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Once a well-known math genius in the country, he was sent to Peking University after graduating from high school, and later applied for a full scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.
However, after graduating from university, he chose to become a monk and devote himself to the world of Buddhism.
As soon as the news came out, many people couldn't understand Yoo Zhiyu's choice, thinking that he was wasting his talent. What's even more unexpected is that a few years later, just after everyone accepted the fact that Yoo Ji-woo became a monk, he once again made a jaw-dropping choice: to get married.
The teenager who won the gold medal, Yoo Ji Woo
What made Yoo Ji-woo change his mind again and again, and what kind of existence was the woman who brought him out of Buddhism?
1. The opportunity to step into Buddhism
On June 12, 1988, Liu Zhiyu was born in a family of teachers in Wuhan, Hubei.
From a young age, Liu Zhiyu has shown an extraordinary talent in mathematics. When he was still a high school student, he wrote a mathematical paper called "Introduction to the Summation of Power Sequences", which caused quite a stir at the time.
In 2015, he won a gold medal in the 31st International Mathematical Olympiad round-robin as a member of the Chinese team, and a year later, he was selected for the national team of the Mathematical Olympiad, winning a gold medal for his country again in international competitions.
Yoo Ji-woo when he was a teenager
Talented and famous, Liu Zhiyu was unrivaled for a while, and he was an irreproachable mathematical genius in the eyes of everyone. Whether it is his parents, teachers and classmates, they all expect Liu Zhiyu to reach new heights.
However, it is clear that he has achieved such dazzling achievements, but Liu Zhiyu is not happy in his heart. From the moment he showed his talent for mathematics, his parents, who were teachers, gave him a rigorous education in mathematics, urging him to keep learning Xi improving.
The intense Xi life brought great pressure to Yoo Zhiyu's spirit, and his naturally frail and sickly body made him suffer physical torture. Without the knowledge of the people around him, Yoo Zhiyu's mental condition deteriorated day by day.
Yoo Ji-woo was interviewed by reporters after the game
At first, Yoo Ji-woo did not pour out his inner pain to others. In order not to disappoint his parents, he endured the churning emotions in his heart and tried to walk on the path they had planned for him.
After graduating from high school, Liu Zhiyu, who has an outstanding talent in mathematics, was naturally sent to Peking University to study Xi. During his time at the university, he also applied to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States to continue his studies, as if he wanted to continue on the road of mathematics.
But what everyone didn't expect was that after graduating from Peking University, Liu Zhiyu did not continue his studies, but turned to the embrace of Buddhism, and became a monk in Longquan Temple in Xishan, Beijing in the summer of 2010.
Yoo Ji-woo is determined to become a monk
If anyone is said to have been hit the hardest by Yoo Ji-woo's move to become a monk, it must be his parents. Originally, Liu's father and mother had already prepared the luggage for their son to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but they never thought that the front foot had just packed the luggage, and the back foot son would become a monk and give up the bright future at his fingertips, which made the couple how acceptable.
However, no matter how Liu's father and Liu's mother objected, Liu Zhiyu, who has always been obedient and sensible, was unusual, insisted on his own views and refused to give in, even if Liu's mother was hit and bedridden, he did not retreat at all.
In desperation, Liu's father and mother could only tearfully accept the fact that their son was a monk.
After becoming a monk, Yoo Ji-woo was full of suspicion
In fact, the reason why Liu Zhiyu decided to become a monk was not because of a temporary blow. As early as childhood, he formed an indissoluble bond with Buddhism.
2. Then and now
When he was a child, Liu Zhiyu was weak and could not play outside like ordinary children. In order to relieve the child's boredom, Liu's father and Liu's mother bought him a large number of books, including "Zen Sayings" and "Zhuangzi Sayings" and other philosophical works.
Liu's father and mother only see these books as ordinary comics, but Yoo Ji-woo doesn't think so. After reading through each of these works, he had already become interested in Buddhism, although he did not know much about it.
Yoo Ji-woo when he was still a student
When he grew up, Yoo Ji-woo got acquainted with an unusual math teacher. When teaching work, he used to combine Lao Zhuang's ideas with mathematics, which brought a great impact to the young Liu Zhiyu.
After this, Yoo finally understood why he preferred mathematics. In fact, what he really loves is not mathematics, but the arrival of many philosophies hidden behind mathematics. For him, mathematics, while important, was only a step to the door of philosophy.
After entering Peking University Xi, Liu Zhiyu immediately joined the Zen Society and the Cultivation and Reading Club on campus, where he found many like-minded partners.
After getting acquainted with them, Liu Zhiyu's understanding of philosophy became more and more profound, and during the exchange, he also came to Beijing Longquan Temple for the first time under the leadership of his partners, and discovered a new world here.
Longquan Temple, Beijing
The monks of Longquan Temple in Beijing can be described as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, including doctors from Tsinghua University and Peking University, as well as members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, both high-end academic talents and successful business owners.
Looking at them, Yoo Ji-woo found a new and feasible path. He wondered, why couldn't he be like those predecessors and embark on the path of monastic practice?
