Zhang Ailing, known as a genius writer, has such a high vision.

But she said this: "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."

Writer Lin Yutang also said: "Li Shutong is one of the most talented geniuses in our era, and he is also the most unique person, the most reclusive and independent person."

Li Shutong is just like that An idol in the hearts of outstanding literati of the era and a cultural pioneer.

In the first half of his life, Li Shutong was a man of great talent, enjoying all the glory and splendor; in the second half of his life, he was solemn and peaceful.

He has a detached and independent demeanor.

He is a person who lives to the extreme and pursues the perfection of his soul.

A handsome young man, stunningly blooming

Li Shutong was born in Tianjin in 1880 into a family of wealthy officials and businessmen. His father, Li Shizhen, together with Li Hongzhang and Wu Rulun, was known as the three great talents in the late Qing Dynasty. He later resigned from office and went into business and became a wealthy man in Jinmen.

When Li Shutong was born, his mother was 17 years old and his father was 71 years old. It is said that a magpie brought pine branches in its mouth to the delivery room. People said that this was an auspicious gift from the Buddha and that the child would be extraordinary.

Li Shutong always carried this pine branch with him, accompanying him through a tortuous and magical life, and never leaving it.

Li Shutong, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, had a pair of "Buddhist" parents. The Buddhist family tradition sowed the "seed" of Buddhism in his little mind. No one could have imagined that this seed would In the future, a magnificent and wonderful flower appeared in the history of Chinese Buddhism.

When he was 5 years old, his father passed away. Li Hongzhang came to express condolences and preside over the funeral. When he first met Li Shutong, the well-informed Li Hongzhang was surprised: "This son will definitely be a genius in the future."

The clever and lively nature of children was suppressed, causing Li Shutong to be taciturn since he was a child. But such words and deeds, and reminders from ear to ear, were the hammering and carving of this rough jade by Li Shutong, which laid the foundation for his future glory.

Li Shutong has been reading poetry and books since he was a child. When he was 8 years old, he recited the catchy line from "The Collection of Famous Sages": "A tall white horse is worth ten thousand taels of gold. It's not a relative who comes to ask for a hand in marriage. Once the horse dies and all the gold is gone, the relative will be like a stranger." Everyone was astonished that he was a genius.

At the age of 15, he wrote the famous sentence "Life is like the sun on the west mountain, wealth is like frost on grass." At first glance, it seems that this is Li Shutong’s calling card for his talent, and it has indeed made him famous as a “Qilin Talented Scholar”. Looking back now, I can see that the seeds planted at the beginning have begun to sprout. Such a sentence reveals the true meaning of life, as the Buddha said, everything is outside the body. Things, the month of life is like a full and waning moon.

At this time, the young Li Shutong also began to "rebellion". He wants to take up the spear of talent, challenge the shield of the world, and express himself in defiance of stereotypes.

He became interested in watching operas, singing operas, supporting actors, hanging out in theaters, and became a die-hard fan.

He often goes to the "Tianxian Garden", where there is the brightest star - Yang Cuixi. He must come every day. She was on the stage, with a low smile, beautiful eyes, and a melodious singing voice. He was off the stage, looking at each other infatuatedly, stepping on each other's feet, applauding and applauding. When the show was over, he held a lantern, chatted all the way and reluctantly sent her home.

When talking about opera, he immediately became very excited. He had never studied opera, but he was able to make incisive comments on her singing and body movements based on his talent, which impressed her. And Yang Cuixi is also very smart and spiritual. After his guidance, his skills have continued to improve and he has become more and more popular.

Two boys and girls who have just begun to fall in love have similar interests. Perhaps they have not realized that this is love. But the two hearts are getting closer and closer.

But the reality is too cruel. Yang Cuixi is too popular, and unfortunately she is favored by dignitaries. An unscrupulous official sold her into an official family, and the beauty disappeared.

If you are young and do not know the feeling of sorrow, it is because you do not understand love. In the future, Li Shutong tasted the pain of losing love before he could appreciate the beauty of love. Only after you have loved can you know more, and he sheds tears all day long. Even if there is all kinds of infatuation, how can it be worth the ruthlessness of reality.

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"The crazy soul twists and turns, wishing to transform into a flower and butterfly; outside the curtain, under the shade of flowers, I can dream of the morning fragrance."

At this point, the tragic story of the talented man and the beautiful woman in the play Qi is vividly played by Li Shutong. After all, love is like morning dew, and you don’t envy mandarin ducks or immortals.

See all the prosperity and move towards peace

Li Shutong, who was frustrated in his first love, did not become decadent. Instead, he devoted all his energy to studying and improved his studies. He studied eight-part essay, and the format requirements were very strict. Others wrote according to the rules, but he was always full of literary thoughts. He felt that there was not enough paper to write, so he wrote two words in a grid, and he wrote arbitrarily without sticking to the pattern. He was called "Li Shuangxing" .

