A study of Indian philosophy

"Beiping Scholars' Interview", written by He Yiwen et al., edited by Zhang Lei, the first edition of the Commercial Press in July 2020, price: 96.00 yuan (upper and lower two volumes)

His pen name was "Watson"; his learning was obtained through hardship and hardship. "After the Guangxu Twenty-one Years Taiwan Incident, my father scattered all the accumulated more than 50,000 gold with his subordinates and fled to the interior with his sons and nephews. The family spent years in poverty. ”

People who study philosophy probably know that Xu Dishan studied Indian philosophy and ancient philosophy. At the same time, people who like to read novels also know that there is a "fallen Watson", who often uses sharp tones to expose the depths of society. The name of this "Luo Watson" is Xu's pen name, so although he studied a dry philosophy, he still enjoys considerable fame in society. However, ordinary people only know that Xu Shi is a strong player in the academic community, and his hard work since childhood has been ignored by ordinary people.

The reporter had a long conversation with Xu Shi in one afternoon, and in his fluent conversation, he told me that his ancestors were oppressed by the taxes of the mainland at that time and ran to Taiwan to find a living. At the same time, when he was three years old, Taiwan was occupied by another country, which made them feel more painful and had to return to their motherland after hundreds of years of absence. Although his father won the fame and spent decades in the eunuchs, what he left behind was still "poverty". Therefore, Xu Shi struggled in hardships and hardships, completed the university and foreign studies, and had academic achievements.

Xu's residence is a small courtyard. His study and bedroom are in this room, and presumably his study doubles as a living room, so the reporter can talk to him in his study. His study, though not necessarily ornate, was properly furnished, with a large writing desk under a sunlight window, and swivel chairs, recliners, and recliners all allocated in a very suitable place. There are sparse calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, and a large antique marquee hangs in the middle of the room. Two shelves of philosophical books, the same card box, were placed opposite the writing desk, and naturally this was the place where Xu stayed the longest every day. Xu wears a gray beeping leather robe, dress shoes, and a short beard. Although he was not necessarily less educated by foreign countries than ordinary international students, this kind of attire obliterated his process. A silent face, with his costume, like a Taoist priest in the painting. When the reporter entered the door, he only nodded his head slightly, and then sat down in a chair under the north window, and at the same time he naturally sat on the opposite side.

"When I was three years old, in the second year of the Sino-Japanese War, my family abandoned all their industries and returned to the mainland from Taiwan because they could not stand the oppression of external forces." After I explained my intentions, Xu Shi said a few words without hesitation. We usually only know that he is a Fujian native, and we cannot imagine that he grew up in a place where there was a fierce struggle between the two nationalities. It turned out that the ancestors of the Xu clan moved to Taiwan in the Jiajing year of the Ming Dynasty, and Xu Chao was his ancestor who entered Taiwan. According to his family's legend, Izu was the master of Mongjuku, who moved to Akatsuki to avoid the heavy repression of the time. Xu was born in Taiwan in the nineteenth year of Guangxu. The 21st Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty was signed, and Taiwan and the Penghu Islands were all returned to Japan. The people of Taiwan opposed it to no avail, so they actively prepared for the establishment of a democratic country. At that time, his father was the commander of the Preparatory Defense Bureau. On the third day of the first month of September in the old calendar, the Japanese entered Taiwan, and they fled back to Chaozhou, because their ancestral home was Jieyang County. His original origin was Taiwan, and his father was an official in Guangdong, so he was sent to Longxi, Fujian.

"After returning to the mainland, what is the situation of the gentleman's family?" When he explained in simple words a small history of his family that had lasted hundreds of years, I continued to ask him this question. He said: "After the Guangxu Twenty-one-Year Incident in Taiwan, my father scattered all the accumulated more than 50,000 gold with his subordinates and fled to the interior with his sons and nephews. The whole family spent several years in poverty, and by the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu, they could be regarded as having some stability in life, so they moved to Guangzhou. Later, although my father served as the zhi county of Xuwen County, Sanshui County and other counties, and other officials, what was left to us was still 'poor', so I was able to complete my studies in hardship. ”

Xu's major at Yan University is pedagogy, followed by sociology. In order to study, he abandoned the income of the second teacher, the cost of studying was naturally borne by himself, and there was no way to find a life in the unfamiliar northern country, so he wrote some articles to sell.

