Why did Li Shutong become a monk? Why did Master Hongyi Li Shutong become a monk?

The reason why Li Shutong became a monk depends on the experiences of his good friends and colleagues Xia Mianzun and Tiger Run. Li Shutong is six years older than Xia Mianzun. They smell alike and are like brothers. Li Shutong is more or less enlightened than Xia Mianzun, while Xia Mianzun is more or less sophisticated than Li Shutong, so there is almost no age difference between them. Although Xia Mianzun is a person who cares about the country and people and has a warm attitude, as he did, he had lost the breath of a young celebrity at that time and just wanted to do some practical work in education. Therefore, on the other hand, he is not keen on politics. Like Li Shutong, he is unwilling to participate in social and political activities. 19 12, at that time, there was a general rumor in the society that universal suffrage was needed. Because he didn't want to be elected, Xia Mianzun changed his name from "Mian" with similar pronunciation to "?Zun", in order to make voters mistakenly write the word "beggar" and become invalid votes. Of course, universal suffrage was not really implemented later, but his temperament was also revealed. In the pavilion of the old West Lake, one day in 19 13, Li Shutong and Xia Mianzun rented a boat to have tea in the pavilion of the West Lake. This is a way for them to seek peace. On this day, they want to avoid a so-called celebrity who comes to the school to give a speech. While drinking tea, Xia Mianzun said to Li Shutong, "People like us are good monks." Admittedly, for Xia Mianzun, what he said was just lip service. How can a person like him who has to worry about school affairs and everything about students be so free? Li Shutong is interested in the monk's life, but as a teacher, although he is quite compatible with the rain and dew in the empty Shanxi Lake, he has devoted himself to practical teaching in recent years, and his life is relatively stable. However, this relative stability was finally shaken in the summer of 19 16, and its objective reason was directly related to Xia Mianzun. On this day, Xia Mianzun read an article in a Japanese magazine entitled "The Practice Method of Fasting". The article says that fasting is a method of "renewing" body and mind. Since ancient times, prominent religious figures, such as Sakyamuni and Jesus, have been fasting. It is also said that fasting can change evil morality and give birth to great spiritual strength, and various matters needing attention and methods in the process of fasting are listed, and then a reference book dedicated to fasting is introduced. After reading an article about fasting in a Japanese magazine, Xia Mianzun felt very interesting and excited, so he introduced it to Li Shutong. It doesn't matter if Li Shutong doesn't watch it, but when he does, he is fascinated. In their later chat, they all said, "If you have the chance, you'd better try to fast." . Like this, in Xia Mianzun's view, it's just talk. As a joke, I completely forgot. But Li Shutong wasn't. He is a man who takes everything seriously. Although he has no intention of becoming a saint like Sakyamuni or Jesus, since this article says that fasting has many benefits, why not try it? Li Shutong made this confession in "I became a monk in the West Lake": "I read in Japanese magazines that fasting can cure various diseases. At that time, I was curious and wanted to stop eating, because I was nervous at that time. If I stop eating, I may be cured. " Li Shutong made up his mind. But at school, he didn't say anything, but made preparations in private. Even Xia Mianzun didn't tell him. The fasting place in Li Shutong is Tiger Run in Hangzhou. Tiger Run has Daci Dinghui Temple, commonly known as Tiger Run Temple. The temple was built by Sengqin Mountain in the second year of Tang Kaicheng (837). In the eighth year of Dazhong (854), he changed his throne. At that time, the monk lived here in the middle earth and got the spring water, so the name of the temple began. In the third year of Xian Tong (862), he went into the middle-earth silence, built a pagoda named "Dinghui Pagoda", praised it as a Nuo emperor, and endowed a temple with the name of the pagoda, saying "Daci Dinghui Temple". Dinghui Temple was repeatedly destroyed and built in the following years. Li Shutong's fast in Tiger Run went well. His original intention is just to try the feeling after fasting, and there is no other more expectation. But this time he came to the temple in person, which was closer to the life of monks. He often sees a monk in front of his window, walk on by, and from time to time he envies his extraordinary atmosphere. Sometimes, he borrowed Buddhist scriptures from monks and tried to find another life in them. 1965438+20061kloc-0/22nd, Li Shutong decided on fast food; Lunar calendar 1 1 30th (19 16 12.24) enters the Year of the Tiger; Chen Bingjiaping fasted on the first day (191612.25); Chen Bingjiaping 18 (191765438+1October1) is the last day of fasting; Chen Bingjiaping returned to Li Shutong on 19171210,65438. So his fasting time is exactly 19 16 12.25 to19171day, *** 18 days before and after. If you add two days to let him go back to school in the mountains, ***20 days. According to Li Shutong's practice, he usually goes back to Shanghai every weekend to reunite with his Japanese wife who lives in hailun road's home in Shanghai, and then returns to Hangzhou on Sunday afternoon. He would rather work hard by himself, but he never asks for leave without reason. In Xia Mianzun's view, Li Shutong goes back to Shanghai every Saturday, so it must be so during the annual leave. So this time, Xia Mianzun thought that everything was as usual, and as soon as the school annual leave