Zen Wisdom 306

First, I must admit that I have never spent time studying Wang Wei's poetry, but I have read a few of his poems. Actually, throughout much of Chinese literature and poetry there are works that have the flavor of Ch'an. Wang Wei is famous, so people are likely to remember his poems better than others. He is well known for his calligraphy and poetry, and because of his interest in Buddhism, he has been called "the Buddha of the Poets." It should not be understood that he was the best of poets, or that he was an enlightened person, but simply that he was a poet who happened to be a Buddhist

Much of Wang Wei's poetry talks about nature, and the poems express an air of tranquility, freedom, spontaneity; but there are poets who did the same, some of whom preceded Wang Wei, and who were influenced by other things, like Taoism. We should not immediately surmise that poems about nature are influenced by Buddhism. Poems that are truly influenced by Buddhism must have the characteristic of selflessness, of no attachment, of something that is at once empty and at the same time dynamic.

We come across many Buddhist themes in Wang Wei's poetry. We also know that he was impressed by the lifestyle and demeanor of monks and nuns. His poems sometimes contrast the lifestyle of monastics with that of householders, and his poems convey deep respect for the Sangha. We can conclude that he was an admirer of Buddhism, but we cannot say with certainty that he was a highly attained practitioner. I haven't read anything by him that would indicate this, but he definitely knew about methods of practice.

Whether or not one can determine Wang Wei's attainment from his poetry would be difficult to say. It would also be highly subjective. Likewise, whether or not one can gain deep Buddhist insight through his poetry would also be difficult to say.

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