This article discusses the Buddhist attitudes towards literature and the key features of their poetic criticism during the Ming-Ch'ing transition. This article sketches the contours of such poetic criticism by examining their origin, evolution, progress, and character. Opposing views to theirs are discussed, too. This study provides a foundation for understanding: 1) Buddhist cultural criticism; 2) the interaction between intellectuals and the Buddhists; 3) the mutual influence between traditional Chinese poetic criticism and Buddhism; and 4) seventeenth-century Chinese Buddhist hermeneutics. There has been a long tradition of Buddhist priests assuming literary roles since the T'ang dynasty. However, in terms of quantity and quality, the situation of seventeenth-century China is unprecedented. The eminent literary monk of Sung China, Te-hung Chüeh-fan, who created the idea of "Wen-tzu Ch'an'' (Ch'an Buddhism as/in language), was considered as an ideal. He was not only known for his literary gift, but also for his uprightness and loyalty to the country. This foregrounds the principal direction of seventeenth-century Buddhist poetry, one that combines social concerns and Buddhist thought. This article focuses on the master of the Ts'ao-Tung sect, Chüeh-lang Tao-sheng, to examine the Buddhist poetic criticism and Chüeh-lang Tao-sheng's accomplishments. Opposing views to his are discussed, too. This article will clarify the complex relationship between Buddhism and contemporary systems of values.
