Chinese Poetry of Eihei Zenji

The Watercooler
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After I posted that response, I looked into the symbolism in Chinese culture. I was recalling a passage in Zhuangzi in which the cicada doesn’t understand a creature with a fabulously long life span.

I’m not sure if it applies to Dogen, but cicadas apparently were considered lofty insects that represent the upper classes. Because they stay high up in the trees and live on dew (actually, I think they eat nothing for their brief adult lives). If you contrast that to a cricket … it would be a lowly insect on the ground hiding in crevices and under logs. Just thinking out loud, but it shows how important it is to understand the cultural milieu a writer existed within to get their intended symbols and metaphors right. Heine’s translation is like boiling the paper and making soup out of the poem!

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For some reason, his notes and comments are very rich in details, yet his translation choices are… interesting! :sweat_smile:

Okay see, those are some serious details which help paint a delicate picture!

Then we might read cicadas as worldly material folk, which the lowly monks find hurried.

Then we have something like this perhaps:

Cricket remarks how the cicadas’ chirp-chirping is so urgent,
While the gentle breeze and the hazy moon are idly-idly surgent;
Clouds envelope the pine and cedars, the pond and the terrace old;
Autumn rain drips on the temple’s phoenix tree—our mountainous hold.

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雪
將暮孟冬降密雪
四山無栢亦無松
休将委積論多少
欲似嵩山少室峰

Snow
Dense snow falls hidden this dusk in winter early;
There’s no cedar or pine around these four mountains.
Do not fret then how much or little there might be;
It is just like Shaoshi Peak of famed Song Mountains.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
將 暮 孟 冬 降 密 雪
About to Dusk Eldest Winter Descend Thick/Secret Snow
四 山 無 栢 亦 無 松
Four Mountain Without Cedar Likewise Without Pine
休 将 委 積 論 多 少
Stop (Take) (Entrust) Accumulate Discuss Much Little
欲 似 嵩 山 少 室 峰
(Like) Resembles “Song” Mountain (Shaoshi) - Peak

I was going to try something different this time around, and try to articulate all the thought processes that I go through analysing & reconstructing the text. Perhaps it would be of some entertainment to fellow aficionados. :slight_smile:

However! It was a rather simple one to decipher. :joy: And I think I’ll keep the Japanese / Hiragana readings to myself, to keep it neat around here.

Only “curious” things here for me were the following.

密: Means “Dense, Thick”, as in Thick Snow, but also “Secret” in general (DDB). I get the feeling that it’s not only thick snow, but also out of sight. Rather than trying to capture both meanings elegantly with a single expression, I went ahead and mentioned both like a true philistine. :face_in_clouds:

四山: Dōgen’s merging both the literal landscape, and the four enclosings of “birth, age, sickness and death” (DDB). Cedar & Pine representing evergreen longevity, it could also mean “There’s no permanence in these four sufferings”.

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I haven’t had time to check these for a while, BUT, I’ve been working on a rendering of this snippet from Fukanzazengi, and I’ve an interesting take that I haven’t seen the usual translations handle:

身相既調欠氣一息左右搖振兀兀坐定思量箇不思量底
不思量底如何思量非思量此乃坐禪之要術也
所謂坐禪非習禪也唯是安樂之法門也究盡菩提之修證也

“Tune into your body. Let go of your breath.
Sway left and right, then sit upright like a rock.
Trace the untraced.

How you trace the untraced—
is not tracing ‘This is the essential art of Zazen.’

What’s called zazen is the not a meditation exercise—
just so the truth gate of joyful ease,
the complete practice-realisation of awakening."

— Dōgen, Fukanzazengi

欠氣一息: This is probably a rich description, meaning “Yawn/exhale once”, but also drawing on 一息 being “cessation”. So, something a bit poetic is in order I think.

思量: I went with “trace” for a poetic, simple English rendering.

And now comes the fun part. :slight_smile: I’ve removed the punctuation marks and added my own:

不思量底如何思量 : 非思量 (此乃坐禪之要術也): This is a reversal of Zenji’s idea.

A different manuscript of Fukanzazengi reads:

久久忘縁自成一片。
此坐禪之要術也。

Which essentially says, with the omitted part “Continue like this and you will find Samadhi: This is the essential art of Zazen.”

However, I think as he edited his manifesto, he might’ve carried away with reading it like what I’ve done here. :slight_smile: Maybe?

For a “safe”, traditional reading, it would be something like this. :slight_smile:

How do you trace the untraced?
Not by tracing it—
this is the essential art of Zazen.

But it’s still fun to read something like:

Not thinking “This is Zazen”—
this is Zazen.

法 as truth for a Dharma-illiterate audience.

