Is there room for emotional expression?: when a talented artist becomes a monk in Buddhist China

When accomplished visual artists join the monastic Order in Buddhist China (and thus enter a new “community of emotions”), is there room for continued expression of emotions through artistic engagement? Abundant primary sources enable granular study of Hongyi (1880-1942), a notably accomplished man of the arts who became a monk at age thirty-eight. Here we will consider complex issues related to emotions, discipline, and creative activities through examination of: (1) the eminent monk Yinguang’s written teachings to Hongyi in the 1920s about calligraphy (including blood writing) and its procedures in monastic contexts; (2) the witness of Hongyi’s sustained body of visual work created in this new context - what he actually created (and why), as well as what he no longer created; and (3) after he came to maturity as a Vinaya master, Hongyi’s cautionary yet encouraging statements and teachings regarding the role of artistic expression within a monastic vocation.