The "Taibai Mountain Picture" volume by Wang Meng in the Yuan Dynasty is a famous work in the history of Chinese landscape painting.

Taibai Mountain in autumn, dense mountains and valleys, yellow chestnut leaves, magnificent... Between the 19th year (1359) and the 25th year (1365) of Yuan Zhizheng, Wang Meng was invited by Zen Master Yuanliang, the abbot of Tiantong Temple , came to Tiantong Temple, and drew "Taibai Mountain Picture". Or just as a guest, in order to thank Zen Master Yuanliang for his kindness and feel the beauty of Taibai Mountain, Wang Meng, who has passed the year of knowing his destiny, painted this famous painting handed down from generation to generation and presented it to Tiantong Temple.

In the eighteenth year of Hongwu (1385), Wang Meng died in prison because of his involvement in the Hu Weiyong case. In the second year, Zong Li was invited by the abbot of Tiantong Temple to write a postscript to "Taibai Mountain Picture". For Zong Li, this "Taibai Mountain Picture" is like seeing an old friend, which is really touching. In his postscript, he expresses his deep regret with "self-pity will never come to life" and "returning this picture to you" .

1. The monks of Tiantong Temple asked Zongli to inscribe Wang Meng's "Taibai Mountain Picture"

It was the eleventh day of October in the ancient calendar in the nineteenth year of Ming Hongwu (1386). Thousands of valleys are clear and cloudy, pale and beautiful. The monks of Tiantong Temple waded through mountains and rivers, and finally arrived at Tianjie Temple in the capital.

Monks gather in Tianjie Temple, incense is curling up, and Buddhist activities are flourishing.

Tianjie Temple in the capital, formerly known as Dalongxiang Jiqing Temple, was built in the Yuan Dynasty and is the main temple in Jinling. In the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368), Zhu Yuanzhang renamed the temple "Tianjie Temple".

The monks who came from afar did not bow down to the Tianjie Temple of the "Le Crown Five Mountains" with a pilgrimage-like state of mind. He asked to see Zongli, the abbot of Tianjie Temple in the capital, because he was ordered by the abbot of Tiantong Temple to protect Wang Meng's "Taibai Mountain Picture" along the way, and he needed to present Zongle's inscription and postscript.

Yuan Wangmeng's "Taibai Mountain Picture" (partial) Collection of Liaoning Provincial Museum

His request was quickly granted. In the abbot's room of Tianjie Temple, he finally met the abbot Zong Li.

There are white plums planted outside the abbot's house. At this time, the branches and leaves are whirling, intertwined with a quiet blue daisy. The room was full of fragrance, and the thin monk felt relieved, opened the bag he carried with him, and carefully took out the scroll...

The abbot of Tianjie Temple, Zong Li, saw the scroll at the moment, the mountain was full of colors, and the autumn light was everywhere, but everything seemed to be still. However, the heart has already been snowed heavily, and the snowflakes began to pile up without end.

At this time, it has been more than 20 years since Wang Meng (1308-1385) painted this "Taibai Mountain Picture". Wang Meng had been implicated in the case of Hu Weiyong and died in prison a year ago.

"History of Ming Dynasty Wang Meng Biography" mentioned that Wang Meng once "visited Hu Weiyong in private, and watched paintings with Kuaiji Guo Chuan and Seng Zhicong". The time is unclear, but it also points out that Wang Meng, together with Guo Chuan and Zhicong, visited ancient paintings at the home of Hu Weiyong, Prime Minister of Zuo, and the result of this gathering of literati was his death.

Today, Wang Meng's "Taibai Mountain Picture" is still alive. Zong Li couldn't believe it.

Tiantong Temple is one of the five famous temples of Zen Buddhism. It is located at the foot of Taibai Mountain in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. It was built in the first year of Yongkang in the Western Jin Dynasty (300 AD). At that time, Wang Meng painted "Taibai Mountain Picture", which has been collected by Tiantong Temple.

A white inscription "Wang Mengyin" is inscribed at the end of the volume of "Taibai Mountain Picture". Of course Zong Li could see that this was the seal that had been carefully removed by the monks the previous year and had been reapplied, with traces still remaining.