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“just so the truth gate of joyful ease”

F. L. Woodward came up with “easeful and zestful” in his description of the induction of the first concentration (SN 48.10, tr. Pali Text Society vol V p 174)–a good equivalent for “joyful ease”?

Woodward also used “zest” and “ease” in his translation of the mindfulness of SN 54, which is also the mindfulness of Anapanasati (MN 118):

Feeling the thrill of zest I shall breathe in. Feeling the thrill of zest I shall breathe out.

Feeling the sense of ease I shall breathe in. Feeling the sense of ease I shall breathe out.

(SN 54.1, tr. Pali Text Society vol V pp 275-276)

In a post on my own site, I wrote:

I would now have to say that the feeling of ease associated with concentration is the feeling of ease that arises from activity of the body by virtue of the location of consciousness. Activity of the body can follow automatically as the location of consciousness leads the balance of the body. Automatic activity of the body by virtue of the location of consciousness has a feeling of ease, and initially a feeling of energy (or “zest”) as well.

Gautama spoke of the extension of the feeling of ease, an extension such that “there is not one particle of the body that is not pervaded by this… ease”… (AN 5.28, tr. Pali Text Society vol. III pp 18-19).

… The extension Gautama described maintains an openness of the body to the placement of consciousness at any point, and to ease through automatic activity of the body by virtue of the location of consciousness at that point.

A clarification, from what I’m writing now:

A key aspect of the bodily self is self-location, the experience that the self is localized at a specific position in space within one’s bodily borders (embodied self-location).

(Journal of Neuroscience 26 May 2010, 30 (21) 7202-7214)

In Gautama’s teaching, concentration begins when one “lays hold of one-pointedness”, or “one-pointedness of mind”. Translated into the language of the neurobiologists, Gautama taught that concentration begins when consciousness is retained at the “specific position in space” of “embodied self-location”.

The “embodied self-location” can shift and move. When consciousness is retained with “embodied self-location”, even as the “specific position in space” of “self-location” shifts and moves, the center of gravity can shift with consciousness.

… At some point, the experience of consciousness retained with “embodied self-location” becomes the experience of “embodied self-location” retained with consciousness.

In my writing, I have simply referred to the location of consciousness

How to be conscious of consciousness retained with embodied self-location, or of embodied self-location retained with consciousness:

" How you trace the untraced—
is not tracing"

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I assume ease for sukha, zest for pīti?

安樂 is something like “peace & happiness”, but I’ve noticed that certain chinese idioms are used for buddhist terms, which I assumed Zenji to mean precisely the valence of first concentration here.

I think zest is a pretty good translation for pīti, actually. :slight_smile:

Do you have a link to your website? :slight_smile:

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Thanks for asking, the last post is here:

I also have a pdf with assembled, edited writings, an attempt to put what I have had to say in one place:

In fact, the main directory of my site, zenmudra.com, is a one-post-after-the-other recap of the pdf.

I will probably add the post I’m working on now to the pdf, as it’s difficult for most people to conceive of the mind moving, but I hope less difficult for them to conceive of consciousness retained with “embodied self-location” and “embodied self-location” retained with consciousness.

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i do love Dogan Zenji, but i have to admit Kobayashi Issa, is my favorite eastern poet, his purity and innocence, and attention to the most insignificant creatures, hits home, makes me smile and sad all at the same time.
Don’t worry, spiders,
I keep house
casually.
A few flies
and i
keep house together
in this humble home.

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雪
五葉華開重一葉
風飄六出轉鮮明
若人問我看何色
此是瞿曇老眼睛

Snow
On the blooming flower five-petals with another appear,
The wind-blown six-sides float and turn up so much brighter and clear;
And if a person were to ask me what form do I see in here,
It’s the very same vision of Venerable Gautama’s sphere.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
五 葉 華 開 重 一 葉
Five Leaf Flower Open Again / Layered One Leaf
風 飄 六 出 轉 鮮 明
Wind Drift Six Emerge Turn / Transform Fresh / Vivid Bright / Clear
若 人 問 我 看 何 色
If Person Ask Me See / Look What Color / Form
此 是 瞿 曇 老 眼 睛
This Is Gautama (Siddhārtha) Old / Venerable Eye Eyeball / Gaze

Been a while since I posted a poem. :slight_smile: This has been an interesting one, I hope my English poetic acrobatics did justice to the poem, although I wonder if the phrasing is too acrobatic. :smiley:

五葉: Five-petals is a common Chan reference, alluding to Five Schools of Chan Buddhism, which itself is a reference to Bodhidharma’s poem. Another petal appears - possibly the lineage Dōgen’s building.
六出: Six-sided snowflake, and six-petals, very likely a double entendre.

To keep the last line rhyming, I went with using “Sphere” to say “Eyeball”. I hope it works! :smiley:

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I am interested in EBTs. Is this Chinese poetry of Eihei Zenji connected with EBTs?