"When did my husband start his studies?" I changed the direction of the conversation and asked him how he had gone through his studies. He still looked up and said quickly, "I studied at home in elementary school, and when Guangxu was twenty-two years old, my family asked Mr. Wu Xiantang to teach our brothers." In the last year of Guangxu, I went to the Guangdong government-run 'Sui Eunuch Middle School' to study, and Chen Shouyi, Zhou Zeqi, Wei Daofeng, Chen Bosheng, Yu Tang, etc., were all classmates at that time. "The Guangzhou Eunuch School, which was funded by the salaries of officials at that time, was abolished after the Xinhai Revolution. At that time, there were still five classes that had not yet graduated, and Xu Shi was the highest grade of the five classes who was dismissed, and he only studied in middle school for three years. At that time, the school system was forced and could not be arbitrarily chosen, and although Xu Shi had a considerable interest in literature, he was sent to the practical class, so his botany, handicraft and other disciplines had to have a considerable foundation.

"After leaving middle school, that is, to the Zhangzhou Provincial Second Normal School to teach handicrafts, singing, botany and other such homework, the monthly salary of Xiaoyang 80 yuan, at that time I was just over 19 years old, because of the relationship of life, I had to be a teacher I did not want to be", he did not wait for me to ask, he continued to say, "After being a teacher for a year in the Second Normal School, I wanted to go outside to breathe some fresh air, so when I arrived in the second year of the Republic of China, I went to Yangon, Myanmar to become a primary school teacher, the monthly salary was only 80 rupees, and each rupee was only in line with the seven corners of the Middle Ocean." For three years there, I prepared English and other scientific disciplines, because at that time I dreamed of going to university." In Burma, Hsu not only gained academic attainments, but also formally joined Christianity as a beginning for his later study of religious philosophy. At that time, his volunteerism gradually expanded, changing the hope of going to university to studying in the United States, and he received the consent of various assistance. Just when he was elated, the "Luo Fuxing Revolution" in Taiwan in the four years of the Republic of China failed. The place where this revolution was launched was precisely where a few industries remained in his hometown. After suffering such a heavy loss, the family naturally could not help his plan, which made him very disappointed and returned to Guangdong in chagrin.

"So when did sir enter Yenching University?" I asked again. He seemed to feel very happy to talk, took a sip from his teacup, turned his head to look at me, and said: "After I returned to Zhangzhou from Burma in the fifth year of the Republic of China, I went to the Second Normal School to do things." This time, he is the head of the attached school (equivalent to the current director), and the same homework as he has previously held. A year later, my father went to Sumatra to do things because of his life. When he was leaving, he wanted me to go to Japan to study philosophy or continue my life of teaching. But I personally want to study religion, so the Republic of China came to Beiping in the sixth year. Soon our father died in Medan, and became our eternal secret. After arriving in Beiping, coinciding with the opening of Yenching University, he became the first formal student and graduated in the ninth year of the Republic of China. "Xu's major at Yan University is education, followed by sociology. In order to study, he abandoned the income of the second teacher, and the cost of studying was naturally borne by himself, but this unfamiliar northern country had no way to find a life, so in the 89th and ninth years of the Republic of China, he wrote some articles and sold them to the newspaper in Zhangzhou and the "Novel Monthly" in Shanghai. The name "Luo Huasheng" was known at that time, although he used this pen name in the fourth or fifth years of the Republic of China. At the same time, because of the difficulties of life, he completed all the credits within three years, and completed the university one year earlier than others.

Xu Shi is the lucky one of the times, and the times saved him from poverty and completed his ideal study program. His courage is admirable, and in the vast future, he only takes a very small amount of money with him to make plans for a long period of study.