For a moment, thousands of mountains and rivers, many thoughts, infinite emotions, came secretly.

Why did the abbot of Tiantong Temple submit this "Taibai Mountain Picture" to Zongli for an inscription?

Speaking of which, Zong Li has always maintained a close relationship with Ming Taizu since he was recruited into the court at the beginning of Hongwu. In the early years of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty recruited eminent monks from all over the world, and Zong Li was called to proclaim the decree. He entered Tianjie Temple from Jingshan Temple, which was very much in line with Taizu's wishes. When Zong Le was traveling far away, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty wrote a poem "Le Weng went here to ask who Zen, and always thought about it before the moon". In Zong Le's "Quan Wai Ji", we see Zong Li's response: "The first meditation after returning from the imperial edict, the ritual officer leads to worship before the jade steps."

Among monks in the early Ming Dynasty, Zong Li was undoubtedly a legend. Song Lian once praised Zongle as "faithful as the leader of Zen forests in all directions", which shows Zongle's status as an eminent Zen monk at that time.

In fact, because of his involvement in the Hu Weiyong case, Zongle's friend, Master Laifu, was convicted, and Zongle was also implicated. Fortunately, Zong Li was exempted from the death penalty by Ming Taizu. After that, he left Tianjie Temple, wandered around, and then returned to his hometown, Huangyan Jueci Temple, the abbot of Taizhou.

In the autumn of this year, Zongli returned to Tianjie Temple to serve as the abbot under the imperial edict of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.

The color of early winter is extremely beautiful. Among the five colors, the remaining leaves are scattered, mellow and beautiful. At this time, Zong Li opened the "Taibai Mountain Picture" depicting Taibai Mountain, Tiantong Temple, and Erlisong, and suddenly saw that it was full of beauty and beauty. Not only the rich and wonderful tension it releases, but for Zong Le, this "Taibai Mountain Picture" is like seeing an old friend, which is really touching.

"Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly are still in the middle of right and wrong." (Zong Li's "Like a Dream")

It is the vicissitudes of the world, and the world is welcoming thousands of changes.

2. Wang Meng and his "Taibai Mountain Picture"

The long scroll is slowly unfolding.

Yuan Wangmeng's "Taibai Mountain Picture" Collection of Liaoning Provincial Museum

"Zi Jiu got his tranquility, Ni Yu got his elegance, Wang Meng got his air, and Mei Daoren got his splendor." Landscape painting developed into the Yuan Dynasty, and famous literati painters emerged in large numbers.

Among the four masters of the Yuan Dynasty, Huang Gongwang, Ni Zan, Wang Meng, and Wu Zhen all have profound spiritual connotations and aesthetic values that cannot be replaced by others. Wang Meng inherited the method of his grandfather Zhao Mengfu, combined with the strengths of Wang Wei, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, etc., and created a unique machine. With dense lines and dense points, it is boundless in transformation, majestic in vitality, and unique in the world.

In autumn, Taibai Mountain is full of lush mountains and valleys, and the fontanelle is yellow and chestnut, which is magnificent. The picture continues Wang Meng's style of denseness, using the method of unraveling the texture and the texture of the cow's hair to describe the dense scene, which is a perfect combination of delicacy and roughness.

The ancient temple hidden in the deep mountain, monks, literati, officials and tourists walk through the Cuiwei, which is a scene of entering the world. The space is advanced, calm, and full of rhythm. It is clearly the scene of Wang Anshi's "Tiantong Road" "Twenty miles of pine trees are exhausted, and the green hills hold out the Brahma Palace".

At this time, Zong Li's thoughts were all contained in Tiantong Temple in Taibai Mountain. During the long days of wandering, he used to be the abbot of some temples, "The sound of the bell moves the deep thoughts, and there is nothing to do in the world." Zuo An has passed away for many years, but the ink color of "Taibai Mountain Picture" is still fresh.

