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As the car passed the broken bridge and the lonely mountains were floating outside the car window, I thought of a poem:
The shakuhachi flute plays at the head of Chunyu Tower,
When will we return to watch the tide in Zhejiang?
No one recognizes the broken mango shoes and the alms bowl,
Crossing the cherry blossom bridge.
This popular poem is written by Su Manshu. Su Manshu was the child of a Guangdong businessman who had an affair with a Japanese woman when he was doing business in Japan. Three months after he was born, his biological mother abandoned him. Such a mixed-race illegitimate child, in that era and in such a family, would inevitably suffer all kinds of discrimination and abuse. This led to the formation of his eccentric character, and he eventually became a monk.
Su Manshu is very talented and can write novels, paintings and poems. The intellectuals at the beginning of this century, such as Liu Yazi, Zhang Taiyan, Chen Duxiu, Chen Qubing, etc., were all his friends. It is said that his poetry teacher was still Chen Duxiu.
Su Manshu died of illness in Shanghai Guangci Hospital on May 2, 1918, at the age of 35. He was buried at noon on June 9 of that year at the northern foot of Gushan Mountain in West Lake, Hangzhou, and on the south bank of Xiling Bridge. To this day, Gushan’s tourist guide is still marked as “Sumanshu Ruins”. Let’s talk about the ruins instead of the tomb. I think that in all likelihood, the tomb is destroyed.
In addition to Su Manshu's tomb, another poet is also buried in Gushan, namely Lin Hejing of "Plum Wife and Crane Son". These two poets really added a lot of elegance to Gushan. However, to put it more to the point, Lin Hejing was able to see something strange out of nothing, while Monk Manshu was able to see something wonderful out of wonder.
I got to know Su Manshu from his "Poem on the Swallow Niche". Later I learned that he was buried in Gushan, so the first stop on my trip to West Lake was Gushan.
In early spring, in February, it turns from warm to cold. The spring rain has been falling intermittently for half a month, but there is still no break today. I bought a ticket for Gushan Park and set foot on the mountain trail, only to feel that it was so quiet and scary. The clusters of tree shadows, puffs of rain and mist, the sound of partridges, and the twists and turns of the mountain road will make you forget the busy Hangzhou just around the corner, and give you a solemn nostalgia for the world. .
I turned around on the mountain road in order to find the Sumanshu ruins, but the ruins seemed to be hiding from me. After walking for an hour, I saw Lin Hejing's crane-releasing pavilion and a monument to someone who introduced Chinese steamed buns to Japan. The one who refused to meet was still Su Manshu.
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Manshu lived during a period of intense turmoil at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China. In the dying struggle before the demise of the fatuous and decadent Manchu Qing regime, the appearance of thieves one after another led to warlords fighting for years, and the Chinese land was devastated. At this time, the revolutionary patriots headed by Sun Wen aimed to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic. Manshu once joined them. At that time, his poems were very heroic:
Hai Tianlong fights Xuan Huang,
Sing with your hair down and enjoy the vast wilderness;
Yi Shui Xiao Xiao people are leaving,
One day the moon is as white as frost.
"Farewell to Tang Guodun with Poems and Paintings"
However, the evil trend of the times made Manshu feel that his future was hopeless. His character and desires determined that he was not a revolutionary in essence, but just a wise man who was dissolute and seeking transcendence. So he changed the tone of his chant:
Thousands of households and doors were wiped out,
Wu Ji came for an outing with a smile;
There is no color in the world today,
Don't lead elk to Sutai.
Manshu was buried in Gushan, which was not his own intention. I think this was chosen for him by Liu Yazi, Zhang Taiyan and other friends. The taste and charm of Gushan should be very consistent with Manshu. Manshu's "solitude" lies in her heart. There is both loneliness and anger, and most probably loneliness.
Most of the poems left by Manshu are love poems. This talented man who often calls himself a "poetry monk" has been swinging between the two poles of the world, studying Buddhism and falling in love. The Buddha asked people to "free themselves from all appearances." "Phase", in short, refers to all temptations in the objective world. To get rid of all appearances, the first thing to get rid of is emotion. But what Manshu can't live without is the word love. Although he wrote:
Deep in the white clouds are the thunder peaks,
A few winter plum trees are red with snow;
After fasting, he gradually fell into concentration.
The shadow of the pool in front of the nunnery falls sparsely.
