Shutong's favorite is Wang Wei's poetry, and Li Shutong wrote every sentence with great accuracy, and even the teacher admired him very much.
During this time, Li Shutong began to learn seal engraving, until the age of 18, his brother took out 300,000 yuan from the family property to Li Shutong, for Li Shutong's family, at that time this number was an astronomical number, he spent a huge amount of money to buy a piano, began to learn music and composition, his talent was opened again.
Figure | Pentagram variation
At the behest of his mother, Li Shutong married the daughter of a tea merchant, but Li Shutong did not have much yearning for love, and heard that Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao held a restoration and change of law, and Li Shutong, who had always been concerned about major state affairs, expressed his support for the reform of the law by engraving a seal, but after the failure of the change of law, Li Shutong was rumored to be a party.
In desperation, Li Shutong came to Shanghai with his wife and rented a house with the remaining 300,000 savings, because his family had a money house in Shanghai, he could withdraw money at will as a shaodong family, and he was an authentic rich second generation, that is, because of his talent, he met many famous people in Shanghai.
For example, Huang Yanpei, Cai Yuanpei, Liu Yazi and so on. Under the teaching of Cai Yuanpei, Li Shutong's talent was slowly discovered, and he still starred in dramas, and the famous "White Water Beach" and "Huang Tianba" at that time were from Li Shutong's hand. Unexpectedly, Li Shutong, who was originally lonely, suffered from the loss of his mother, and after his mother's death, Li Shutong decided to study in dongdu.
In Japan, Li Shutong participated for the first time in Tokyo under the name of "Li Ai" in the elegant collection of the Japanese baume and taxi organization "Sui Ou Yin Society". It was also in this year (1906) that Li Shutong and his classmates established China's first drama group, "La Traviata" became famous in the first world war, and he became one of the founders of Chinese drama.
Figure | After the Traviata performance, Li Shutong (left), who has not yet removed his makeup, took a group photo with his classmates at the age of 28
The genius teenager traveled east to Japan and met his lover for a lifetime
Uncle Li became popular in Japan, met his Japanese wife, an art model, and then returned to China together.
This woman's name is Makoto, originally a female model when Li Shutong painted, but this woman soon found that the painter in front of her was a genius, not only quick to draw, but also well, and even as soon as she came to paint, she threw herself into it, slept and forgot to eat, until someone reminded him, he would put down the work at hand.
During that time, Makoto would always make a little meal herself, and then bring it to the classroom for Uncle Li to eat, and when she approached the man, she found that he not only could draw, but also was proficient in music and poetry, and she couldn't help but fall in love with the man in front of her.
In the autumn of that year, Makoto fell ill because she had not seen her sweetheart for more than ten days and fell ill because of lovesickness, and Li Shutong was kindly comforted after learning about it, but was boldly confessed by Makoto. "Would you like to live with me for the rest of your life?" Uncle Li asked.
Figure | "Out of the Bath"
Makoto nodded seriously, and Uncle Li hugged her. (The half-naked girl in Li Shutong's famous painting "Out of the Bath" is this woman)
A few years later, Uncle Li returned to China with his wife. After returning to China, Li Shutong taught at the Beiyang Higher Industrial College in Tianjin, mainly as a music educator, after the Xinhai Revolution, Li Shutong's family fell in the middle of the road, he and his wife returned to Shanghai to live together, and after Hengyi's introduction to Zhejiang Two-level Normal School as a music and painting teacher.
Soon, the school was renamed Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School, in this school, Li Shutong put his strengths and talents to the extreme, in the art, he launched the nude model for the first time, attracted everyone's praise, in the country has never had such a teaching, Li Shutong has created a precedent.
Figure | Li Shutong was teaching at the Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School
During this time, Li Shutong had a variety of styles, and was called a wizard by relatives and friends, and Feng Zikai was Li Shutong's proud protégé. Li Shutong is in his 30s, and although he has a wife, there are countless women who worship Li Shutong endlessly.
Of course, in the eyes of his peers, he is an uncompromising talent, and the highest evaluation of him is his good friend, Liu Yazi. Liu Yazi is a famous patriotic poet and the commander of the Nanshe Society, as early as the last year of the Qing Dynasty, the two people admired each other, and after Li Shutong returned to China, the two people met again and met with friends in Literature.