He was sharp-minded and angry. In the imperial examination, he criticized the Eight-Part Essay for "having no theory in mind and running the army without any plan." Financial management..."

He criticized the current ills and offended the government, and failed in the examination.

He supported the Reform Movement of 1898 and followed the Restoration, and engraved the seal "Kang Jun of Nanhai is my teacher" to express his feelings.

As a result, the reform failed. The Six Gentlemen were killed, Kangliang went into exile, and Li Shutong was affected. In order to avoid disaster, he fled to Shanghai with his family.

He was married at that time, and his wife, Yu, was a dignified and graceful daughter of a wealthy businessman. Li Shutong had a weak relationship with his wife Yu. Like many celebrities of that era, he disdained his first wife, who was ordered by his parents to be a matchmaker.

He is a romantic talent with both talent and good looks. When he came to the drunken, glamorous and elegant Shanghai, he was like a fish in water.

He was dressed in bright clothes and angry with his horse, and he had a graceful demeanor. He composed poems for his beauties, echoed them with famous and talented actresses, and spent a lot of money.

"Stop yelling and play games." He doesn't care about the family business, and he has a huge fortune that he can squander in his willful ways. Such a life is so carefree and happy.

He lingered in romantic places but never fell behind in his studies. He was admitted to Nanyang Public School with excellent results and became Cai Yuanpei's favorite student. In the "Shanghai Society", a new academic organization full of talents, he was always number one for his outstanding literary talent. With full domineering power, he conquered the entire Shanghai and started his cheating life.

He was the first to incorporate the Book of Songs into Western music, creating many popular songs.

He talked and laughed like a scholar, joined the "Chengnan Literary Society" and met Xu Huanyuan, a leader in the literary world. He made friends through literature, and became sworn sworn sworn sworn friends to Jinlan with Xu Huanyuan, Zhang Xiaolou, Cai Xiaoxiang, and Yuan Xilian, and they were called the "Five Friends from the End of the World".

He is a wizard and a generalist. He is unique in calligraphy, can carve fine gold and stone seals, is a senior amateur, holds workshops, writes scripts and performs on stage... During his studies in Japan, he disguised himself as a woman and appeared in " "La Traviata", he slimmed down and shaved his beard to create a slender waist. His wonderful performance was amazing, and the benefit performance was extremely sensational.

With his youthful spirit, he criticized Fang Qiu. He was the brightest star in Shanghai. His student Feng Zikai wrote: "At that time, he held his head very high, and his handsomeness was revealed in Between the eyebrows.

"

He was at his peak when he debuted, and he was unparalleled in the world.

Before studying in Japan, he wrote his pinnacle work: "Twenty articles shocked the world. After all, there is no empty talk. The long night is so miserable that I can't sleep. How can I save all living beings without breaking my heart? Is it the motherland, can you bear to live up to it? "Expressed his patriotism. After that, he went to Japan to study and later became the most talented teacher in China.

One night, his best friend Xu Huanyuan came to say goodbye to him and stood outside the door: " My family is bankrupt, we will meet again later." After saying that, he left with tears.

Li Shutong had mixed feelings and asked his wife to play the piano and wrote "Farewell" on the spot: "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass is green and the sky is green. . The evening breeze carries the faint sound of willow flutes, and the sun sets outside the mountains. At the end of the sky, in the corner of the earth, acquaintances are half scattered, and the wine in the cup is gone. Don't sleep in the cold tonight. "

This song "Farewell" makes people heartbroken. Each word of it is beautiful, sad and beautiful, and has been magnificent for more than a hundred years.

Pu Shu sang "Farewell" and sang to Halfway through tears, he said, “If I could write a song like this, it would be worth dying there. ”

In all of Li Shutong’s handed down works, we can see his grandeur, sentiments, unrestrained and wild, rich in mind, and extraordinary in appearance. And the sadness in "Farewell" may be in his bones The lingering loneliness and reflection on the changing life.

He stood at the pinnacle of life, experienced great wealth and great talent, which was a life that others could not get after several lifetimes. But he felt that the meaning of life was more than that.

He had a close relationship with Buddhism since he was a child. Once, he was chatting with his friend Xia Beizun. I simply became a monk, which was really refreshing! "

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was greatly touched. Later he said: "My becoming a monk is largely due to the help of this layman Xia. This kindness can never be forgotten! ”

Regardless of talent, reputation, or love, half of his life was prosperous and half of his life was romantic. He made a big fuss in the world of mortals and left in style. He chose to give up decisively in the prime of his life and rewrite the rest of his life.