was released, he was the master of his own house and went back to his hometown in Shangyu. But when she returned to school during the holiday, Li Shutong, who always came back on time, was gone. One day, two days, ten days, until two weeks later, Li Shutong came back with a thin look. Until then, Xia Mianzun suddenly realized. It turned out that this man was carrying a tiger on his back to stop eating. He asked in surprise, "Why didn't you tell me?" Li Shutong's answer is: "You can say no". Besides, it's not good to teach others about it in advance. Others make a fuss and are prone to twists and turns. Hearing this, Xia Mianzun could only smile and couldn't say a word. He regretted introducing Li Shutong to read this article earlier. With this, I don't know what will happen later! Li Shutong took a photo after fasting. Regarding this fast, Li Shutong commented in "I became a monk in the West Lake": "After I lived in it, I often saw a monk passing by my window, the one who lived upstairs. I think he is very happy! So I often chat with him, and he often shows me Buddhist scriptures. ..... Only then did I return to the life of Tiger Running Temple, and I saw their life, and I liked it very much and envied it. Although I have only lived there for more than half a month, I am very happy and prefer to eat their food. ..... This time I went to the tiger to avoid food, which can be said to be the near cause of my becoming a monk. "Li Shutong often wrote calligraphy during fasting. I feel that my writing ability has not decreased, but has become more fluent. I feel more sensitive and considerate than usual. He himself said: "After fasting, I was very clear-headed, and I felt that I was very smart. I could listen to what people couldn't hear and understand what people couldn't understand. "After the fast, Li Shutong took a photo, and the waiter Yu Wen had an inscription:" The portrait of Mr. Li Xiweng after the fast, No.19 Xinjiaping, Chen Bing, was inscribed by the waiter Wen Yujing. "Li Shutong claimed to have fasted for 17 days (it should be empty), and wrote a picture of spiritualization, with the inscription:" Chen Bingxin entered Daci Mountain and fasted for 17 days, enjoying good health and body. This book is dedicated as a souvenir. Taoist Li Tang. "Li Shutong converted to Buddhism on 19 18 1 month 15, and made positive preparations for home. His life, as his student Feng Zikai said in "Young People Talk about Mr. Hongyi", is "increasingly convergent". His colleague Xia Mianzun expressed regret for his original behavior in the article "Master Hongyi Becoming a Monk". Li Shutong took a group photo with his disciples Liu Zhiping (left) and Feng Zikai (right) before becoming a monk. During these seven years, he wanted to leave Hangzhou No.1 Normal University three or four times, sometimes because he was dissatisfied with the school authorities, and sometimes because he was invited from other places. He tried to leave several times, but he gave up under my persuasion. Even Nanjing Normal University once asked him to teach, and he accepted the letter of appointment because I seriously retained him. His love for me can be said to be beyond ordinary friendship. Seeing such a good friend will leave me because of the change of faith, and faith is no more accommodating than ordinary fame and fortune. I guess I can't keep him this time, and I shouldn't keep him before I deeply regret it. If he had left Hangzhou earlier, he might not have encountered such complicated karma. Seeing Li Shutong's "declining world", once Xia Mianzun was in a hurry and inadvertently blurted out an angry remark: "This is not thorough. It's so cool to be a monk! " Li Shutong didn't mind, but he smiled. Xia Mianzun where know, he has this plan. 19 18 On July 13th of the lunar calendar, Li Shutong bid farewell to Zhejiang No.1 Normal School, where he had been teaching for six years, and officially became a monk. After Li Shutong decided to become a monk, he gave his daily necessities and books to friends and students. The night before becoming a monk, Li Shutong wrote an inscription on the stone tablet "Epitaph of Mrs. Jiang Muqiang". At the end of the inscription, there is the inscription "Great kindness plays Le Shu" (Li Shutong explained his name and played music after conversion). This incident dates back to the spring of 19 17. At that time, Jiang Danshu's mother died of stomach cancer. Jiang Danshu immediately asked Li Shutong to write an epitaph for his mother. Li Shutong agreed verbally, but he didn't start writing. It was not until more than a year later that Li Shutong respectfully lit a red candle and wrote his last calligraphy work the night before he became a monk. After writing, he immediately folded the brush into two pieces. Rosty Yi became a monk. When Jiang Danshu arrived at the room, it was empty. I saw a candle on the table, a broken pen and the epitaph of Jiang Muqiang's wife and wife. Li Shutong's move, coupled with the signature of "playing Le Shu with great kindness", appropriately shows that this epitaph is Li Shutong's masterpiece in secular times. Jiang Danshu once asked Li Shutong why Li Shutong became a monk. In Biography I published by 1943 in Daxiong Bookstore, Jiang Dan wrote a conversation between him and Li Shutong: The master was about to become a monk, and Yu Zeng asked him, "What are you doing?" Said, "nothing. "Yue:" You are an affectionate person, but you are reluctant to abandon your own flesh and blood? " Then he replied, "What if you die of a tiger epidemic?" Jiang Danshu listened to Li Shutong's answer and did not flinch. He felt that Li Shutong's becoming a monk was not world-weary or deceiving the world. It is because he knows life and is born to be alive. This is the so-called returning to nature.