Let go of your unkindness: Hong Yi’s letter to his wife before becoming a monk
There is no more suitable scene for farewell than the West Lake, with willow trees and soft waves. In the spring of 1918, a Japanese woman and her friends searched all the temples in Hangzhou and finally found her monk husband in a temple called "Hupao".
The 38-year-old was originally a teacher at Zhejiang Provincial No. 1 Normal School on the other side of the West Lake. He recently resigned from his teaching position and left the school to become a monk here. He met his wife when he was studying in Japan ten years ago. Since then, he has experienced many separations and separations, but this time was the final farewell. The husband decided to leave this prosperous world and convert to Buddhism.
Several people had a relatively silent vegetarian meal at Linhu Vegetarian Restaurant in front of Yuemiao Temple. The husband gave the watch to his wife as a farewell souvenir and comforted her by saying, "You have skills and you will not be unemployed when you return to Japan." The people on the shore cried bitterly as they looked at the boat going away. The people on the boat never even looked back. (Xueke's note: The original source of this paragraph is Huang Yanpei's article "Let Me Talk About Mr. Li Shutong")
This poor Japanese woman may never understand why her husband is so heartless and unjust until her death. At this point...yes, what could be more cruel and heartbreaking than this situation in the world? I burst into tears when I read this.
I was still very young at that time, and I hated the peerless genius Li Shutong with all my teeth. I regarded him as the most unsympathetic and selfish man in the world. His various talents and talents instantly disappeared into smoke in my mind. From then on, there was no longer a Li Shutong in the world who could write poetry, lyrics, calligraphy, painting, seal cutting, music, and acting... There was only Master Hongyi, a famous monk of his generation!
Several years later, I read a letter Li Shutong wrote to his Japanese wife before he became a monk:
Chengzi:
Regarding my decision to become a monk , I have made it clear to the relevant people on all matters around me. I talked to you last time, so you must have understood that it was only a matter of time before I became a monk. After a period of thinking, do you understand my decision? If you have agreed with me to do this, please write to me and tell me that your decision is very important to me.
I understand how you feel when you have to accept the pain and despair of losing someone who is deeply connected to you. But you are extraordinary. Please swallow this bitter wine and live on. I think you are not a vulgar or cowardly soul living in your body. May Buddha's blessings help you get through this difficult time.
To make such a decision, I am not sentimental and unjust. For the sake of the longer and more difficult journey of Buddhism, I must give up everything. I let go of you, and also the fame and wealth I accumulated in the world. These are all passing by, not worth remembering.
What we want to build is a glorious Buddhist kingdom in the future. Let’s meet again in the infinite paradise in the west.
In order not to increase your pain, I will not go back to Shanghai again. Everything in our home is at your disposal and serves as a souvenir. Life is short for decades, and the end will always come. Now we are just moving it forward. We will be separated sooner or later. I hope you can see through it.
In front of the Buddha, I pray that the Buddha’s light will bless you. I hope you will cherish and recite the great name of Buddha.
Shutong Wuwu July 1
(In 1918, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Shutong officially converted to Buddhism. A few weeks after his tonsure, his Japanese wife and he The Japanese lady, who had been deeply in love, rushed all the way from Shanghai to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou with her young son. With the last glimmer of hope, she persuaded her husband not to abandon her and become a monk. This was the year after the two met. In the 11th year. However, Shutong was determined and did not even let his wife and children enter the temple. His wife had no choice but to leave. She just asked sadly at the closed door: "Why do you only hurt me when you are compassionate to the world?" "His wife knew that she could not win back her husband's heart, so she wanted to see him one last time. In the early morning, in the mist on the West Lake, the two boats faced each other. Li Shutong's Japanese wife: "Shutong——" Li Shutong: "Please call me Hongyi." . Wife: "Master Hongyi, please tell me what love is?" Li Shutong: "Love is compassion.")
After many years, I finally understood Master Hongyi's "affection".
How is he "ruthless"? It is clearly "the Tao is ruthless but has feelings"?
For many years, in my mind, ( ) Li Shutong was the image of the determined, cold-hearted monk in Hangzhou who saw through the world of mortals and was as despairing as death. For many years, I have always regarded converting to Buddhism as an irresponsible self-escape.
However, this is not the case. Before he became a monk, he had reserved three months' salary and divided it into three parts. One of them, together with a lock of beard he had cut off, was entrusted to his old friend Mr. Yang Baimin and handed over to his Japanese wife, and he asked his friend to give it to him. The wife was sent back to Japan. From this detail, we can see Master Hongyi’s inner tenderness and guilt as well as his carefulness and thoughtfulness in handling things.
It is said that the news of Li Shutong becoming a monk caused a sensation and various speculations at the time. Most people in the world cannot understand, and the most incomprehensible are those readers who were moved by his poems, especially those sentimental female readers. They lost their sustenance for a while and were in pain. There was a female reader who fell in love with Li Shutong. After he was tonsured, she came to the temple every day to find him and beg him to return to secular life. How does Master Hongyi handle this matter? He sent someone to give the woman a poem, which included these two lines: "Returning the king a bowl of alms without tears, I wish we could have met before we were shaved."
How gentle and compassionate! Not only did he not blame the woman for disturbing others, but he said to the woman in a very regretful tone: It's not that I don't want to accept you, it's just that we met too late. We have no fate in this life, and I can only be ruthless to you. . We can be sure that the woman must have had some enlightenment after reading the poem and had mixed feelings. Even if she was unwilling, she had no choice but to accept her fate. In fact, she just left in tears and stopped disturbing Master Hongyi.
(Note from Snow Viewers: This may be a misrepresentation by Zhang Guanli Dai, because this poem was actually written by another poet monk, Su Manshu. The whole poem is "Wushe Lingbo's skin is like snow, dear Holding a red leaf and asking for a poem. Returning a bowl of alms to you without tears, wishing we could meet before we were shaved.")
