Master Hong Yi (Li Shutong): From Romantic Artist to Disciplined Monk
The modern artist Li Shutong left secular life to become an eminent monk of the Vinaya school, influencing later generations with his spirit of compassion and reverence for life.
Biography
Li Shutong (1880–1942) was a celebrated musician, art educator, and calligrapher in modern China, and the lyricist of "Farewell" (送别). In middle age he left secular life to become a monk, taking the Dharma name Hong Yi, and rose to become an eminent master of the Vinaya (Precepts) school.
Compassion and the Protection of Life
As a monk, Master Hong Yi kept the precepts with great rigor, lived simply, ate a vegetarian diet, and devoted himself to Buddhist practice. His teaching of compassion and the protection of life carried through into his collaboration with Feng Zikai on "Paintings to Protect Life," shaping how generations after him regarded living creatures.
Significance
Moving from worldly brilliance to quiet simplicity, his life itself stands as a testament to restraint and compassion.
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