At first, Liu Yazi only heard of Li Shutong's name, but did not see him, Liu Yazi said that he very much wanted to get to know this person, and finally after being introduced by friends, Li Shutong joined the Nanshe. One is an artistic genius, the other is the lord of the Nanshe Hall, and the two people see each other and hate each other. Until the outbreak of the July 7 Incident in 1937, Liu Yazi and Li Shutong maintained close contacts.
Figure | In the front row (sitting) of the 15th Nanshe Yaji, the second person from right, Liu Yazi, and from the left (sitting) the second person, Li Shutong
Liu Yazi admires Li Shutong's talent, and also likes Li Shutong's serious and focused spirit.
Also teaching Chinese here was the literary scholar Mr. Xia Qizun, who recalled that the money of a student at the school was stolen at that time, but no one admitted it. This matter reached Li Shutong, and Li Shutong came up with a plan: Jun's request for a letter of notice is a piece of paper, and it is limited to admitting his mistake a few days ago, otherwise the house supervisor will only have one death to apologize! It is also stressed that it must be prepared to earnestly fulfill the promise in order to be effective.
As soon as this plan came out, Xia Shuzun was shocked, which was enough to see Li Shutong's seriousness, but what Xia Shuzun did not expect was that Li Shutong was more serious about the matter of renunciation.
Figure | Xia Qizun
Arrange everything before monasticism, Dharma number: Hongyi
Before Li Shutong left home, there was no sign, but there was a little Taste of Buddhism in dressing, and when Xia Qizun came to visit Li Shutong, he chatted idly about renunciation.
Xia Qi saw that he was wearing Haiqing and had long hair, and he always felt that it did not match this charming grand duke, so he joked: "Is it your wish to do this?" Uncle Li kept smiling, didn't say anything, and sent Xia Qizun away.
During the conversation, Xia Qizun once said to Li Shutong, "It is better to simply become a monk." In fact, it was a joke from his friend before, but he didn't know that the matter of renunciation had been brewing in his mind for a long time, because he had already arrived at Dinghui Temple, tried fasting for 17 days, and after returning to school, he began to eat vegetarian food.
On August 19, 1918, the thirteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, Li Shutong officially performed the shaving ceremony at The Hupao Temple and officially became a monk.
Figure | Famous painter Feng Zikai
The night before he left home, Li Shutong called Feng Zikai and several students to his side, and gave everything in the room to the students, and Li Shutong gave Feng Zikai a hand scroll of his own poetry, and said with a smile: "When I made this word, it was your age." ”
Feng Zikai knew that his mentor had decided to become a monk, and his tears couldn't help but flow.
After Li Shutong became a monk, the Dharma title Hongyi Master, his "seriousness", spread from Hangzhou to home and abroad, everyone knows that Li Shutong went to become a monk, but what is even more unexpected is that Li Shutong, a pioneer of the new Chinese culture who was once a gentleman and versatile, is calling for the times, why should he hide in the lonely jungle and be willing to spend the rest of his life in the poor Buddhist Gate.
For the matter of Li Shutong's renunciation, educator Huang Yanpei once recalled the scene of Li Shutong and his wife saying goodbye.
After Li Shutong left home, his wife chased him from home to Hangzhou in order to persuade Li Shutong, but Li Shutong insisted on not listening or saying a word. After eating, he rented a small boat and sent his wife to the side of the boat, and slowly sailed to the center of the lake with one oar and one oar, and Uncle Li did not return with his head, his hands were folded, and the lady cried and returned.
This is the last scene of Li Shutong and his wife saying goodbye, some people say that this is not at all understandable to ordinary people, and this scene has also become a song in the hearts of posterity. Some people also wonder what Li Shutong has experienced and will make such a big determination.