As for why Li Shutong became a monk, when I was young, I would never understand it and kept asking. . Now, I feel that even asking is unnecessary. Read the letter he wrote to his wife and it becomes clearer.
His student Feng Zikai once explained: How did he sublimate from art to religion? At that time, everyone was surprised, thinking that Mr. Li had suffered some kind of torture and suddenly "escaped into Buddhism". But I can understand his heart, and I think it is natural for him to become a monk. I think human life can be divided into three levels: first, material life, second, spiritual life, and third, soul life. Material life is food and clothing. Spiritual life is academic literature and art. Soul life is religion. "Life" is such a three-story building. Those who are too lazy (or unable) to take the stairs live on the first floor, that is, they can live a good material life, with fine clothes and fine food, honor and wealth, and filial sons and grandchildren. This is enough. This is also an outlook on life. People who hold this outlook on life make up the majority in the world. Secondly, if you are happy (or have the strength) to take the stairs, climb up to the second floor to play, or stay there for a long time. This is someone who concentrates on academics and literature. They devoted all their efforts to the study of knowledge and placed their whole hearts on the creation and appreciation of literature and art. There are many such people in the world, the so-called "intellectuals," "scholars," and "artists." There is also a kind of person who has a strong "lust for life" and very strong legs. If he is not satisfied with the second floor, he will take the stairs and climb up to the third floor. This is what religious people are. They are very serious in life. It is not enough to satisfy "material desires", and it is not enough to satisfy "spiritual desires". They must explore the ultimate meaning of life. They think that property, children and grandchildren are all external things, academic literature and art are temporary beauty, and even their own bodies are illusory existences. They refuse to be slaves to their instincts. They must investigate the source of their souls and the foundation of the universe, in order to satisfy their "desire for life." This is religious. There are only these three types of people in the world.
Although I use the metaphor of three floors, it does not necessarily mean that you have to go from the first floor to the second floor and then get to the third floor. There are many people who go straight from the first floor to the third floor and do not need to stay on the second floor. There are also many people who don’t even live on the first floor and run up to the third floor in one go. But our Master Hongyi walked up one level at a time. Master Hongyi’s “desire for life” is very strong! He must be thorough in his conduct. In his early years, he was filial to his mother and loving to his wife, and lived on the first floor. In middle age, he concentrated on studying art and developed his talents in many aspects, so he moved to the second floor.
His strong "desire for life" could not satisfy him on the second floor, so he climbed up to the third floor to become a monk, cultivate the Pure Land, and study the precepts. This was a matter of course and no wonder. Being a human being is like drinking alcohol; if you are a small drinker, you will be drunk after drinking a glass of Huadiao wine; if you are a big drinker, drinking Huadiao wine will be too weak, so you must drink sorghum wine to be satisfied. Literature and art are like flower carvings, and religion is like sorghum. Master Hongyi drinks a lot. He can't get enough of Huadiao, so he must drink sorghum. I have a very small capacity for alcohol, so I can only drink Huadiao, and rarely take a sip of sorghum. But those who drink Huadiao can quite understand the feelings of those who drink Sorghum. Therefore, I have always taken it for granted that Master Hong Yi’s sublimation from art to religion is not surprising. The highest point of art is close to religion. The final apex of the two-story escalator is the third floor, so it is inevitable for Master Hongyi to advance from art to religion.
Feng Zikai’s theory of “three floors of life” sweeps away the theories of bankruptcy, reclusion from the world, disillusionment, lovelorn theory, frustration in politics, etc. that have been speculated by the secular people on the reason why Li Shutong became a monk. , realistic and enlightening. I think Feng Zikai should know his teacher best.
With my ordinary eyes, I will never be able to understand the Taoist mind and realm of Master Hongyi throughout my life.
Lin Yutang said: "He once belonged to our era, but he finally abandoned this era and jumped out of the world of mortals." Zhang Ailing said: "Don't think that I am an arrogant person, I have never been ——At least, outside the walls of Master Hongyi's temple, I am so humble."
In fact, he doesn't want to be a treasure or a bright moon, he just does it for his own heart. He did not become a monk to become the eleventh founder of the Vinaya Sect, nor was he to become one of the "Four Great Monks of the Republic of China" along with Xuyun, Taixu and Yinguang. It goes without saying that abandoning one's family and destroying one's career is not a matter of course. He doesn't want those false reputations. The real him has 63 fleeting years, 39 years as a layman, and 24 years as a Buddha. He abides by the precepts, lives in poverty, preaches sutras and Zen, and saves all sentient beings. No need to say anything.
When Master Hongyi passed away, there were two small things that made people think deeply. The first is the post about "the intersection of sorrow and joy" that he wrote on the eve of his death. Both the sentence itself and the calligraphy he wrote show the extraordinary state of mind of an eminent monk in front of the gateway of life and death. It is both sad and sad. Cheerful, thought-provoking. Second, he asked his disciples to remember to put a bowl of water under the shelf of the urn after cremating the body to avoid scalding passing insects and ants to death. It is not strange to pity the lives of ants when you are alive. This is a general requirement for those who practice Taoism. But when you are about to die, you still think about not hurting the living beings in the world. This kind of delicate thought cannot be possessed by a truly compassionate person. It really makes the world Hearing it brings respect!
In the past, I only knew that line from a Tang poem: "Returning the king's pearls sheds tears, wishing we could meet again when we were still unmarried." How could I know this sentence "Returning king a beaker of tears sheds merciless tears, wishing we could meet again before we were married." , compared to the helplessness in that sentence, it is a little more compassionate!
Because you understand, you are compassionate.
The sublimation of love is compassion!