Zong Li mentioned in the inscription and postscript of "Taibai Mountain Picture", "Zuo'an said this in the past... There was a guest in Qian Tang called Wang Meng, who wrote this ten thousand pines for the king." At that time, Wang Meng lived in seclusion in Huanghe Mountain in Linping. Huanghe Mountain is located in Qiantang County in ancient times, so it is a guest of Qiantang (Pond). Zong Li recalled that Zuo An, the abbot of Tiantong Temple, once told him about inviting Wang Meng to paint.

In the twenty-fifth year of Zhengzheng (1365), Zuo An retired. Wang Meng should have come to Tiantong Temple at the invitation of Zen Master Yuanliang, the abbot of Tiantong Temple, to paint the "Taibai Mountain Picture" between the 19th year (1359) and the 25th year (1365) of Yuan Zhizheng. Or just as a guest, in order to thank Zen Master Yuanliang for his kindness and feel the beauty of Taibai Mountain, Wang Meng, who has passed the year of knowing his destiny, painted this famous painting handed down from generation to generation and presented it to Tiantong Temple.

In his early years, Wang Meng served as an official "Li Wen". Although it is difficult for us now to know Wang Meng's mood when he became an official, many literati retreated due to the turmoil at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

Soon Wang Meng resigned and lived in seclusion, and lived the life in his poem: "I am in the white clouds, but I have not forgotten the green mountains....Lie down and watch the birds return, and the mountains and blue clouds will be free."

In Wang Meng's paintings throughout his life, no matter whether it is "Gaoyin in Summer Mountains", "Small Yin in Yunlin", "Thatched Cottage in Autumn Mountains", or "Gezhichuan Migration in Ge Zhichuan", which depicts Ge Hong's emigration to Luofu Mountain to practice Taoism, seclusion is an endless theme.

Yuan Wangmeng's "Summer Mountain High Hidden Map"

Yuan Wangmeng's "A Cottage in Autumn Mountains"

Yuan Wangmeng's "Picture of Ge Zhichuan Migration"

This seclusion lasted almost twenty years. However, whether it is family influence or personal wishes, Wang Meng always has an obsession with becoming an official.

Around the first year of Hongwu, Wang Meng became an official again. "History of the Ming Dynasty" volume two, the second chapter of this period: "It is the month (the first year of Hongwu's autumn and July), and the talents of the world are recruited to keep the order."

It is likely that Wang Meng went to the north in the first year of Hongwu (1368) when the sweet-scented osmanthus was falling, and went to Tai'an, Shandong to serve as magistrate. Although this was also a short-term official career, Wang Meng must have been in high spirits at the time.

Being an official and retiring was a constant topic repeated in ancient China, and it was also a double choice faced by the scholar group throughout the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. In fact, throughout his life, Wang Meng also wandered between being an official and retiring.

3. Wang Meng's Paintings

In April of the twenty-sixth year of Yuan Zhizheng (1366), the mountains and forests were silent, but there was also an air of compassion and warmth. All the solemnity may be attributed to the air of leisure. This is the color of love that seeps into the heart of the hermits in Qingbian. But there is an air of uneasiness, which makes people unable to calm down.

From October of last year to February of this year, the war continued, and Zhu Yuanzhang won a decisive victory in the battle to unify the south of the Yangtze River. In April, Zhu Yuanzhang's general Xu Da conquered Huai'an. After that, Zhu Yuanzhang regained Jiangbei in one fell swoop. This year, the most prosperous land in the south of the Yangtze River belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang.

The setting sun pierced through the clouds, revealing a subtle golden light. This is the hue of dusk. Qingbian Mountain, the most respected among the peaks, suddenly softened the outline of the mountain.

Bian Mountain, also known as Mou Mountain, is also the secluded place for some relatives of Wang Meng's grandfather's family. This picture is preserved in the world following the "Taibai Mountain Picture" and is "Qingbian Hermit Picture" painted by Wang Meng for his cousin Zhao Lin. As Gao Juhan said, in the history of painting, this is one of the jaw-dropping and menacing innovative works.