In Buddhism, he made four vows:
1. Let go of all kinds of fate, focus on the Buddha, and prefer to fall into hell and not be the abbot of the monastery;
2. Abstain from all false verses, and in a simple and universal way, make the Fa-yin propagate, not to open Dafa, and not to be a mage;
3. Refuse all offerings and demands for fame and fortune, live a life of clouds and flowing water, coarse tea and light rice, wear one sleeve, bow down to the best of their ability, and vow to become a Buddha;
Fourth, for the current situation of the monastic community, vow to create a style, let people respect the Three Jewels, honestly recite the Buddha, strict precepts, and take the precepts as a teacher.
All this makes outsiders puzzled, but from Li Shutong's origin and experience, some reasons may be found:
First, Li Shutong was born extraordinary, his family was big, and he grew up under the influence of his parents' belief in Buddhism, which had a great influence on him. Second, Li Shutong has a lonely personality, losing his father at an early age and his mother at a young age, which shows his pain. Third, Li Shutong fasted for 17 days before becoming a monk, which is not something that an ordinary person can do, and he may have liked the way of life of a monk when he saw the pale red dust. Fourth, he wanted to return to peace, and before he left home, he made arrangements for his family, and he knew that his family's wife and children's life was no problem. Fifth, Li Shutong is a genius, learning from Both Chinese and Western, omnipotent, and many women love him.
Figure | After his ordination, Li Shutong
He made indelible contributions to China's educational and cultural undertakings, and Zhou Enlai once said to Cao Yu: You will write the "History of Chinese Drama" in the future, and do not forget Li Shutong in Tianjin, that is, Master Hongyi after his ordination. He was a pioneer in the spread of Western painting, music, and drama to China.
After Li Shutong left home, many friends came to see him, he showed a spirit of not being humble, that kind of calm makes people can't believe it, Lin Yutang said, Li Shutong is the most talented genius in our time! He is also the most relict and independent person. It can be seen that its evaluation is very high.
Before dying, I wrote down four words: the intersection of sorrow and joy
Xia Junzun once asked Feng Zikai what his impression of Li Shutong was, and Feng Zikai said that he had seen Li Shutong in the photo when he was young in Shanghai:
He wears a velvet bowl hat, a beautiful jade, a curved waistcoat, and his clothes are satin robes, and his head is raised high, handsome, and it flows between his eyebrows.
After Li Shutong became a monk, he made the word mercy to the extreme, Xu Beihong had visited Master Hongyi in the temple many times, and saw that many branches on the mountain that had dried up for many years had actually sprouted new shoots, Xu Beihong was very puzzled, lamenting the magic of nature, Master Hongyi folded his hands and smiled and said: It is I who water it every day, and it comes back to life.
Figure | Li Shutong (fourth from left)
Xu Beihong was deeply impressed by Li Shutong's renunciation, from his renunciation until 1942, Master Hongyi had been living for his compassion, in August of that year, he was preaching the "Eight Great People Awakening Sutra" at Kaihua Temple, and two months later, when he was unwell, Master Hongyi knew that he was going to leave this world, so he began to write a will.
Earlier, Ningbo Baiyi Temple's Anxin Toutuo came to implore him to go to Shaanxi to relieve the disaster together, which was a good thing to pray for the blessings of all sentient beings, and It was inconvenient for Master Hongyi to refuse. But unwell, coupled with the long distance, Master Hongyi wrote a suicide note and a note and gave it to Liu Tianping, who was teaching in Ningbo.
Original text of the suicide note:
After the end of the rest of his life, all the memorial services, the construction of towers, and other commemorative things cannot be done, so it is useless to do such things, but it is also a blessing.
In order to make a career and commemorate Yu, he beg to print two thousand copies of the "Table of the Precepts of the Four-Point Law Bhikkhus", and one thousand copies were handed over to the Buddhist Bookstore for circulation, and each volume was given a circulation fee of five points, which was donated to the bookstore.
The original text of the note:
Mr. Liu Zhiping
An Xintou hurriedly came here, about Yu Tong to go to Xi'an, duty-bound, Yu Zhun arrived in Ningbo at 11:30 on Saturday, and everything should be discussed with Ren.
Koichi on
On October 7, Master Hongyi summoned Master Myo-lian to write a will, and three days later, on October 10, he wrote four words, "Intersection of Sorrow and Joy", and handed it to Master Myo-lian, and on the third day, at 8 p.m., he died quietly.
