Worldly Li Shutong

Author: Pan Honghui
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book depicts the emotional life of Li Shutong before he became a monk, which occupies a significant portion of the work. I have written this beloved master in a fictional style, and I must portray him as a person with real emotions and desires to truly express my respect for him. To interpret Master Hongyi Li Shutong from a modern perspective would lose the meaning of writing this long novel, so I have exposed Li Shutong's emotional world before he became a monk without hesitation, trying to contemplate the turning points and subtle changes in his inner world. He is who he is! Just because he became a monk afterward, it doesn’t mean that everything in the past ceased to exist or was erased. Master Hongyi, though he saw through the dust of the world, was not pessimistic or world-weary; the Buddha preached throughout his life to rescue all living beings, and he did so with an ascetic spirit while engaging in worldly endeavors. — Zhu Guangqian
Perhaps it can be said that the monk's ordination was an awkward moment in China's New Culture. He was breaking free, avoiding, and had been drained for a long time, suddenly impatient with the noise. He no longer grew frustrated with the constant contradictions between art and utility, leaping into the unknown to seek the wholeness of his soul. — Yu Jiajun
Early sorrow appeared in the life of Madam Camellia, and the final vow became a monk's asceticism. Countless treasures were offered to the world, and a bright moon shone in his heart. — Zhao Puchu
There are already many biographies of Master Hongyi in the sea of books, yet few tell the story of Li Shutong before he became a monk. I long to know the young Li Shutong. So worldly, so talented, so literary—why did he give up the secular world and enter the Buddhist door? The extreme contrast between entering and leaving the world, as seen in Li Shutong, creates a highly dramatic tension! To portray him as a person with real emotions and desires, to contemplate the turning points and subtle changes in his inner world, is enough to express my respect for him. — Pan Honghui
Master Hongyi transformed from a charming gentleman to a student abroad, then to a teacher, then to a Taoist, and finally to a monk. In each role, he was perfectly suited, much like a versatile actor who is always [serious]. — Feng Zikai
This book depicts the emotional life of Li Shutong before he became a monk, which occupies a significant portion of the work. I have written this beloved master in a fictional style, and I must portray him as a person with real emotions and desires to truly express my respect for him. To interpret Master Hongyi Li Shutong from a modern perspective would lose the meaning of writing this long novel, so I have exposed Li Shutong's emotional world before he became a monk without hesitation, trying to contemplate the turning points and subtle changes in his inner world. He is who he is! Just because he became a monk afterward, it doesn’t mean that everything in the past ceased to exist or was erased.