Chapter 136 Buddhism

Liang Shuming once said to himself in his later years, "People have this life, past life, and future life. I was a monk in my previous life." Liang Shuming was very thoughtful.He feels that he is from a good family and is smart. His parents love him, but he is often depressed. The female workers in the family cook, do laundry, and do chores every day.He pondered hard, and finally realized that "the joys and sorrows of life are not in the outside world (environment), but in oneself, that is, in the subjective. Its root lies in one's own desires. If you are satisfied, you will be happy, and if you are not satisfied, you will suffer. And this desire is endless. Yes." He felt that his pursuit of the joys and sorrows of life was quite compatible with Buddhism, so he desperately read Buddhist books.At the age of 18, he rejected his parents' engagement to him. At the age of 19, he became a vegetarian and decided to become a monk for 9 years.

In 1916, during his tenure as the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice of the cabinet at that time, Liang studied Buddhism in Dumen for three years. "Father began to think about these life issues very early. Later, he told me some Buddhist stories. The story of Sakyamuni's renunciation resonated with him. He was also a person who couldn't stand seeing others in poverty. Later, he believed Buddha is actually trying to solve this problem.” Liang Peikuan, Liang Shuming's eldest son, said that Liang Shuming believed in Buddhism and had his own rules. "He did not worship Buddha, and he never went to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha. He was working hard on self-cultivation." Later, during the Anti-Japanese War, Liang Shuming took students to the front line. The letter to his son Liang Peikuan said, "At that time, people said that firstly, they were not afraid of suffering, and secondly, they were not afraid of death. This trip is based on practice."

Liang Shuming was very open about life and death.An old man living in poverty once asked him: "Sir, when can a person be liberated?" Liang Shuming asked and answered every word: "Buddhism's attitude towards life and death is neither seeking life nor death." Liang Shuming has been a vegetarian since he was in his twenties and has been a vegetarian for more than 70 years.Except for eggs and milk, he usually does not eat any meat or fish; but he does not suffer from malnutrition.After the age of thirty, his body became stronger and stronger, and his physique and energy were inferior to those of his friends.In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, at a public banquet, Mao Zedong walked up to Liang Shuming's seat and saw that he only ate vegetarian food and did not drink alcohol.Liang Shuming died in 1988 at the age of 95.