A genius, in the name of Master Koichi, quietly left this world.
The four words he left behind made countless future generations sigh with sorrow, even if it was such a high-minded and clear person as Master Hongyi, he could not help but write down the four words of sorrow and joy. What does it mean to be sad?
Li Shutong once gave himself a name, called "Eryi Old Man". So why call it this name, according to his own words, the ancients have a saying, called one thing no adult grow old, which means that once people achieve nothing, they will be dying of old age, the Qing Dynasty's Wu Mei Village said before his death that he was worthless, these two sentences have "one" at the beginning, so it is used to spur themselves.
Li Shutong said: Although what I have done in minnan in the past ten years is not perfect, I have not sought it to be perfect!
Figure | Li Shutong's works
On the occasion of his death, Master Hongyi said to Master Myo-lian, he said, when you help me, you see tears in my eyes, this is not to stay in the world, or to worry about relatives, but to remember the regrets of a lifetime.
He left this world with "sadness" and "joy".
Did he put it down? It is said that on his deathbed, he met a close friend. The two of them were sitting on the top of the mountain, talking about this life, when suddenly a thought flashed in Master Hongyi's eyes, and his friend asked him if he had thought of anything, and he said yes, and the friend asked again, what did he think? He said that things in the world and things in the family.
The four words before his death, since there are joys and sorrows, it seems that he did not really let go of the human world.
Interpret Li Shutong from the perspective of life
Li Shutong cut his hair as a monk, so that the world is puzzled, in a person's most brilliant time, willing to give up everything, this kind of mind and realm is not ordinary people can reach.
This reminds me of a girl who sang with her life, Tian Wei. Born in 1986, Tian Wei suffered from a blood disease and left the world in 2007. During her lifetime, she mentioned Master Koichi many times in her diary, she was only a college student in her early twenties, and her understanding of life was beyond ordinary people.
Tian Wei wrote such a text before she died, she said, if there has never been me in this world, then what regrets, what sorrows. To the dust, to the rain and dew, there has never been me in this world, and there is no place that is not me.
Perhaps, her perception of life is the same as that of Li Shutong at that time, she said, even if master Hongyi is such a high-minded and clear person, she can't help but write down the four words of sorrow and joy before dying. Existence, my shunshi, no, my ning also.
Perhaps it is precisely because I have seen it that I have such a deep understanding of life, although Li Shutong has left, many of the poems he left behind have become the songs of eternity, especially the "Farewell".
In 1915, Shanghai was full of snow, Li Shutong and his friend Xu Xianyuan met and waved tears goodbye, after the goodbye did not know what year and month, Li Shutong looked at the distant back of his friend, sighed, stood in the snow for an hour.
Back in the house, Uncle Li waved tears and instructed Miss Yezi to play the piano, and he wrote this "Farewell" with tears:
Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green.
The evening wind blows the willow flute, and the sunset is outside the mountain.
The end of the sky, the corner of the earth, the knowledge of the half-scattered.
After a lot of wine, don't dream cold this evening.
This song has also become a song that has been sung for eternity.
After Uncle Li left home, his wife brought the child to kowtow to see him, but Master Hongyi insisted on not seeing him, and his son cried and said, Since you can't fulfill the responsibility of a father, why did you give birth to us?
This soul-touching question may have already collapsed for others, but he said, I have nothing in my heart, please come back to the benefactor.
The wife knelt in the snow and said slightly: "Mercy to the world, why hurt me alone." ”
Master Hongyi did not answer, turned away, a crimson door was tightly closed, and the word Bo Qing was fully waved in the air, but in Master Hongyi's heart, there was only the word compassion.
No one knows, Uncle Li was thinking in his heart at the moment he closed the door, the past went with the wind, his heart was already empty, in his words, not stained with red dust, not falling red dust.
Perhaps, only people who have deeply experienced red dust can give up red dust so resolutely.
The so-called Iraqis are on the water side.
Reference: Li Shutong's "Two One Old Man"
Han Molin, "The Intersection of Sorrow and Joy, The Ultimate Solemnity"
Li Shutong: Half a prosperous and half-monk