Bodhisattva Monk (Humanity's Moisture in the Empty Gate)

Author: Zhan Dan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The word "love" evokes youth, fire, the desires of reality, and the warmth of the mortal world; while the word "monk" brings to mind old age, ice, and the emptiness and illusion of religious life. Let us enter the tunnel of history and wander through the gallery of art to explore the realm of the "love-monk." This is a journey of emotion, a journey of thought, and a journey of imagination. In ancient literary and artistic halls, the "love-monks" form a unique series of images: there is the monk Kumarajiva, who compares himself to a lotus rooted in mud, trapped by the allure of women; there is Huiyuan, who spent thirty years practicing on Mount Lu but could not break free from the bonds of brotherhood; there is Yuan Guan, who seeks love across lifetimes, believing that form may perish but love endures; and there is Jia Baoyu, who always hesitates and struggles between the net of love and the gate of emptiness.