"Writing this while staying at Baiyun Temple in West Lake"
However, for him, Zen is not a "precept" to restrain himself, but a "wisdom" for him to seek inner liberation. When "precepts" and "wisdom" are connected together, we can generate the concentration to focus on the Buddha. The word "wisdom" alone pursues the absolute freedom of the spiritual realm that is not restricted by Buddhism. He wrote this poem:
Clean up the meditation mirror stand,
There is deep sadness in the mud and lint;
Xiangxian sheds rouge tears all over,
Incense is reborn into ashes after disaster.
"Portrait of a Man Sending Kite Tuners"
This kite tuner is a Japanese geisha named Momosuke Meishi. In the spring of 1909, Manshu and Chen Duxiu lived together at the Qingju Hall in Japan, and met this kite tuner. The two fell in love at first sight and had a close relationship. Baizhu Meishi gave a small photo of her in the shape of a zither to Manshu. Manshu then hand-painted a portrait of Baizhu Meishi and titled it "Picture of a Quiet Girl Tuning a Zheng" and printed the picture as a postcard. Distribute to friends.
It can be said that in the world of love, Manshu is that elegant guzheng. Many beauties played the guzheng on the guzheng, expressing their sorrow that they had no attachment and no support for their love.
There are many women for whom Manshu is passionate, but love is love. In the final analysis, he is still unwilling to go against Buddhism for the sake of love:
Wushe Lingbo's skin is like snow,
Hold the red leaves in person and learn to compose poems;
Return a bowl of merciless tears to you,
I hate to meet you when I'm not shaved.
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Manshu seems to be a "love type", especially able to win the favor of beautiful women, and he is also devotedly in love with her. However, once the other party expresses his unforgettable love to him, he shrinks back. He emphasized that "a monk who fulfills the three precepts will never be allowed to live with a woman" ("Duanhong Lingyan Ji"). Therefore, he is not only a monk whose love cannot be forgotten, but also a lonely monk who would rather die as a martyr than die for love. His approach was not favored by the strict Qingdeng Buddha; among the girls who were teased to death by him, they also complained about him because of the harm he caused to their feelings. Evidence of this can be seen in his own poetry:
Once the Zen heart is full of jealousy,
Buddha said that resentment is love.
The rain and smoke are returning,
There is no love or anger towards others.
Without love or anger, it does reflect the Bodhi state of a monk who is heartless and has no desires. He can't love anyone, yet he can induce so many women to love him. This is the strangeness of Manshu. This is also Manshu's loneliness. In a sense, Manju is still a helpless "lonely mountain" among the thousands of jungles of Mahayana Buddhism.
So, where is his true destination? He doesn't know it, but he's looking for:
The blue sea and cloud peaks weigh a million,
Where can I find my trace in the Central Plains?
The spring mud and drizzle move towards the ground,
Listen to the midnight bell of Hanshan again.
"Wu Men Yi Yi Sheng Rhyme Part 2"
Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou is named after Hanshan, the most famous poet monk in the Tang Dynasty. Similarly, Manshu, who considers himself a poet monk, will naturally think of his predecessors and comrades. Although "the flutes are from different generations," the bells of Hanshan Temple still echo the passion of Hanshan's life, which strikes Manshu's soul. He felt that his "lonely trace" could only be found by the midnight bell of Hanshan Temple.
The unruly Manshu had enough of being wild and arrogant in the world, and his extreme passion turned into extreme world-weariness. When it was time to leave, he left in time. He knew that his personal behavior was far from the requirements of Buddhism, and his friends did not treat him as a monk. Therefore, before his death, he left four words in his last words:
Bury me in monk's robes.
These four decisive words show that Manshu finally found his destination. Friends chose a lonely mountain to bury him. Although the midnight bell of Hanshan Temple cannot be heard here, the Nanping Evening Bell of Jingci Temple and the Buddhist drum of Lingyin Temple can come through the sky and soothe the lonely soul on the lonely mountain.
Manshu was also in a hurry. Although he converted to Buddhism, he never practiced real "wall view". Once he breaks free from the shackles of his tangible body, perhaps this lonely mountain with dense forests and rocks will become a spiritual place for him to sit and meditate facing the wall.
With that in mind, I didn't bother to look for him. He has become tangible and invisible. Every grass, every tree, and every drop of rain in this mountain contains and is contained by him.
I came in the rain and left in the rain.
