1October 23rd, 1880, 10, Li Shutong was born in Lizhai, Tianjin. At that time, the Li family had a successful career and was a rich man in Tianjin. As a rich second generation, Li Shu has no chance to experience the daily life of a dissolute and noble son, because he has a very responsible and strict brother. This elder brother taught Li Shutong to learn and practice calligraphy strictly since he was a child. Before 15 years old, Li Shutong kept company with poetry books almost every day, either "reading sages' books" or "reading books from everyone".
I thought I would grow up like this, and then take the route of "ruling the country and leveling the world" that my brother expected. Unexpectedly, I was lucky enough to let him see an actor who babbled, and even left him a message affectionately. At that moment, Cupid seemed to hit the heart, and Li Shutong fell.
So he often went to the theater to pay tribute to his sister's papers, and after reading them, he became interested in "singing opera", so he also conducted in-depth research on opera. Every day after the performance, he will carefully guide his sister's figure and singing skills to improve his artistic accomplishment, and then escort her home at night.
Unfortunately, first love can't escape the fate of premature death. The two are still in the stage of "expression, stop at ceremony". Sister paper was sold to the official in the theater and soon got married.
After losing his first love, Li Shutong was sad for a while, but life had to go on, so he settled down and went back to the book to see his "Yan Ruyu". In the next three years, Li Shutong was immersed in the study of poetry and songs, and gradually became fascinated with seal script management.
/kloc-When she was 0/8 years old, she married the daughter of a tea merchant under the arrangement of her mother. What impressed him most about his parents' engagement this time was probably the 300,000 family expenses given by his brother, which was a huge sum at that time. So he happily bought an expensive piano and began to learn music and arrange music.
Later, because of supporting the "Reform Movement of 1898", six gentlemen were implicated in martyrdom and their family moved to Shanghai. Here, he joined the "Chengnan Literature Society" and began his life as a scholar: he founded the "Shanghai Calligraphy and Painting Association", attended Nanyang Public School, starred in Peking Opera, wrote songs and scripts, and studied in Japan. During his stay in Japan, he freely fell in love with a Japanese sister paper, who later became his second wife.
Li Shutong made great achievements in many fields when he was young because of his diligent study and extensive dabbling.
In drama, he and his classmates formed the first drama group "Spring Willow Society" in China, starring in La Traviata, Night of a Slave, New Butterfly Dream and other plays.
In painting, he began to try oil painting and hired nude models to teach fine arts, so he became the originator of China's oil painting and the first person in China to teach with nude models. In addition, he has written many works, such as History of Western Art, Overview of European Literature, Usage of Plaster Model, etc.
In seal cutting, he joined Xiling Seal Society, and after class, he also gathered friends and students to organize Xerox Society to engage in the research and creation of epigraphy.
In music, he edited and published the Collection of Songs of Chinese Studies, which was used as a teaching material in primary and secondary schools at that time, as well as songs such as Farewell, Memories of Childhood, Dream and West Lake, which were widely loved by young students and intellectuals.
In terms of calligraphy, his calligraphy was praised as "frank, free and easy" in the early stage, and "diluted and wild, gentle and beautiful" in the later stage, which was unique and had unique charm.
Throughout the first half of Li Shutong's life, he almost reached perfection in many fields, such as poetry, ci, calligraphy, painting, seal cutting, music, drama, literature and so on. His extraordinary artistic attainments initiated the splendid culture and art in China.
Middle-aged, he came across the method of "fasting" introduced in a Japanese magazine one day, so he ran to Tiger Run Dinghui Temple in Hangzhou and tried to fast for 17 days. In this way, he became a vegetarian During the fast in the temple, he also learned something about Buddhism.
Later, Li Shutong began to learn Buddhist scriptures gradually. It was not until he was 39 years old that he officially became a monk after the Spring Festival in Tiger Run Dinghui Temple, and his legal name was Hongyi.
Since then, he has traveled to Lingyin Temple, yuquan temple Temple, Dinghui Temple and other temples, studied Buddhism deeply, read classics extensively, and was naturally intelligent, and soon gained a deeper understanding of the practice. He not only practiced legalism by himself, but also shared what he learned with others. In order to carry forward the Dharma, he also compiled some famous Buddhist works, such as Hua Yan Ji Lian 300, Four Points Method of Showing Buddhists' Prosperity, and An Introduction to the Dharma of Home South Mountain. His painstaking research and vigorous promotion of legalism made him a respected legalist master in modern Buddhism and a famous Buddhist monk at home and abroad.
In the second half of his life, Li Shutong converted to his true heart, transcended worldly customs, painstakingly converted to Buddhism, did not eat in the afternoon, intensively studied Buddhism, promoted Buddhism, and made all beings out of their misery. Therefore, it was regarded as the eleventh ancestor of legalism by Buddhist disciples.
Li Shutong, a monk born after China's entry into WTO, has left endless spiritual wealth to the world with his legendary life.