Diary of Master Hong Yi - Three Variants -- Modern Famous People's Diary Series

Author: Written by Hóngyī Master, Edited by Yú Kūnlin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Hóngyī Master, originally named Chéngxī as a child and Wéntāo by name, styled Shūtóng. After entering Buddhism, he changed his name to Yǎnyī and took the title Hóngyī. His ancestral home was in Pinghu, Zhejiang. Born on October 23, 1880, in House No. 2, Lùjiā Hútòng, Dongli District, Tianjin, into a wealthy family. His father, Lǐ Shìzhēn, styled Xiǎolóu, was a jinshi (imperial scholar) in the fourth year of the Tongzhi era (1865) and served as a chief clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. He soon resigned from his official post and returned to Tianjin to engage in business, primarily in salt trade, eventually monopolizing salt production both within and outside Tianjin, becoming a wealthy figure in the city. Hóngyī Master's mother, Lady Wáng, named Fènglíng, was originally a maid of Lǐ Xiǎolóu and later became his third concubine. She had some knowledge of literature and was deeply devoted to Buddhism, greatly influencing Hóngyī Master's upbringing. When he was five, his father passed away, and the family began to decline due to this tragedy. At the age of 19, following the martyrdom of the "Six Gentlemen," he and his wife fled Tianjin with his mother to Shanghai to escape persecution and settled there thereafter. In his 26th year, his mother passed away. That same year, he received his diploma from Nanyang Public College and went to Japan for studies. At the age of 31, the Qing government reformed the salt system, replacing private salt production with "official salt," which led to the gradual decline of the Lǐ family. That year, after completing his studies in Western painting at the Tokyo Art School and discontinuing his music studies, Hóngyī Master returned to China and began his career in education. In July 1912, invited by the principal of Zhejiang Normal School, he went to Hangzhou to teach. Over the following years, he nurtured a large number of educators in the field of art. Among his students who later achieved prominence were Liù Zhìpíng, Fēng Zǐkǎi, Wú Mèngfēi, Lǐ Hóngliáng, and Cài Gàiyī, all of whom were disciples of Hóngyī Master. At the age of 38, in early spring, he went to Fùhǎo Temple on Daci Mountain in Hangzhou to practice fasting. The following year (1918), on the 19th day of the eighth month, he was formally tonsured and shaved his head, vowing to study precepts and promote the revival of the Vinaya school, which had been long lost. In modern Buddhism, there are two figures revered by peers for their extraordinary talent and eccentricities: Su Mànshū and Lǐ Shūtóng (Lǐ Shūtóng, later known as Hóngyī). Yet Hóngyī Master's life was even more colorful. He was skilled in literature and poetry, a pioneer in introducing Western painting, music, and drama to China, and famous for his roles as Madam Butterfly, the founding of Chunliu Society, and his advocacy of new drama. In every field he entered, he achieved remarkable success, earning admiration from peers. Just when he was at the height of his artistic career, he chose to withdraw from the vibrant world, renounce fame, and live a humble life with simple shoes and a staff. This dramatic change undoubtedly left much to ponder and mystery for later generations, casting a mystical aura over his life. This book includes three diaries written by Hóngyī Master during his lifetime: Diary of Fasting, Diary of in Huian, and Brief Records of in Southern Fujian. These three parts were previously included in Collected Writings of Hóngyī Master and the Journal of the Compassionate Mind in the 1930s and 1940s but were never compiled as a separate collection. Additionally, it includes some speeches, maxims, and inscriptions by the master after he entered monastic life, as well as several commemorative articles related to his activities after ordination. Through these writings, the book attempts to present a true portrayal of the master's dedication to promoting Buddhism, his rigorous study of the Vinaya, his revival of the "Nanfang Vinaya," which had been interrupted in China for over 700 years, and his status as the 11th patriarch of the Vinaya school in the Buddhist community. It also highlights his unwavering determination and resilience in the face of challenges, his high moral standards of strict self-discipline and compassionate treatment of others.