Yuan Wangmeng's "Seclusion in Qingbian"

"Hermitage in Qingbian" was later collected by Dong Qichang. When Dong Qichang got this picture, he was amazed. He inscribed on the painting "the best painting by Wang Shuming in the world", and inscribed Ni Zan's poem praising Wang Meng, "Wang Youjun with fine brushwork and wonderful ink, and Shaowen of Taoist sect in Chenghuai. A prince's pen can carry a tripod. There is no such gentleman" before calming down a little.

In the forty-fifth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1617), Dong Qichang traveled by boat and passed Bianshan Mountain. Facing the beautiful mountains and forests, he remembered Wang Meng's painting "The Picture of Hermitage in Qingbian". He was filled with emotion and drew "Qing Mou Tu" to pay tribute to his predecessors.

"The Picture of Hermitage in Qingbian" was also circulated because of the Hu Weiyong case. The collectors were afraid of being implicated, so they dug up the name of the recipient.

In the poems of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, we can see that many people wrote "Ti Wang Shuming's Painting", and the paintings have been lost. Gao Deyang, a poet of the Ming Dynasty, wrote a poem "Inscribed with Dead Wood, Bamboo and Stone by Wang Shuming". In order to solve the Jin case, he was imprisoned and died. Wang Meng's painting of dead wood, bamboo and stone has long been lost, and it can only be left to the imagination of future generations.

Wang Meng has a picture of "Daizong Mixue Picture" mentioned by later generations, which was painted by him as the magistrate of Tai'an. The magistrate of Tai'an was facing Mount Tai, and Wang Meng often painted facing Mount Tai. It snowed heavily that day, and the mountain scenery became even better. My friend Chen Weiyun, who is an official in Jinan, came to visit. Pointing to a painting painted on silk, Wang Meng asked his friend, "How about changing this painting to a snow scene?" He painted it with powder, but the color looked very gloomy. Chen Weiyun pondered for a long time and said, "I'll try it." Then he used a small bow to hold the chalk and flicked it all over the paper, and the powder fell on the silk like a flying gesture. The two look at each other, and this cooperation is amazing.

If possible, let you travel to a scene you yearn for, which one would it be. I think it could also be the time when Wang Meng and Chen Weiyun painted "Dai Zong Mi Xue Tu". It is also a kind of gentle and endless fragrance to open in the silence and to be covered with heavy snow.

This painting was later handed over to Yao Yushi Gongshou in Jiaxing. After Wang Meng died, the Yao family feared him and burned him to ashes.

Four. Zongli inscribed the postscript "Taibai Mountain Picture" in Tianjie Temple

How did Zong Li meet Wang Meng?

Tianjie Temple is a temple where master monks from the south of the Yangtze River gathered in the early Ming Dynasty. Most of the monks came to Beijing in response to the edict, and most of them gathered in this temple, thinking of it as honor and favor. There are also many connections between Tianjie Temple and the monarchs, ministers, and literati of the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps because of this, Wang Meng and Zong Li became attached to each other.

"How can the clouds live and come endlessly, the forests are dense and the flowers are hazy." There is always an ideal place to live in seclusion in a beautiful place in the south of the Yangtze River. Wang Meng painted "Little Yin in the Cloud Forest" for his nephew Yanhui. On the upper right of the heart of the painting is Wang Meng's inscription in seal script: "Yunlin Xiaoyin. Shuming was painted by Yanhui." The seal "Wang Shuming" is printed in white.

The clouds and mountains are vast, the lake is quiet, the old man fishes alone, and there is a hermit sitting alone in the hut in the forest. Using big dots and ink to freehand the jungle, Mijia's method of dotting trees and hooking clouds, Xiaozhuan, Han bamboo slips, real books and dense and dense composition of fantasy scenes, to describe the joy of living in seclusion.

This painting by Wang Meng in his later years is at the beginning of "Xiaoyin Tu of Yunlin", which has the word "Yunlin" written by Zongli. It can be seen that the two had an intersection back then.

Some insignificant things in the torrent of history are special seeds of cause and effect, which only germinate and flourish later.

