At the intersection of Haihe East Road and Binhai Road in Tianjin, there is a blue-grey courtyard. This is the former residence of Li Shutong, the family of Master Hongyi.

Li Shutong's father Li Shizhen was a Jinshi in 1865, the fourth year of Tongzhi. From a boy to a young man, Li Shutong went from being a member of a Tianjin family with a superior family background and a wide range of hobbies to a talented and elegant scholar on the sea. Later, he studied in Japan and devoted himself to Western music, art, and drama, becoming a pioneer in introducing Western art to China. In his middle age, he became a solemn school teacher who was cleansed of all his glory and had great reputations all over the world. After becoming a monk, he became a Buddhist master of a generation with strict discipline, profound attainments and much respect. Literary man, artist, and eminent monk, this was Li Shutong, who was unique but not alone.

In 1918, at the age of 38, Li Shutong became a monk. It is a pity that the talented and talented man of that time escaped into Buddhism. His student Feng Zikai said this: There are three levels of life: material, spiritual and soul life. He believed that Li Shutong's strong "desire for life" and his thorough attitude towards life prompted him to sublimate from art to religion, from an artist to "becoming a monk" Cultivate the Pure Land." He reached the highest realm of pursuing the ultimate in life and found his destination.

Lin Yutang said: Li Shutong is one of the most talented geniuses in our era, and he is also the most unique person, the most secluded and independent person. He once belonged to our era but finally abandoned this era and jumped out of the mortal world.

At that time, the family of a salt merchant and a wealthy family running a bank, Uncle Li was not to be overly polite and focused on inner cultivation, which is "the heart is always satisfied when things are satisfied, and there is nothing to ask for." High quality." From being extremely wealthy to having a poor family, from being extremely gorgeous to returning to nature, what kind of inspiration does it give us? Everything has its time, but there is no end to the cultivation of personality.

Following his mother to go south and leaving his big family in Tianjin, he had a more relaxed life. The memories of twenty years of life made him feel that life only lasted in a blink of an eye. The bumps and dust of living in a foreign land made him feel uncomfortable. He tasted the pain of life for the first time. When his mother died, Li Shutong was not by his mother's side, which became a regret in his life. "The remaining two lines of tears were shed and chanted into a night of autumn."

In his later years, his father Li Shizhen was immersed in Wang Yangming's studies, as well as Zen Buddhism, and was quite talented. It was not until Li Shutong taught in Hangzhou that the introspective skills of Li Xiaolou, the master of Cunpu Hall, emerged in him and continued in Li Shutong for the rest of his life. Feng Zikai said: Master Hongyi changed from a handsome young man to an overseas student, then to a teacher, third to a Taoist, and fourth to a monk. Every kind of person is done very decently. Master Hongyi, who always maintains frosty integrity, is admirable!

Regarding his lifelong self-cultivation, he talked about the order of correction, that is, the first study - reading more Buddhist and Confucian books to understand the difference between good and evil and the method of correction; the second study - every word and deed , always reflect, write down every day, and correct the bad things; three corrections - change the mistakes into upright things. He summarized his ten experiences: be modest, be cautious, be generous, suffer losses, be taciturn, don't talk about others' faults, don't criticize your own mistakes, don't cover up your own mistakes, don't defend yourself when you hear slander, and don't get angry. These experiences are truly enlightening to us in this mortal world.

Just as Li Shutong wrote: The wind and flowers outside the door have their own springs, and the castles in the sky are in the painting. Now we have to marry each other, and we have to stop worrying about the illusion and reality of life. When you work hard for your dreams, when you are down-to-earth and focused, stop worrying about the illusion and reality of life. Let us remember the couplet of Cunpu Hall: Cherishing clothes and food is not to cherish wealth and luck. When seeking fame and profit, we must know that we should seek for ourselves and not others. Let go of your obsessions, cherish what you have, and live in the present!