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Hua-yen Buddhism in the Lines of Selected Poetry |
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| Author |
Waruni Tennakoon (著)
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| Source |
2019華嚴專宗國際學術研討會論文集下冊
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| Date | 2019.10 |
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| Pages | 479 - 496 |
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| Publisher | 財團法人臺北市華嚴蓮社 |
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| Publisher Url |
https://www.huayen.org.tw/index.aspx
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| Location | 臺北市, 臺灣 [Taipei shih, Taiwan] |
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| Content type | 會議論文=Proceeding Article |
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| Language | 英文=English |
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| Note | Author Affiliations: Senior Lecturer, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka
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| Keyword | Hua-yen; Buddhism; poetry; themes; philosophy; poet-monks |
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| Abstract | The Hua-yen School of Mahayana Buddhism is much respected in the modern world owing to its teachings and practices. Hua-yen thrived in Tang dynasty (618–907CE) in China and influenced other schools of Mahayana such as Zen or Chan Buddhismin China, Hwaeom in Korea and Kegon in Japan. One of the most important ways of
transmitting the teachings of any religion is the inclusion of them in literature, especially in the form of poetry. On the other hand, in many Buddhist traditions, the enthusiasm of understanding certain phenomena is recorded by many Buddhist monks in the form of poetry or verse. The present paper expects to analyze some poetry written by Buddhist monks of the Hua-yen, Zen and Kegon traditions and discuss the Buddhist teachings included in them. According to Venerable Qíjǐ, a Chinese Buddhist monk, “Poetry is meditation for Confucians” 詩為儒者禪, meaning poetry is similar to meditation. This line further indicates the concentration, continuous practice, visualization, pleasure, etc., related to both meditation and writing/enjoying poetry. Looking back at the Chinese Buddhist history, a group of monks cum poets known as “poet-monks” could be seen, and the present research is an attempt to study their poems with especial reference to Hua-yen tradition of Buddhism. The “poet-monks” were not very popular as poets but a small recognition of their poetic talents came late with the translations of them in English. Most of the Zen Buddhist poems remain anonymous, but the content of them proves that the authors might have been Buddhist monks. The themes of poems discussed in the present paper are detachment, impermanence, suffering of the world, emptiness, and understanding yourself. The study on these selected poetry proves that even if the poems are usually short, they present some basic teachings of the Hua-yen Buddhist teachings quite effectively. For instance, the anonymous Chinese poem translated into English as, Entering the forest, he does not disturb a blade of grass Entering the water, he does not make a ripple clearly brings in the Hua-yen teaching of emptiness and the Bodhisatva-path as described in the Daśabhūmika Sūtra. The Chinese monks were into a lot of travelling and associated with nature a lot that their poetry always had associations to them. The above poem is symbolical of the affectionate, disciplined and the concentrated view and behavior of a Bodhisatva who does not even harm the peace of nature. An emptiness pervades throughout the poem created by the melancholic tone of it and it refers to the emptiness and the well-concentrated view of the practitioners of Buddhism. The poem is rich in visual imagery and the brevity of the poem by following the tradition of Haiku, the message conveyed in the poem can easily be transferred to the reader. Parting is beauty’s creation. Parting’s beauty is not in the substanceless gold of morning nor in the woodless black silk of night nor in deathless immortal life, nor is it in the unfading blue flower of heaven. Love, if it were not for parting I would not be able to live again in a smile having once died in tears. Oh, parting. Beauty is parting’s creation. (Parting is Beauty’s Creation)
The above poem by Manhae Han Yong-un a great Buddhist monk in Korea of the Hua-yen Buddhism addresses the themes of suffering, separation, impermanence and the understanding of the suffering. The understanding of the separation has strengthened the poet to look at it in a different perspective.
A similar poem written by him on the same theme of separation makes the reader understand love is not selfish and it is focused on one person. In the “Silence of Love”; one of the most popular poems by the poet, he says, As we dread parting when we meet, so,
we promise to meet again when we part. Though my love is gone, I am not parted from love; an untiring love-song envelops the silence of love.
The sadness of separation is concealed by the deeper understanding |
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| Table of contents | Introduction 482
Research Problem 483
Methodology 484
Literature Review 484
Discussion 486
Conclusion 494
Reference 494 |
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| Hits | 258 |
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| Created date | 2021.12.02 |
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| Modified date | 2024.01.19 |
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