In the autumn of the nineteenth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1386), Zong Li had temporarily ended his wanderings and returned to Tianjie Temple. It was at this time that he saw the "Taibai Mountain Picture" sent by the monks of Tiantong Temple for him to inscribe.

"Taibai Mountain Picture" postscript Zongle Department "Hongwu 19th year Longji Bingyin Winter October 11th Jiawu Longhe all rooms back old man Zongle's book". Xie Jin of the Ming Dynasty sent the monks of the Tianjie Temple back to Taixi, and there was a sentence "stop hearing the bell in Longhe Temple". The "Dragon River" mentioned by Zongle here also refers to the Tianjie Temple on the bank of the Dragon River in the capital.

Wang Meng died in prison in the eighteenth year of Hongwu (1385). In the second year, Zong Li was invited by the abbot of Tiantong Temple to write a postscript to "Taibai Mountain Picture". In such a short period of time, Wang Meng can be rehabilitated, perhaps with Zong Li's help.

Moving forward in time, all the past is still there.

Zong Li left an inscription and postscript of more than 300 characters on the painting, which shows that his heart is still surging after many years.

Zong Li's Inscription and Postscript on "Taibai Mountain Picture"

"Ask the world with a smile, who will realize the big dream first." In the eleventh year of Hongwu (1378), Zong Li, at the age of 61, was ordered by Ming Taizu to go out twice when the eminent monk Jueyuan Huitan failed to complete his journey to the west. In the Western Regions, he went through hardships and obstacles all the way, "wading through quicksand, crossing Congling Mountains, traveling all over the Western Heaven, and reaching the Buddhist realm". After five years of studying scriptures, he returned, but he never went to Tiantong Temple. At the end of the post, Zong Li expresses deep regret with "self-pity will never come to life" and "returning this picture to you":

Taibai Peak in Xiaobai City, where Ershili Song lives.

...

When I first unfolded my scrolls and wanted to scream, high tides gushed out of the sea.

The jade boy under the misty cloud, there seems to be a road connected to the sky.

Self-pity will not come once in life, and you will not follow when you are old.

Huanjun sits with his hands in this picture, and only sends Nan Feihong with his eyes.

Tiantong Temple is one of the five famous temples of Zen Buddhism. Zong Li was born in Taizhou on the border with Ningbo. He has been abbot of many famous temples in the south of the Yangtze River throughout his life. It is doubtful if he has never been to Tiantong Temple. Or because of the Hu Weiyong case, it is unknown.

Zong Li's resume in his later years is not recorded in historical records. In other words, in the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu (1391), he left Tianjie Temple and went to Jiangpu Stone Buddhist Temple to pass away at the age of 74. It may be said that he was still alive during the Yongle period and was imprisoned. He was rescued by Yao Guangxiao (monk Daoyan), and he was 80 years old when he passed away. (Xu Sanjian's "Shi Zongle Collection" proofreading instructions)

At the end of the unspeakable time, "Taibai Mountain Picture" opens its pen and ink, color, sensibility, cognition and style to all viewers. When we try to capture the peace and creative dimension of humanity, it has already reached the endless life of ancient times.

Looking at the more than 300-character inscriptions and postscripts left by Zong Li on the "Taibai Mountain Picture" back then, the regular script style is not elegant and handsome, but it is restrained and deep. .

Calligraphy is written with the heart, giving up all the rules and tricks, and there is the ultimate law in the helpless, which can be seen from the heart of the eminent monk.

Five "Taibai Mountain Picture" karma meeting

The rich cultural soil of poetry and Zen formed since the Eastern Jin Dynasty has cultivated generations of poet monks. They walked among the mountains and rivers, full of beauty and beauty. The power of the great compassionate vow should be endless, leaving the world and returning to the world. The monks and literati who have practiced diligently are all like-minded people, and their exchanges have created legends in the history of art.

I got to know the legendary eminent monk Zongli in the early Ming Dynasty because of the inscription and postscript of Zongli in Wang Meng's "Taibai Mountain Picture", and I also tried to explore this past event in the history of art.