In the self-spurring questioning over and over again, Yoo Ji-woo finally made the decision to become a monk and practice.
When he first became a monk, countless people found it difficult to understand his approach, and some even launched personal attacks on him, accusing him of wasting the training of his parents and the country, but no matter what the outside world said, Liu Zhiyu did not back down.
Monk Yanagi Chiyu
After waking up every day, in addition to his daily practice, Liu Zhiyu also began to devote himself to the study of Buddhist doctrine, and achieved great results in this regard.
In 2013, he participated in the publication of the Proofreading of the Nanshan Vinaya, and a year later, he began to systematically review the "Eight Major Parts" of the Nanshan Vinaya, and together with other monks, he published a set of 32 Vinaya classics.
No matter how you look at it, Liu Zhiyu after becoming a monk is a real monk. His life was very simple, and in addition to practicing and meditating all day long, he studied the scriptures and sorted out Buddhist scriptures, neither seeking wealth nor profit.
In the long run, even his family began to accept the fact that he was a monk, believing that he would never return to Hongchen in his life.
Yoo Ji-woo
Unexpectedly, on the day when the Spring Festival was approaching in 2022, Liu Zhiyu suddenly told his family and friends that he wanted to return to the vulgar and take off his monk's robe.
The Liu family was surprised and delighted by Liu Zhiyu's unexpected decision, but the public opinion wave in the society once again set off because of this. Many people believe that Yoo Zhiyu's move is a manifestation of giving up his practice.
Only, is that really the case?
In the face of everyone's mixed reviews, Liu Zhiyu calmly replied that he had never regretted his original choice. Eight years of life as a monk gave him a further understanding of life and Buddhism, and now he is leaving the temple just to carry out the next step of his practice, that is, to "join the WTO".
Yoo Ji-woo said in the live broadcast that he was married
If he just decided to enter the WTO to practice, Liu Zhiyu's actions would not have aroused heated public opinion, but not long after returning to the world, he announced the news of his love.
In December 2023, Liu Zhiyu even publicly stated that he was married.
3. Cultivation is not limited to the temple
Out of the idea of protecting his lover, Liu Zhiyu did not disclose too much information about his wife to the public, only saying that his wife also studied Buddhism.
During the live broadcast with Dong Yuhui, he also said that even if he was married, he did not give up continuing to practice. After being with his wife, the two often meditated in the temple and practiced Buddhism.
Yoo Ji-woo shares his experience with his lover
So, was it the appearance of his wife that made Yoo Ji-woo have the idea of returning to the vulgar? The answer is obviously no.
Although it was announced in 2022, as early as the fall of 2018, Yoo Zhiyu left Longquan Temple. As for why he left Longquan Temple, some people believe that it was because he was treated unfairly.
As mentioned above, during his practice at Longquan Temple, Liu Zhiyu participated in the proofreading and publication of a large number of Buddhist classics. In order to complete the work as soon as possible, Liu Zhiyu has to work at least 12 hours every day.
But even with so much effort, by the time it was finally published, Liu Zhiyu didn't even have a chance to sign it normally.
For Yoo Ji-woo, relationships at the temple are just as complicated
It's just that it's okay, after all, Liu Zhiyu's purpose in publishing is not for fame and fortune, what really makes him unaccustomed to it is some unreasonable phenomena in the temple.
Whenever he found a problem, Yoo Zhiyu would always write a sincere report and hand it to the master, hoping to help change the unreasonable phenomenon in the temple. But his reports were like mud cows entering the sea, and he never received any response from the Master.
Seeing that even in the temple, he couldn't avoid complex interpersonal relationships and undercurrent fluctuations in competition, Liu Zhiyu couldn't help but be disheartened. If so, what is the point of practicing in a temple?
In this way, the lost Yoo Zhiyu left Longquan Temple in the autumn of 2018 and went to Hongchen to find his path of cultivation.
What is a monk?
At first, Yoo Ji-woo was a little uncomfortable with life in the outside world, but as time passed, he gradually settled down and began to study Xi psychology.
From the writings of psychology, he once again saw the "practice" he pursued.
After several comparisons, Liu Zhiyu believes that compared with the kind of cultivation that is high up and does not eat the fireworks of the world, he is still more suitable to return to the red dust and continue the practice of life in the vast sea of people.
With this thought, Yoo Ji-woo no longer hesitated. He took off the monk's robe he had worn for many years and returned to his family. On the path of cultivation, he also met a like-minded woman and decided to spend this life hand in hand with the other person and continue on the path of cultivation.
Where is the green mountain not the dojo
Over the years, the world's evaluation of Liu Zhiyu has been mixed. Some people think that he is a sensationalist who does everything just to sell books and customers to make money, while others think that he is a real cultivator who has devoted himself to his practice.
In fact, as long as you have a heart, there is a place of cultivation everywhere. Cultivation is not only in Buddhism, but also in everyone's heart.
What do you think of Yoo Ji-woo's choice?