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Calligraphic Works and Manuscripts by Hongyi from the Collection of Gao Wenxian (Lots 171-176)
HONGYI (1880-1942)
Calligraphy of Buddhist Text
Details
HONGYI (1880-1942)
Calligraphy of Buddhist Text
Unmounted leaf, ink on paper
12 x 18 cm. (4 ¾ x 7 1⁄8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated fourth month, gengchen year (1940)
Dedicated to Zhilang
NOTE:
This piece transcribes an exposition by the lay elder Gunong (possibly Fan Gunong, 1881–1951) on the Pure Land teachings, centering on core concepts such as mindfulness of the Buddha for rebirth, single-minded practice, and the two gates of aversion and aspiration—resonating with Hongyi's promotion of Pure Land thought in his later years. The writing throughout is steady and well-disciplined, with a calm and tranquil air, reflecting the harmony between the Master's late calligraphic style and his Buddhist cultivation. According to the inscription, it was written in 1940 at the Pihu Shili Vinaya Hall, which is the Puji Temple at Pengpu, Yongchun. In April 1939, the Master arrived at Puji Temple in Pengpu, Yongchun, Fujian (known in ancient times as Pihu or Pihu), where he secluded himself in a retreat behind the temple to practice and study the Vinaya for a year and a half. He named the retreat "Shili Vinaya Hall" and inscribed a couplet for its door: "Close the door and reflect on one's faults; follow the teachings and contemplate the mind." This was the most important phase of Hongyi's later Dharma propagation.
The dedicatee "Layman Zhilang" is Yu Zhilang, a Buddhist layman of Ningbo, Zhejiang, who admired Master Hongyi and took refuge under him, becoming an important protector and younger follower in the Master's later years. Hongyi spent the last seven years of his life in Fujian (1936–1942), maintaining frequent correspondence with Yu Zhilang; related calligraphic works have appeared at auctions and academic exhibitions. This piece may have been passed on to Gao Wenxian by Yu Zhilang.
Calligraphy of Buddhist Text
Unmounted leaf, ink on paper
12 x 18 cm. (4 ¾ x 7 1⁄8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated fourth month, gengchen year (1940)
Dedicated to Zhilang
NOTE:
This piece transcribes an exposition by the lay elder Gunong (possibly Fan Gunong, 1881–1951) on the Pure Land teachings, centering on core concepts such as mindfulness of the Buddha for rebirth, single-minded practice, and the two gates of aversion and aspiration—resonating with Hongyi's promotion of Pure Land thought in his later years. The writing throughout is steady and well-disciplined, with a calm and tranquil air, reflecting the harmony between the Master's late calligraphic style and his Buddhist cultivation. According to the inscription, it was written in 1940 at the Pihu Shili Vinaya Hall, which is the Puji Temple at Pengpu, Yongchun. In April 1939, the Master arrived at Puji Temple in Pengpu, Yongchun, Fujian (known in ancient times as Pihu or Pihu), where he secluded himself in a retreat behind the temple to practice and study the Vinaya for a year and a half. He named the retreat "Shili Vinaya Hall" and inscribed a couplet for its door: "Close the door and reflect on one's faults; follow the teachings and contemplate the mind." This was the most important phase of Hongyi's later Dharma propagation.
The dedicatee "Layman Zhilang" is Yu Zhilang, a Buddhist layman of Ningbo, Zhejiang, who admired Master Hongyi and took refuge under him, becoming an important protector and younger follower in the Master's later years. Hongyi spent the last seven years of his life in Fujian (1936–1942), maintaining frequent correspondence with Yu Zhilang; related calligraphic works have appeared at auctions and academic exhibitions. This piece may have been passed on to Gao Wenxian by Yu Zhilang.
Literature
The Complete Works of Master Hongyi, Volume 9, Calligraphy Volume, Fujian People's Publishing House, Fuzhou, 1991, p. 296.
The Complete Works of Master Hongyi, Volume 9, Calligraphy Volume, Fujian People's Publishing House, Fuzhou, 2010, p. 294.
The Complete Works of Master Hongyi, Volume 9, Calligraphy Volume, Fujian People's Publishing House, Fuzhou, 2010, p. 294.
Further details
This collection comprises six groups of manuscripts and calligraphic works by Master Hongyi from the collection of Gao Wenxian (1913–1991), a devoted disciple who served as the master’s Minnan dialect interpreter and received the Dharma name Shengjin.
Dating from the mid-1930s to around 1940, the materials reflect Hongyi’s southern Fujian period. Inscriptions reveal a close master-disciple relationship, as Hongyi repeatedly wrote Buddhist texts, poems, and Dharma teachings for Shengjin between 1933 and 1938.
The collection includes calligraphic dedications, Buddhist manuscripts, a rare blood-inscribed Amitābha title, notes, and draft fragments, documenting Hongyi’s doctrinal interests, scriptural study, and daily monastic activities.
The materials also illuminate Hongyi’s network of lay followers, including Guangqia and Yu Zhilang, offering valuable insight into the Buddhist community of southern Fujian.
Preserved by the Gao family for over eighty years, this well‑provenanced collection illuminates multiple facets of Hongyi’s later years—his teaching, writing, and personal interactions. It stands as both an artistic testament and a vital documentary legacy of his southern Fujian period, embodying Gao Wenxian’s lifelong devotion to preserving and studying the master’s heritage.
Dating from the mid-1930s to around 1940, the materials reflect Hongyi’s southern Fujian period. Inscriptions reveal a close master-disciple relationship, as Hongyi repeatedly wrote Buddhist texts, poems, and Dharma teachings for Shengjin between 1933 and 1938.
The collection includes calligraphic dedications, Buddhist manuscripts, a rare blood-inscribed Amitābha title, notes, and draft fragments, documenting Hongyi’s doctrinal interests, scriptural study, and daily monastic activities.
The materials also illuminate Hongyi’s network of lay followers, including Guangqia and Yu Zhilang, offering valuable insight into the Buddhist community of southern Fujian.
Preserved by the Gao family for over eighty years, this well‑provenanced collection illuminates multiple facets of Hongyi’s later years—his teaching, writing, and personal interactions. It stands as both an artistic testament and a vital documentary legacy of his southern Fujian period, embodying Gao Wenxian’s lifelong devotion to preserving and studying the master’s heritage.
Brought to you by
Carmen Shek Cerne (石嘉雯)
Vice President, Head of Department, Chinese Paintings
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