My name is Yonghui (永慧), I am a Hangzhou International School parent. Yonghui used to be my Buddhist name and has been my pen name for the past 10 years since I left the monkhood. I just decided to continue using this name because most people who appreciated my artwork knew me in my monk robe, and it was my way to keep a relationship with Buddhism. When I left the temple, I promised to the head master, who tried to stop me, that I would still continue to share and spread the Buddha’s wisdom through my calligraphy. Yonghui means: “Be wise forever.’ Here are some of the calligraphy texts that I have written most.
1. 顺其自然: Let nature take its course
In my life, I have made some hard and unordinary decisions. Becoming a Buddhist monk is one; leaving was more complicated. Making a living as a calligraphy artist is another one. Marrying a foreigner and having an international family was something that I had not thought of before. But when I think about them now, I never struggled in making my decisions. I believe that the decisions just came to me, and I accepted them. I saved myself from the pain of trying to make ‘smart’ decisions. I only waited for the waves in my mind to gradually settle down until I could see what was at the bottom. The answers were there. And I’ve always been happy and content with my decisions.
2. 日日是好日：Each day is a good day
I have written these words for a few very top athletes. One was for snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan, who picked this particular phrase himself among many others. Another one was for swimmer Andrii Govorov, upon his visit to HIS, and he said he perfectly understood its deeper meaning besides its simple wish for a good day. The deeper interpretation, as we talked together, would be: it is up to us to make each day good and worthwhile. We should not focus on emotional ups and downs because each day is equal, not good or bad. It’s true in life and sports, and it may be the required mindset for top athletes in order to keep challenging and winning.
3. 金剛經：The Diamond Sutra
I specialize in writing small regular script (小楷.) In calligraphy, it is a style which focuses on the precision of each character, where the beginning and the end of every stroke are clearly shown. And I write, most of the time, Buddhist sutras, just like ancient monks used to do (before printing technology, it was the only way to spread and pass down the words of the Buddha). Even during my monkhood, I was never keen on meditating or chanting, which is what they do in temples every day, but I wrote the sutras instead, day and night.
The Diamond Sutra is the one I have written most. It takes about 20 days to write its approximately 5,200 characters. I could write faster, but I keep my pace. While writing, I do not think of the meaning of the whole text, or even one paragraph, but rather I focus on each character, each stroke, and each instant where the brush is landing on or leaving the paper. During this process, all meanings of words disappear. After I finish and proofread quietly out loud, meanings start to come back. It’s an unusual experience. But it has made me realize that the meanings do not exist in the text itself but in the person who reads it.
4. 如出發必到達：If you depart, you must arrive
Is calligraphy something to read or something to look at? I think it’s both. I like both sides of it, so that’s how I came up with my ‘line’ pieces.
When I help other people learn calligraphy, I recommend them to draw horizontal lines as basic practice. I do it myself from time to time to feel the control of the brush, mind and breathing. It’s relaxing, but the slower you go the harder it is. One day, I realized that the lines looked interesting, as they express my state of mind at different moments. So I added some words which came to mind – If you depart, you must arrive. It is a famous quote by Genghis Khan, who is a special historical figure to me as I’m originally from Inner Mongolia.
And I loved the simplicity of the piece. When I look at my line piece, I realize that any complicated character is just made up of a number of strokes, and any stroke is made up of a start and an end. And what drives from the start to the end is the mind. So I look at each line and read my mind.
5. 無事在懷為極樂，有長可取不虛生：Having no worries is most blissful; having a talent is most beneficial
What is the philosophy I want to tell my kids most? It’s probably this one. But I think they may only realize much later what it means.
The first phrase is what I am every day. I make extra efforts not to carry a lot of things in my mind or in my possession, though many people do the other way around. It is because I believe my calm mind is the only thing worth keeping, and it makes myself, family and friends around happy. It is indeed like a natural spring, and my responsibility is to keep the water clean and running. And I just feel it is as important as is to live.
What I can say about the second phrase is that, in my life, calligraphy has given me everything. It has used up so much of my time, but it has given me the life I have. And I know that my time was not wasted. As a father, my hope for my kids is that they can find this ‘something’ for themselves. It’s more than a hobby or job, it’s more like a source of life that they can breathe in every day and is like a knife that they can sharpen their wisdom with.
6. 今日無事：Today is another ordinary day
This is my all-time hit. For many years, I had this simple piece displayed together with over 100 other pieces in a peaceful resort hotel, and every single guest and visitor used to take a picture in front of this particular one. Even Mr. Ban Ki-Moon was not an exception – he stopped in front of it for a few minutes, first quietly reading and then sharing his thoughts to his other guests. It was during a private visit after his retirement as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He said he loves the feeling of peace it brings.
In reality, every day brings new challenges. When a day is ordinary, I think it’s a gift. Not only because I feel peace but also because I feel freedom of mind. And this is my inspiration to write and design new pieces, both for myself and for people who appreciate them.