Seeing through the world of mortals, the heart of the sky is full of moon

In 1916, 37-year-old Li Shutong wrote "One flower and one leaf, solitary and fragrant. Stay clear of confusion and achieve wisdom. "After fasting in the mountains, he became a monk.

In 1918, his Japanese wife returned to China after all the hardships and asked to see him, and he agreed to see him for the last time. That day, the atmosphere on the West Lake was solemn.

Two wooden boats faced each other. Come. The two stood tall, he wore solemn robes, and she looked sad.

As the two boats approached, she stared at them for a long time and said: I will return home tomorrow.

He said. : Okay.

She burst into tears: Shutong...

He said: Please call me Hong Yi.

She was silent for a long time: Master Hong Yi, please tell me. What is love?

He replied: Love is compassion.

Then he turned around and never looked back.

She burst into tears. >

This was the last time they met. He wrote to her: "Life is short for decades, and the end will always come. Now it is just an advance. We will be separated sooner or later. I hope you can see through it. "

"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. "

What Xiao Qi, the king of Yuzhang, said to his wife in "Shangyang Fu": I will not allow my princess to be weak.

A king wants his woman to be strong; A Buddha must have a woman who has loved him enough.

Facing his wife, Master Hongyi was cold and decisive, "Only those who have deeply experienced the world of mortals can give up the world of mortals so resolutely." He straddled the material and spiritual world and bravely moved towards the highest point of his soul. "Explore the truth of life". He began his soul journey all over the world.

After entering Buddhism, everyone thought that because of his talent and spirituality, he would choose the light Zen sect, but he chose the Vinaya sect, which has the most stringent and rigid precepts. Buna, don’t eat after noon.

Once he was having a gathering with his friends. Because the people were not all there yet at 12 o’clock, he only drank water. When everyone was there, he said firmly: I won’t eat after lunch. Make all friends feel ashamed.

Ouyang Yuqian and he were good friends, and the time for meeting each other passed. He refused behind closed doors: You were five minutes late, no see you. Ouyang Yuqian knew his temper and could only turn around and leave.

He set about reviving the Vinaya sect, compiling Buddhist scriptures, giving lectures and traveling around, weathering the wind and rain, and worked tirelessly.

When he was a child, his father hung a large couplet in his home: "Cherishing food and cherishing clothes is not to cherish wealth and luck." He remembered this throughout his life. After becoming a monk, he could not bear to waste a grain of rice, so he " The word "cherish" is taken to the extreme.

After becoming a monk for more than 20 years, I still use the items I brought with me. A monk’s robe has been worn for more than ten years, and I have to pick up rags from the garbage to mend them. When others asked for calligraphy, he returned all the leftover rice paper without wasting any of it.

At the age of 58, Hongyi named himself "Old Man Eryi": as he grows old without doing anything, there is no need to say that he is worthless.

This is self-deprecation, a simple life, and the pursuit of ultimate abundance and perfection.

Many people don’t understand why he has to live in such poverty? Director Tian Qinxin said: "He is happy. Every time he suffers, he becomes better. He wants to work hard to be a human being. He is trying to be a human being when he comes to this world."

He was eventually revered as the eleventh ancestor of the Vinaya Sect. Such glory, compared to the prosperity of the first half of his life, is his true ideal pursuit.

"All appearances are false."

In the autumn of 1942, Master Hongyi, who was seriously ill, wrote his will in advance and repeatedly asked his body to be cremated by placing a bowl under his four feet and filling it with water to prevent ants and insects from climbing up. was burned to death. He calmly arranged his posthumous affairs, said goodbye to his close friends one by one, chanted the Buddha's name, and wrote the last calligraphy "Sorrow and Joy".

When the disciple Ye Qing bowed to the Master to say goodbye, he looked up and saw a pine branch hanging on the wall. That was the pine branch that the magpie carried when he was born, and it stayed with him throughout his life.

Nan Huaijin, a master of traditional Chinese culture, said: "Practice is not to meet the Buddha, but to meet yourself."

The greatness of Master Hongyi is not limited to his handed down works. Not because of his outstanding artistic achievements, but because of his strong vitality and self-control, he lived to the extreme, completed self-realization, and pursued a noble personality.

His favorite student, Feng Zikai, divided life into three realms:

The first material, fine clothing and food, honor and wealth, filial sons and loving grandchildren, this is enough. ;

The second spirit is the so-called "intellectuals", "scholars" and "artists";

The third soul has a strong "desire for life" and satisfies material and spiritual desires. It is not enough, we must explore the truth of life.

Master Hongyi is in the third realm.

. END .

Text | The clouds are calm and the wind is gentle

Editor | Daniel Lee

Typesetting | Drizzle

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