Su Manshu said Zen

Author: Da Huang, Yin Chen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-19
Features: The character "Zen" in Chan Buddhism is a shortened form of Dhyana (Sanskrit), translated as "calm abiding," meaning contemplation in tranquility, generally referred to as "meditation." The method of learning Chan involves concentrating the mind on a particular state and delving into it with one's whole being, in the hope of realizing one's true nature. Therefore, learning Chan is also known as "insight meditation." According to records, Chan was introduced to China by the Indian master Bodhidharma during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. During the Tang and Song dynasties, Chan Buddhism flourished and became a unique and important sect within Buddhism. The solemnity and tranquility of Indian missionaries underwent a transformation in Chan, becoming more flexible, witty, and humorous. By the 12th century, Chan Buddhism spread from China to Japan, exerting a wide and profound influence. In modern times, it gave rise to the natural,, and life-oriented "Living Chan." If we have some understanding of Buddhism itself, we would know that the truth realized by the Buddha is not a religion of temple forms and rituals, but a way of life rooted in contemplation. And Chan Buddhism is closer to the inner essence of Buddhism than any other sect. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, there was a Zen master who walked the path of "contemplation"—he was the Master Mantshu, who held a certain position in the history of modern literature, Buddhism, and painting.
Mantshu's biological mother was his father Su Jiesheng's fourth wife, named Ruozi, who was the younger sister of Kojaku. The Su family was a prominent and wealthy clan in Guangdong, engaged in business in Yokohama, Japan, for many years. Three months after Ruozi gave birth to Mantshu, she was forced to leave the infant. Mantshu was taken back to Guangdong by Su Jiesheng and raised by Kojaku. After returning to Guangdong, the large family subjected the child of a foreign mother to constant bullying. Unable to endure the family's disdain, Kojaku returned to Japan. That same year, the Su family suffered financial losses, and their fortunes gradually declined. When Mantshu was twelve, Su Jiesheng went to Shanghai for business and left him in his hometown to study at a private academy. Soon after, Mantshu fell seriously ill, and during his illness, his family threw him into the (firewood storage). This incident left a deep scar on his young heart. Although he miraculously survived that ordeal, it foreshadowed a lonely life ahead.
Later, young Mantshu entered Changshou Temple in Guangzhou and became a monk. However, this was not a decision made out of enlightenment or a deep understanding of life. Once, he stole and ate pigeon meat, and after being discovered by the old abbot, he was expelled from the temple. At the age of fifteen, Mantshu followed his cousin to study politics at Waseda University in Japan, in his adoptive mother Kojaku's hometown, where he fell in love at first sight with a Japanese girl named Shizuko. However, their relationship was opposed by the Su family. Mantshu's uncle, upon learning of this, said that Mantshu's behavior had disgraced the Su family's reputation and even went to Shizuko's parents' home to cause trouble. Enraged, Shizuko's parents beat and cursed her publicly. As a result, Shizuko, unable to bear the suffering, drowned herself in the sea. Shizuko's suicide deeply disheartened Mantshu, leaving him utterly despondent. Upon returning to Guangzhou, Mantshu entered Putian Temple and began his life as a half-monk, half-civilian, drifting through storms and hardships.
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