In the late spring of 1937, Nan Huaijin, who was not yet 20 years old, came to Sichuan alone. The purpose of his trip was to find the "Sword Immortal".
Nan Huaijin practiced martial arts
Born in 1918 in Yueqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, Nan Huaijin, a master of traditional Chinese studies, fantasized about becoming a sword fairy at a very young age. Nan Huaijin recalled that when he was a child, he had a sudden whim and felt that he could fly over the wall, so he hung upside down on the beam of the house upstairs in his house, and one of his heels jumped to the ground. The loud noise attracted the attention of the father, thinking that something was wrong, and quickly went upstairs to check, only then did he know that his son was practicing martial arts. Therefore, his father began to hire a martial artist for Nan Huaijin to learn martial arts at home.
Since Nan Huaijin learned martial arts, when he saw people with ability, he had to worship the master, and in just a few years, each sect had worshiped more than 80 masters, learned the Southern Sect, the Northern Sect, the Long Fist, the Short Fight, plus Mongolian wrestling and "Western Punching", and almost learned some of it.
Later, Nan Huaijin graduated from the second phase of the Zhejiang Guoshuguan Trainers' Special Training Class, and he suddenly felt that although he had learned a lot, he was not refined, and the various sects were only learning the skin, and he was very dissatisfied. Therefore, the young Nan Huaijin wanted to find a high-ranking person, learn from the teacher, and practice a real kung fu.
It just so happened that martial arts novels at this time were very popular, especially the "Legend of The Swordsman of Shushan Mountain" created by the owner of Huanzhu Lou, who became famous, and everyone said "Yan Zhao is a chivalrous warrior, and Emei is a sword immortal". The young Nan Huaijin resolutely decided to go into the river alone and look for the sword immortal.
Young Nan Huaijin
When she first arrived in Chengdu, Nan Huaijin lived in the Guizhou Guild Hall. He strolled around the city and was amazed by the attitude of the people of Chengdu to life, so much so that decades later he still missed it and felt that Chengdu was a very "leisurely" city. He recalled what he had seen in Shaocheng Park (now people's park): "There were tea houses and chess rooms. Make a pot of tea, sit for half a day, and pay when you leave. There is something to leave in the middle, as long as the tea cup lid is placed in reverse, Dr. Tea will not put it away. If you don't have money, you can drink tea, Dr. Tea asks you what to drink, you say drink glass, you will send a glass of boiling water. This kind of agricultural society probably won't exist anymore! ”
Nan Huaijin likes to hang out in the park because there are three religions and nine streams here, and some celebrities and sages often come to chat and drink tea. Soon, he met a celebrity in the park, "Thick Black Sect Leader" Li Zongwu.
Li Zongwu liked to sit in the teahouse and do the tricks, especially scolding the Sichuan warlords, and Nan Huaijin admired him very much, and the two soon became good friends. At this time, Li Zongwu was 58 years old, and Nan Huaijin, who was less than 20 years old, had become a year-old friend, and the two often talked together.
Chengdu Tea House of the Republic of China
Two or three years after Nan Huaijin arrived in Sichuan, he once went with his friends to the artesian well to mourn a monk friend. The two walked all the way for 8 days, went to the place to burn incense and prostrate, and after everything was done, they found that the coil had been used up. How can this be done? Nan Huaijin suddenly thought that Li Zongwu didn't live in the artesian well, maybe he was at home at this time.
Sure enough, Nan Huaijin came to the door, and Li Zongwu casually asked, "How did you come?" Nan Huaijin replied smoothly, "I'll come to see a dead friend." Li Zongwu was happy and quickly said, "I'm not dead yet!" Subsequently, Li Zongwu slaughtered chickens and fish, and entertained Nan Huaijin well, and when he heard that he lacked coiling, he immediately took out 20 pieces of ocean.
During the small talk between the two, Li Zongwu suddenly mentioned that there was a martial arts master nearby, whether to go and see it. This person lives in Zhao Jia'ao, known as Zhao Si taiye, who has been a cripple since childhood, but his kung fu is very good. In particular, the light work is very powerful, and there is no trace of stepping on the snow. However, Fourth Master Zhao had taught an apprentice before, and he did not expect that after the apprentice had completed his studies, he would not do a good deed and climb over the wall and be admitted to the hospital to rape the people's daughter. Later, Fourth Master Zhao abolished the apprentice's martial arts and vowed not to accept the apprentice again. Li Zongwu felt that a spiritual person like Nan Huaijin might be able to make an exception for Fourth Master Zhao to take in disciples.
