01 Farewell
In 1918, a Japanese woman searched all the temples in Hangzhou and finally found her husband in a temple called "Tiger Pao". The two finally met in the West Lake, each taking a small boat and looking at each other.
At that time, he was dressed in monk's robes and had a solemn appearance. The handsome young man in the past had long since escaped into Buddhism.
As their eyes met, she burst into tears.
"Shu Tong!"
"Please call me Hong Yi."
"Master Hong Yi, please tell me what love is?"
< p> "Love is compassion.""Compassion is for the world, why can it only hurt me?"
Faced with the question, he did not answer, but turned around silently and walked away decisively.
Just like when the Buddha abandoned his wife and children, he regarded wealth as a floating cloud, just to save all sentient beings. Letting go of you is not my fault; instead of loving one person with an ordinary heart, it is better to love everyone in the world with a Buddha heart. He would rather betray one person than betray the whole world.
The Japanese woman is called Seiko, and her husband’s common name is Li Shutong, his Buddhist name is Yanyin, and his name is Hongyi. Before that, he was a famous art master, and after that he became a generation of eminent monks.
From then on, there was no more Li Shutong in the world, only Master Hongyi.
02 Half-life prosperous half-life monk
Li Shutong was born in a famous family in Tianjin. It is said that on the day he was born, the Buddha gave him auspiciousness and a magpie brought pine branches to the delivery room. Just like Jia Baoyu, he was born with jade in his mouth. From the beginning, the outcome is determined.
When he was a boy, he was a handsome young man, traveling around the world, grinding gold powder together, having fun in teahouses and taverns, and expressing his love in love affairs.
In his middle age, he was a romantic celebrity, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, swords, poetry, tea and wine.
Articles: His "twenty articles shocked the world", integrating poetry, lyrics and literature into one, creating the first of China's glorious culture.
Calligraphy: He is "simple, complete, and natural", pushing the art of calligraphy in ancient China to the extreme.
Art: He acted in plays, painted oil paintings, and wrote his own lyrics and music. His "Farewell" is still popular and has become a classic song. "Outside the pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass reaches the sky..."
At the same time, he also taught and educated people, and successively trained cultural celebrities such as painter Feng Zikai and musician Liu Zhiping.
The first half of his life was filled with passion and no waste. In the second half of his life, he converted to Buddhism and let go of his thoughts, feeling completely at ease!
In 1918, 38-year-old Li Shutong officially became a monk. From then on, he bid farewell to the romance, flowers, snow and moon, and took the ancient scrolls of green lanterns as his companions.
He strictly abides by the precepts of the Vinaya sect and insists on "not eating after noon" and only eats twice a day, the first time at 6 am and the second time at 11 am. His diet is extremely simple and he never wastes anything. His daily necessities are all those he used when he became a monk. They have not become easier in the past twenty-six years. A collared robe with two hundred and twenty-four patches, green and gray, in tatters.
At the same time, he was compassionate. Master Hongyi went to the home of his student Feng Zikai and invited Master Feng to sit down. The Master first shook the wicker chair gently, and then slowly sat down, every time. Feng asked why, and the Master replied: "In this chair, between the two vines, there may be small insects lurking. If you sit down suddenly, they will be crushed to death. So shake it first and sit down slowly to let them Run away."
Mr. Xu Beihong visited the mountain many times to visit Master Hongyi. Once, Mr. Xu Beihong suddenly discovered that a branch that had been dead for many years on the mountain was sprouting new green buds. He was very puzzled and said to the Master: "This tree sprouts because of you. A senior monk came to this mountain and moved this dead tree." , it came back to life." Master Hongyi said: "No, it was because I watered it every day that it slowly came back to life." Another time, Mr. Xu Beihong went to visit Master Hongyi. He saw a ferocious beast walking around in front of the Master without any intention of hurting anyone. Mr. Xu felt very strange and asked, "This beast is a wild beast on the mountain. Why didn't it hurt people here?" The Master said, "Earlier it It was caught by others, but I let it go, so it would not hurt me." In October 1942, the 62-year-old Master Hongyi passed away, leaving behind the four words "Sorrow and Joy". Gone in nirvana.
When he was dying, Master Hongyi asked his disciples to put four bowls of water on the foot of the niche to prevent ants from climbing on the body and being accidentally burned to death. His kindness is evident.
In the end, his reputation was wiped out and he became a generation of eminent monks. He single-handedly revived the declining Vinaya sect and was regarded by Buddhist disciples as the eleventh generation ancestor of the Vinaya sect.
His life is just like what Yu Pingbo said: "Mr. Li did everything the same: when he was a young man, he was like a handsome young man; when he was middle-aged, he was a celebrity, like a romantic celebrity; when he was doing drama, he was like a handsome man. Be like an actor; learn oil painting, be like an artist; learn piano, be like a musician; run a newspaper, be like an editor; be a teacher, be like a teacher; be a monk, be like a monk."
03 Three floors of life
After the death of Master Hong Yi, Feng Zikai summed up the true meaning of life through his memories and thoughts about his teacher - that is, "three floors of life".
He said: Human life can be divided into three levels:
The first level is material life, which is food and clothing;
The second level is spiritual life, which is academic literature and art;
The third level is soul life, and 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, a loving mother and a filial son, and they are satisfied. 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 their 'material desires', and it is not enough to satisfy their 'spiritual desires'. They must explore the essence of life...
There are only these three kinds of people in the world.
When talking about Master Hong Yi, Feng Zikai said: Master Hong Yi’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 his middle age, he concentrated on studying art and exerted his multi-faceted genius, so he moved to the second floor. His strong "lust for life" could not make him Being satisfied with the second floor, then climbing up to the third floor to become a monk, cultivate the Pure Land, and break the precepts. This is a matter of course and no wonder...
If we look at ordinary people in the world based on this standard, we can't help but It’s so shameful, it’s really “too cold to be at a high place”.
No wonder Zhang Ailing said: "Don't think that I am a arrogant person, I have never been - at least, outside the walls of Master Hongyi's temple, I am so humble."
Conclusion:
I would like to write a song "Farewell" to remember the eternal Master Hongyi Li Shutong:
Outside the pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky;
Evening The wind blows and the sound of the willow flute fades, and the sun sets outside the mountains;
At the end of the sky, at the corner of the earth, close friends are half scattered;
Life is rarely about reunions, only separations are many;
Outside the pavilion, beside the ancient road, green grass reaches the sky;
I asked you when you will return here, and don’t wander when you come;
The end of the sky, the corner of the earth, we are close friends Half scattered;
A pot of turbidity spreads all the remaining joy, don’t dream cold tonight.