Looking at the history of classical poetry in China, you will find that many poetry creations are very closely related to Buddhist life and are deeply influenced by Zen thought. The most typical of these is the poems of the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei. Zen thought played a decisive role in his poetic creation and the formation of poetic style. This is also the main reason why people later called Wang Wei a "poetic Buddha".
The poem "BeiqingLuo", which I share with you in this article, is a very Zen poetry work. It was written by another poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shangyin, and is a five-character poem written by Li Shangyin. Although Li Shangyin and Wang Wei lived in different times, their purpose in studying Buddhism was to seek fame and fortune and get rid of the troubles caused by political dissatisfaction.
According to historical records, during his life in the shogunate of Zizhou, Sichuan, Li Shangyin often interacted with monks, donated money to print Buddhist scriptures, and even thought of becoming a monk. The main content of the poem "Northern Qingluo" is to recount Li Shangyin's visit to the monks once when he entered the mountains. That is, in refined ink and brush, he described the path he had traveled, the scenery he saw, and the simple and quiet life of the monks, and his understanding of Zen after talking with the monks.
《Northern Qingluo》
The remnants of the sun enter the west into the song, and the hut visits the lone monk.
Where are the fallen leaves, several layers of cold cloud road.
Knock on the first night chime alone, and lean on a vine.
In the dust of the world, I would rather love and hate.
First of all, the "green lotus" in the title originally means a plant that climbs on a stone cliff, which refers to a mountain. According to the Southern Dynasty River Flood's "Endowment of the Mountains on the River": "Hanging green lotus is a thousand and one thousand, and the vertical danshi is a hundred weights.". Then, let's look at the first link of the poem, "The Remnant Sun Enters the West into the Mountains, and the Hut Visits the Lonely Monk", that is, when the sun is about to fall into the Ridge, Li Shangyin prepares to enter the mountain to visit a monk who lives in a hut. "崦", or 崦崦, is said in ancient times to be the place where the sun sets.
Judging from the meaning of the first link, Li Shangyin is going to visit a monk who lives a hard and lonely life. We all know that in ancient times, there were many famous mountains and ancient temples, so why did Li Shangyin visit monks who lived alone in the mountains? This is mainly because at that time, Li Shangyin was in an environment where his life was hard and his relatives and friends were separated. So he desperately needed someone who could empathize with him and who was not bothered by this situation, who could help him get rid of his troubles. Obviously, the "lone monk in the hut" who is proficient in Buddhism is the best candidate.
"Where are the fallen leaves, several floors of Hanyun Road", is Li Shangyin's experience of entering the mountains and looking for a place for monks to live. What it means is that this mountain is full of yellow leaves floating down from the trees, where is the monk I am looking for? Along the cold cloud-shrouded mountain road, winding up, how many weights do you have to walk? These two poems, in fact, highlight a "you" word and a "high" word. Yu, indicating that the monks are far away from the world. The high level not only shows the height of the monk's residence, but also highlights its otherworldly and elegant realm.
Neck joint "knocking on the first night of the first night, idly leaning on a vine", that is, at the beginning of the night, the monk is knocking on the rock alone to chant the sutra, leisurely leaning on a green vine. The previous sentence depicts the simple and quiet life of the monks. The latter sentence is a description of the conversation between the two men. But here Li Shangyin omitted the conversation and focused on the state of the monks. That is, a kind of "idle" state that lives in poverty and is at ease, calmly and unhurriedly. Obviously, this is exactly the state of life that Li Shangyin needs.
"In the dust of the world, I would rather love and hate" is the Zen principle that Li Shangyin has been enlightened in his thinking after talking with the monks, that is, in the vast world, I am just dust, why should I cling to love and hate? The implication is that in the future, it will no longer be entangled in love and hatred, and face the glory and disgrace of the career with an indifferent heart.
Looking at Li Shangyin's poem, there is no doubt that the layers are clear, first written into the mountains, the next time on the way, then written about encountering monks, and finally ending with understanding. In addition, the language of this poem is condensed and rich in potential. In particular, the Zen principles that Li Shangyin realized were not only suitable for himself, but also for the scholars who had the same situation in that era. Even today, thousands of years later, there is still something thought-provoking about it.
Imagine who in our daily lives is not troubled by love and hatred? It's just that in addition to the honor and disgrace of the career, we care about a lot more. It is true that we need the indifferent nostalgia embodied in Li Shangyin's poems to face all kinds of love and hatred. But it is not an easy task to do. In any case, Li Shangyin's poem is very Zen and contains the great wisdom of life, which is worth reading and reading again!
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