Li Zongwu
Two or three years after entering the river, the dream of being a chivalrous guest is still there, Nan Huaijin is happy and broken, and quickly rides a sliding pole with Li Zongwu to visit the 80-year-old Zhao Fourth Grandfather in Zhao Jia'ao. Nan Huaijin later recalled that after meeting Zhao Si's grandfather, she had doubted whether the old man really had such great ability. As a result, Fourth Master Zhao smiled slightly, and rushed back more than a mile, it had just rained, the road was very muddy, and Fourth Master Zhao's new boots did not even get stained with mud.
The good news is that Fourth Master Zhao also likes Nan Huaijin very much and is willing to take him as an apprentice and teach kung fu for three years. Nan Huaijin considered it for one night at the inn, but still felt that the time was too long, and politely declined. When Li Zongwu learned of Nan Huaijin's decision, he bluntly said that it was a pity.
Later, Nan Huaijin met a boxer and was willing to teach him a set of boxing techniques derived from Taijiquan. After Nan Huaijin saw these moves, she sighed that this set of punches was "not rigid and not soft, and then every action, the move can kill people." "Since this is the case, if a person who has learned this set of martial arts does not have martial virtue and is brave and fierce, will he not be a disaster for the people?"
Therefore, Nan Huaijin gave up her dream of being a chivalrous guest and turned to Buddhism.
Emei Golden Dome during the Republic of China period
At this time, Nan Huaijin had already met Yuan Huanxian, a teacher who had a great influence on his life. Yuan Huanxian presided over the "Zen Seven" grand meeting at the Lingyan Temple this year, and Nan Huaijin naturally had to learn more things with the teacher. Many years later, Nan Huaijin also sighed that Yuan Huanxian taught him several times more than others, "The pen shows that he can save a little bit of residual paper, read it again and again, sweat and tears, this lion has a drop of milk!" ”
Nan Huaijin became even more obsessed with the study of Buddhism, and in May 1943, he suddenly disappeared from Chengdu. Before leaving, Nan Huaijin resigned from the military academy, did not tell any of his friends, and went to Daping Temple in Mount Emei. This monastery, which is located on a cliff face, is inaccessible and contains all the Great Tibetan Scriptures. Nan Huaijin gave up everything and decided to retreat to study Buddhism for three years.
Nan Huaijin's friends in Chengdu have become accustomed to him going out to find Gao Ren or visiting famous mountains and rivers. Xiao Tianshi, who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, said that Nan Huaijin was very strange this time, and suddenly resigned from the military academy, and then disappeared for a long time. Suddenly, one day, a friend of Xiao Tianshi returned from Mount Emei and said that after seeing Nan Huaijin, his friends knew where he had gone, and although they were surprised, they had nothing to say.
Nan Huaijin
For Nan Huaijin, in addition to studying the scriptures, it was also a kind of asceticism. What had happened outside in the past three years, Nan Huaijin did not understand, the little monk occasionally went down the mountain to run errands, and when he came back, he said some news to him. One day, the little monk told him that the Thick Black Sect Leader had died. Nan Huaijin was very sad to hear this, and thought that the twenty pieces of ocean he owed to Li Zongwu could not be repaid, so he read the Diamond Sutra to Li Zongwu every day in those days.
As soon as the three-year retreat ended, Nan Huaijin went down the mountain. When Xiao Tianshi saw him, he asked, "Where did he come from?" Nan Huaijin replied, "Before I went from Lingyan, now I return from Jinding." Xiao Tianshi asked again, "Where do you plan to go in the future?" Nan Huaijin smiled and said, "I don't live everywhere, I live everywhere, I have no home everywhere." At this time, Nan Huaijin was already deeply involved in Zen Samadhi and his mind was ethereal.
After that, Nan Huaijin visited various sects in Xikang and Tibet, and in the autumn of 1946, he went to Yunnan University to give lectures, during which he briefly returned to Chengdu to give lectures at Sichuan University. It was not until 1947 that Nan Huaijin returned to her hometown.
These nine years of Sichuan experience, starting from the search for "sword immortals", to the study of Buddhism and the reading of books, laid a solid foundation for Nan Huaijin to become a world-renowned master of traditional Chinese studies.