Hanshan, a legendary figure from the Chinese Tang period, is attributed with a collection of poems which are among the fines expression of Zen Buddhism, often remarking on life's short and transient nature, and the necessity of meditation as means to enlightenment. Today, there are many variations of translations of the collection of poems, some of which may be similar or different to Hanshan’s view of enlightenment. Not only does the variety of translations give different meaning to the poetry, but it also shapes different images of Hanshan, which in turn affects the reader’s experience of the poetry. The translation of the poem “High, high on from the summit of the peak” by Burton Watson is a more impelling and better translation than the Wandering Poet’s because of the use of varying diction, imagery, and structure that more effectively reflects Hanshan’s ideas of achieving Zen and enlightenment.
The first two lines of each poem start off with an obvious difference in translation styles. “High, high from the summit of the peak, / Whatever way I look, no limit in sight!” and “High on the mountain top / I can see to every horizon” begin the poem by Watson and the Wandering Poet respectively (1-2). Watson’s use of repetition of the word “high” can be interpreted by a reader as having the feeling of a larger mountain or peak. Conversely, the Wandering Poet’s translation may make this mountain seem smaller and less important. The Wandering Poet’s translation also gives the reader less room for interpretation through his structure and imagery. One such example is present in line 2, “I can see to every horizon” which can give a reader a concrete image, whereas Watson’s translation of this line says “no limit in sight!” Using this phr...
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...ed translation of the poem. Wandering Poet’s translation, while similar, has less description, no punctuation, and a more simple structure. These elements are necessary for the reader to fully comprehend the understanding of Hanshan’s thoughts on Zen. This poem can be applied to today’s society. With modern technology, most everyone is always on the move, and it is rare to be alone for more than a few hours. To be like Hanshan, even for a week, and leave society behind, to go and find a solitary place can be hard. Everyone needs a break, and to leave behind all of modern society’s worries can help one connect with their spiritual self.
Works Cited
Hanshan. “High on the mountain top.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher, et al. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 986. Print.
Hanshan. “High on the mountain top.” Trans. Wandering Poet.
Hermann Hesse’s novel “Siddhartha” is one of spiritual renewal and self discovery. The novel revolves around the life of one man named Siddhartha, who leaves his home and all earthly possessions in an attempt to find spiritual enlightenment. The novel contains many themes, including the relationship between wisdom and knowledge, spirituality, man’s relationship to the natural world, time, love, and satisfaction. To portray these themes, Hesse employs many different rhetorical devices, particularly diction, symbolism, and point of view. These devices allow us, as a reader, to reevaluate our lives and seek fulfillment in the same way that Siddhartha did.
Walking into the Hall of the Buddhas, there was a sense of peace and guidance lingering inside me. The seated Bodhisattva, of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), CA.480, from the Yungang, Cave xv, Shani Province, made of sandstone, guarded the entrance. At first, I thought it was a time to be disciplined, but the transcending smile from the statue was a delicate fixed gesture that offered a feeling of welcome. It was not a place to confess your wrongdoings; neither was it a place for me to say, “Buddha I have sinned.” It was a room to purify the mind, the mind that we take for granted without giving it harmony. There was a large mural decorating the main wall called “The Paradise of Bhaishajyaguru”(916-1125). I sat down wandering if the artist of the portrait knew that his work would one day be shared on this side of the world, in my time. Much like Jesus Christ and his followers, the mural is a painting of healers and saviors. It was a large figure of the Buddha of medicine, (Bhaishajyaquru) surrounded by followers of Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahosthamaprapta with twelve guardian generals who have pledged to disseminate the Buddha’s teaching (Tradition of Liao 916-1125, Metropolitan Museum wall plaque).
Archery, in this book, was the way that the author found his way into Zen Buddhism. One of the most important lessons that Herrigel’s master taught him was, to correctly master the art of ar...
“Until the seventeenth century, Japanese Literature was privileged property. …The diffusion of literacy …(and) the printed word… created for the first time in Japan the conditions necessary for that peculiarly modern phenomenon, celebrity” (Robert Lyons Danly, editor of The Narrow Road of the Interior written by Matsuo Basho; found in the Norton Anthology of World Literature, Second Edition, Volume D). Celebrity is a loose term at times; it connotes fortune, flattery, and fleeting fame. The term, in this modern era especially, possesses an aura of inevitable transience and glamorized superficiality. Ironically, Matsuo Basho, (while writing in a period of his own newfound celebrity as a poet) places an obvious emphasis on the transience of life within his travel journal The Narrow Road of the Interior. This journal is wholly the recounting of expedition and ethos spanning a fifteen hundred mile feat, expressed in the form of a poetic memoir. It has been said that Basho’s emphasis on the Transient is directly related to his and much of his culture’s worldview of Zen Buddhism, which is renowned for its acknowledgement of the Transient as a tool for a more accurate picture of life and a higher achievement of enlightenment. Of course, in the realization that Basho does not appear to be unwaveringly religious, perhaps this reflection is not only correlative to Zen Buddhism, but also to his perspective on his newfound celebrity. Either way, Matsuo Basho is a profound lyricist who eloquently seeks to objectify and relay the concept of transience even in his own name.
Lawall, Sarah N. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker starts by telling the reader the place, time and activity he is doing, stating that he saw something that he will always remember. His description of his view is explained through simile for example “Ripe apples were caught like red fish in the nets of their branches” (Updike), captivating the reader’s attention
Damrosch, David and David L. Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature Second Edition. Pearson Education, Inc., 2009.
Xuanzang was a highly educated Buddhist monk from China, who in 629 C.E. made the long and treacherous journey along the Silk Road to India. His main objectives in his sixteen years away from home were fundamentally religious; he only wanted to study more complete scriptures to answer questions he had, which he deemed unsolvable in his own country. It is important to understand Xuanzang’s own position within the Chinese society and the type of situation it was in: Chinese Buddhists had many disagreements
Lawall, Sarah,et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Volume A (slipcased). Norton, 2001. W.W. Norton and Company Inc. New York, NY.
The foundational roots of Zen Buddhism originated in China, where it was coined in the native tongue, Ch’an. Buddhist philosophy focuses Deriving from the ancient Japanese’s Shinto traditions, which aimed at fully synthesizing the, “spiritual and material”, Zen stresses that there is no aim intellectually (Koller). This ideal highlights the importance of the insignificance of study of the physical world. These original Buddhist ideals were established by, “the legendary Bodidharma”, who stressed the power and importance...
Like one’s childhood, the poem begins with pure joy. Shakespeare begins the poem with “Full many a glorious morning have I seen / Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye.”(1-2) On a surface reading, the poet is saying how wonderful the day is. This can be extended to a early life, too. When a child is young, he holds everything in awe. Every sight is a first, from a cooing mother to a glorious mountain. In most cases, nothing spoils the pure bliss of the awareness.
Domrosch, David. Longman Anthology of World Literature, The, Compact Edition. 1st Edition. Pearson College Div: Longman, 2007. Print.
describes the emptiness of the scenery; “this mountain and I gaze at each other, it alone remaining.” (Hinton, David. Selected Poems Li Po”). As a seasoned traveler, his poems traveled with him throughout many lands. In addition, word of his talent spre...
Literature of the Western World, Volume 2. 4th edition by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997.
Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2012. Print.