The moving part of "Taibai Mountain Picture" is that even today, it still maintains its sense of time with a vast and moist atmosphere. It makes everyone who sees this painting have the intention of reuniting with it. For me, for a long time, I read Wang Meng's paintings, and I was also obsessed with Zong Li's "Quan Outdoor Collection". Zong Le's poems are all ordinary things and common words, but they are like "one night discusses ten years of heart", which settles our trekking, trekking, and hard-seeking hearts.

Sometimes I read this sentence: "Sitting for a long time and forgetting the words, the fragrant plums shine on the cold seat." It's like drinking tea with a mellow taste boiled with sweet mountains and water, and immersing in it for a long time.

In the late autumn of Xin Chou, I met Master Ranyi, the abbot of Danya Temple, and talked about Master Zongle, who had passed away for more than 600 years, and finally got some information about Master Zongle.

However, a master mentioned that he had visited Linhai Yunfeng Zhengdao Temple in April of the year of Jihai, and saw the remnant stele of the Ming Dynasty under the back wall of the main hall in the temple, which had been weathered and decadent. One of them is the "Buddhist Zen Master's Industry Monument", written by Song Lian in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhang Choi's seal forehead, and Zongle's official script, which are already mottled, damaged and dilapidated. However, Master Zongle's clerical script is still vaguely eye-catching, and the content of the inscription is no longer clear.

Time has passed, and people in the world may always think about the distant past and the remaining traces when they look back at their uniform lives. As for Master Zong Li, an eminent monk born in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province in the early Ming Dynasty, not many people know him now. Regarding his contacts with Wang Meng, it probably gradually disappeared into the mist of history.

On the first day of December in Xin Choudong, I went to the Tiantong Ancient Temple under Taibai Mountain, and I still saw "Taibai Mountain Picture".

"Taibai Mountain Picture" was originally owned by Tiantong Temple. It was collected by Shen Zhou, Xiang Yuanbian in Ming Dynasty, Liang Qingbiao, An Qi and other calligraphy and painting collectors in early Qing Dynasty.

The real scene of Taibai Mountain at this time is the ancient road, Danqueer, pines, fallen leaves buried path, and the surroundings are quiet and vast. Ginkgo has withered, and time seems to have frozen, but it is waiting for every visitor.

According to legend, in the period of the Five Dynasties and Later Liang Dynasty, the cloth bag monk in Mingzhou often stood in the downtown area. A monk passed by and asked: "What is the monk doing here?" The teacher said: "Wait for someone to come."

Perhaps, every person who knocks on the ancient temple bell in his heart and has a sincere heart can meet on Tiantong Road, and he is also a person waiting on Tiantong Road.

In front of the temple, I suddenly saw Bazhi Toutuo Lengxiang Pagoda courtyard. Zen Master Bazhi Toutuo "was born with a dream orchid, enlightened when he saw a peach, and died with a plum blossom" (Master Taixu said), he was once the abbot of Tiantong Temple. One year before his death, he built a Lengxiang Pagoda for himself next to Tiantong Temple, and the side of the pagoda was full of plum trees. In the 20th year of Guangxu (1894), Bazhi Toutuo was in Changsha, and wrote the poem "Listen to the Dharma in front of Taibai Peak, and the winter plum blooms at 20 degrees. When will the Qita Bridgeside Temple pay homage to Mingzhou Budai" , Recalling the master of Tiantong Temple under Taibai Mountain.

I don't know if he thought of Zen Master Zuo'an when the situation was changing, Wang Meng from Huanghe Mountain who walked on Tiantong Road, Master Zongle, and the painting "Guangyu Jiangli Map" painted by Tianxi Temple Abbot Shouren. "Taibai Mountain Picture" inscribed by eminent monks in the early Ming Dynasty such as Jun Jun and Prime Minister Yao Guangxiao in black.

Later generations read this painting and saw Wang Meng's pen and ink, Master Zong Li's inscription and postscript, maybe there is such a mighty mountain wind meeting you.

The second month of Guimao was revised in Bomen of the ancient Qing Dynasty