When we talked about this, he seemed very happy, and immediately got up and went to the back room to find his diary from his studies at Yanda University to show me. He said: "When I was studying, I was very restrained about myself. The daily diary has a strict criticism of itself. But he turned over once, did not look for it, as if he was a little frustrated, grudgingly smiled, and returned to his original seat. I asked him in order: "After graduating from Yanda, Mr. Xu naturally needs to do things." "At that time, I thought that a person with very difficult economic difficulties could complete the highest stage of the existing education system in our country, and at the same time, the college students at that time were not as despised in society as they are now, so I thought that Xu Shi must be looking for a job in society." But he laughed again, a slight laugh, which made me feel a little embarrassed.

"After graduating from university, he still studied at the Religious College, and in the eleventh year of the Republic of China, he worked as a teaching assistant for Zhou Zuoren, and in the twelfth year of the Republic of China, he went abroad to study." After he smiled, he gave a concise answer to my question, and although it was a simple reply, it gave me a big surprise. Xu Shi still said very steadily: "I have received $800 from Concordia Theological Seminary and the help of Stuart Redden." I went to the United States in 1923 to study the history of religion in India and Persia at Columbia University, but only read in the United States for one year. "It makes me feel that Xu Shi is the lucky one of the times, and the times saved him from poverty and completed his ideal study program." At the same time, I admire his courage to take a very small amount of money with him in the vast future and go to make a plan for a long period of study. Looking back at the complacency of a college student who now knows nothing has increased my respect for him and my struggle for him.

"Left the United States to study Indian philosophy, Sanskrit and social anthropology at Oxford University in the United Kingdom." The fee is a £200 grant per year in the Thomas Grant of the London Foreign Mission. By the time of the May Thirtieth Massacre, the British had bad feelings for us and wanted to cancel the grant, which was later reduced to £100. "It was a difficult time for Xu Shi, who was in the United States, in addition to the inherent subsidies, he was also teaching the Book of Verses at the school every week, which was $10 per hour. Even after the subsidy costs were exhausted, it was not difficult to find various jobs in the United States at that time, which naturally allowed him to study with peace of mind. When he went to England, he was instigated by the heart of a religious researcher, and at the same time he was helped by a friend in England, who received a grant, but he ended up with problems. And the various geng-funding organs in China that can help him a little have no acquaintances to introduce, so in the fifteenth year of the Republic of China, they returned to China with trepidation.

"After returning to China, I have been teaching at Yanda until now. The lessons taught now are the history of Chinese etiquette and customs, the history of Buddhism, and the history of Taoism. In the middle of the 17th to 22nd years of the Republic of China, he used to teach Indian philosophy, social anthropology and Buddhist philosophy at Peking University Tsinghua university and other universities, and later because of the restrictions of Yanda University, he was now only a professor in the history department of Yanda University. When Yanda university was on vacation the year before, he taught at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou for half a year. Xu Shi thought that I was going to ask this question, so he told me a simple experience after returning to China. At this time, I suddenly remembered that Xu Shi had once gone to India to study Buddhism, and asked him about that time. He said: "In the fifteenth year of the Republic of China, I went to India once, studied at the Indian University in Polo city for a year, and studied ancient Indian religious thought, paying attention to the relationship between religion and society. After teaching at Sun Yat-sen University in the second half of the previous year, from January to July last year, he went to a college belonging to the University of Mumbai in Poona, India, to study Sanskrit and religion, still focusing on the relationship between religion and society. ”

He took a sip of tea, paused slightly, and said: "Religious belief is a personal matter, and religion may be slowly eliminated in the future, although human beings have emotions, they will eventually be invaded by reason." But now society is still inseparable from the guidance of religion. ”

A person who has achieved considerable academic achievements and is constantly humbly learning what he likes, so I asked for a future research plan. This question made him hesitate, paused for a moment and said: "Regarding the academic aspect, I am not yet mature, and I have not read many books, and if I am not a professor for more than ten years, I cannot say that there is research." He said this very humbly, looked up and thought about it, and said: "I am currently writing the "History of Taoism", and the "History of Buddhism" has also been written a lot, and I am also preparing to compile a "Sanskrit-Chinese Dictionary", and I plan to use my life's strength to do this." "When he was done, he drew out many cards he had written and showed them to me, and each noun had a detailed explanation." Now I agreed to the Commercial Press to write a history of Chinese etiquette and customs. For example, Mr. Jiang Shaoyuan wrote about superstition, Mr. Tao Xisheng wrote about social and economic aspects, and Mr. Huang Shi wrote about various solar terms. What I want to work on is the history of Material Life and Ritual Customs in China. Xu Shi seemed to suddenly remember this matter and quickly told me.

