The Research Of The Motivation Of Li Shutong's Conversion To Buddhism

This study takes Li Shutong,a famous gifted scholar who lived through the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China as the subject of the study.By means of the method of psychobiography,this paper analyzed Li Shutong's numerous precious written materials retained in the world and revealed the intrinsic psychological motivation of his conversion to Buddhism.In the process of the research,the reasons for Li Shutong's conversion are mainly discussed from the following two perspectives.The first perspective started from the changes and development of Li Shutong's self-identity,and revealed his process from confusion to self-identity.The results showed that Li Shutong lost his father while he was a child,which led to his failure to solve the Oedipus complex and his failure to form the identification with his father.As he grew up,he tried to choose the right person to identify with as a role model.Unfortunately,he encountered with frequent setbacks.And the dependence on his mother finally shaped his delicate and feminine character.Due to the continuous setbacks on the road of his identification,he failed to form a stable identity in the middle age.As a result,he was still confused about his career until the the middle age.The occasional peak experience inspired him to subconsciously identify with his father's buddhist behavior,and he began to understand that only by identifying with his father could he solve his long-troubled identity crisis.In the end,he developed a strong interest in Buddhism by identifying with his father,and also,Li Shutong surpassed his father and solved the self-identity crisis by converting to Buddhism.The second perspective started from Li Shutong's psychological changes affected by the deaths events and analyzed the impacts of the series of experiences he had experienced since his father's death.It turned out that the deaths events had a profound effect on him.The numerous deaths events around Li Shutong had cast a shadow over his life,resulting in his lack of security,the emergence of inferiority complex,and the spread of his bitter and empty feelings,and such unique life experience even shaped his distinctive personality and characteristics.First of all,since he was extremely insecure,he attached great importance to rules throughout his life.In this way,he ensured the control of certainty.In the meantime,he increased the sense of security.Secondly,the cautious life with his mother made him feel helpless and self-abased,then hecompensated for this by striving for perfection.Thirdly,the beautiful life before his father's death was in sharp contrast to the current situation.In addition,a series of changes he encountered in his life gradually made him feel that life was empty and impermanent.Therefore,he sighed that life was bitter and empty quite frequently.The lack of security inspired him to seek for certain protection.The self-abasement made him to transcend the self-abasement by pursuing perfection.The sense of bitter and emptiness stimulated him to solve the confusion and relieve the pain.On the one hand,the Buddhism could provide him with the protection of the powerful dharma,on the other hand,it could also enable him to achieve the perfection of his life through the practice of the Vinaya school,and realize the pursuit of perfection.In addition,the buddhist concept of suffering and emptiness could dissolve his life confusion.In a word,finally did Li Shutong convert to Buddhism under the combined action of the psychology of seeking protection caused by insecurity,the motivation of pursuing life satisfaction caused by self-abasement and the catalytic effect of the sense of bitter and emptiness.By being a buddhist,he could step out of the shadow of the deaths events and solve the problem of the life and death.