We gradually talked about the academic aspect, and when I asked him what he thought about Buddhism, he seemed to find it difficult to say, "I personally have no faith in Buddhism, because Buddhism gives people a pessimistic conclusion." If he is a faithful Buddhist, he must be a pessimist. Although I feel that life is sad, I do not want to live in the state of 'nirvana' forever. Speaking of this, he took another sip of tea, paused slightly, and said: "Religious belief is a personal matter, and religion may be slowly eliminated in the future, although human beings have emotions, they will eventually be invaded by reason." But now society is still inseparable from the guidance of religion, and when the character of society and individuals reaches a state of perfection in the future, religion will lose its efficacy. As soon as he finished speaking, he bowed his head, as if waiting for my question.

"What is the relationship between Indian philosophy and China?" As I asked this question, I broke the silence between us. He said naturally: "Let us not adopt ideas and systems that we do not need, if it is okay to study for the sake of knowledge, if it is the same as the use of grain on the day, it cannot be." Indian thought has influenced a lot of ancient Chinese thought, but we have not gained much of the good, and many of the bad have been left behind. I study Indian thought only to be in the East, and no matter how good or bad, the people of the country should always know him. ”

Finally, I asked him my opinion on Chinese etiquette, and this question seemed to have touched his head, and he gushed: "The most obvious difference between human beings and other animals is that he has language and writing and dress etiquette." Etiquette is a product of society, and without society, there is no such thing as etiquette. Almost the entire life of ancient society was bound by etiquette. The so-called 'three hundred regents, three thousand prestige' means that the literati have not made every move and are not in the etiquette. Etiquette is originally a socially recognized act, used to express three meanings of life: one is a symbol of life, the other is a warning of behavior, and the third is the overcoming of a crisis. If the act is not recognized as necessary for something, it cannot be counted as etiquette. The so-called symbol of life is that man shows his method of life in a short period of time. If people want to express friendship, the principle of 'friendship' is mutual assistance, and some people say that China's 'making a fight' is a gesture of taking a hoe to plan the soil when planting land. In ancient times, when two people met, the language was not necessarily the same, but when they wanted to show friendship, they made a gesture, which meant that if you asked me to help cultivate the land, I could serve, so it became a 'work'. The Europeans' 'hand-pulling' and 'hat-off' and China's 'kowtowing' are all symbols of life. ”

Speaking of this, he asked the messenger to pour tea, and after drying a cup, he continued: "As for the warning of behavior, it means that according to the experience of life, such as the oath ceremony of the inauguration of an official, it is to warn him to do his duty when he is in office and not to fail the people. Another example is that when the Western ship is launched, the champagne bottle ceremony is to be performed, which means that the sailors on the ship should not be mistaken because of binge drinking. In addition, the overcoming of crises, in the course of people's lives, there are various crises, such as production, marriage and funerals, and so on. The old people used a kind of etiquette for the crisis in their lives, most of which contained the color of witchcraft. Now that knowledge has grown and the form of life has changed, people are no longer looking for these troubles. When he finished speaking in one breath, everyone felt a little tired, so they pulled the words to trivial matters. After talking for two hours, I bid farewell to the scholar and headed home.

(February 23-26, 1935) This article is excerpted from "The Interview of Peking Scholars" (Part 1), written by He Yiwen et al., edited by Zhang Lei, the first edition of the Commercial Press in July 2020, price: 96.00 yuan (upper and lower two volumes)

(The text of this edition is arranged by Yan Chan)

Source: China Reading Daily