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It is connected with Dharma, not limited to EBTs. :slight_smile:

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Which Dharma you refer to?

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雪
三界十方何一色
誰論天上及人間
莫傳寒苦鳥言語
無熱惱池在雪山

Snow
How the three realms and ten directions have the same display!
Who could then debate high heavens or the world of the lay?
Don’t spread the words come out of the cold-suffering bird’s beak!
There is a lake free from fervent fires at the snowy peak.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
三 界 十 方 何 一 色
Three Realms Ten Directions ( How/What/So One Color/Form (rūpa)
誰 論 天 上 及 人 間
Who Debate/Distinguish Heaven Above And/Reach Human Realm/Between
莫 傳 寒 苦 鳥 言 語
Don’t Transmit/Spread Cold Suffering (duḥkha) Bird (foolish ascetic) Words Speech
無 熱 惱 池 在 雪 山
Without Heat Affliction (klesha) Pool (Anavatapta Lake) Exists/At Snow Mountain (Himalayas)

This is a head scratcher! :smiley:

何一色: Heines has this line as: “Is there a single form that encompasses the three realms and ten
directions?” Let’s unpack this. :slight_smile:

色 means both rupa and also colour in Chinese.

The theme of the poem is Snow, so immediately I’m thinking snow in all directions, a single colour all around.

Likewise, with the Three Realms, Ten Directions cosmology, I’m thinking “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.” where snow is a nice analogy for this emptiness as well.

Therefore I’m inclined to read 何 as a rhetorical exclamation.

Heines carries on with lines 3 and 4:

"Don’t bother discussing whether birds suffer from the bitter cold,
Near Lake Anavatapta on a snow-​capped peak."

Now he rightly finds 無熱惱池 as Lake Anavatapta - but he omits 寒苦鳥 - kankuchō, an imaginary bird said to live in the 雪山 Himālayas, who forgets the cold of night as soon as morning comes.

It’s also a derogatory idiom, implying a person who is poor at practicing asceticism, unlikely to reach satori.

Therefore 3rd line should be “Do not spread the words of the fools!”, essentially.

Now, interestingly enough - all the proper nouns in this poem are precise descriptions. Therefore they could be all described in English for a colorful, imaginative rendering.

Last line 無熱惱池在雪山 simply reads "Lake Anavatapta at Himālayas*. Now, is Zenji just situating the birds at their proper location? Or is it a revelation, which would be in line with Japanese poetry - “There is a lake free from heat at the snow peaks”? This is what I’m going with. :slight_smile:

The irony of birds suffering and complaining about cold, while the last line reads freedom from heat, is too delicious to pass. :slight_smile:

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與禪人
宗説俱通瞥地先
誰能到此解參玄
松風空響聾人耳
竹露屢零凉月邊

Among the Zennin
At once the teaching and meaning are clear—
Who can probe and grasp this mystery deep?
The pine-wind sounds empty on deaf ear;
Bamboo catches the serene moon in dew’s drip.

Glossary
與 禪 人
yǔ chán rén
よ ぜん じん
yo zen jin
with/to meditation/Zen person
宗 説 俱 通 瞥 地 先
zōng shuō jù tōng piē dì xiān
しゅう せつ ぐ つう べつ ち せん
shū setsu gu tsū betsu chi sen
lineage/principle discourse/speech together/all pass through/penetrate glance/flash ground/place first/precede
誰 能 到 此 解 參 玄
shuí néng dào cǐ jiě cān xuán
だれ のう とう し げ さん げん
dare nō tō shi ge san gen
who able/can arrive/reach this/here untie/explain participate/investigate profound/mystery
松 風 空 響 聾 人 耳
sōng fēng kōng xiǎng lóng rén ěr
まつ ふう くう きょう ろう じん じ
matsu fū kū kyō rō jin ji
pine wind empty/void sound/echo deaf person ear
竹 露 屢 零 涼 月 邊
zhú lù lǚ líng liáng yuè biān
ちく ろ る れい りょう げつ へん
chiku ro ru rei ryō getsu hen
bamboo dew repeatedly/often fall/drop cool moon edge/side

Zennin: Zen-practitioner / meditator in general.

I’ve decided to translate 與禪人 as “Among the Zennin”, even though in Classical poetry, 與+[object] is kind of like “To Joy” or “Dedicated to”. But “與” also means “among”, “together with” etc in the classical usage. So I wanted to bring that kind of “among friends” meaning out.

This was a bit challenging for me to tackle, but the third line I think is the key to the whole poem - Doctrine & Exegesis are not made clear until the sudden realization.

This time I tried to be looser with the translation to have a better, shorter poetic flow. :slight_smile:

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I can’t even begin to say anything about how to translate, because I don’t speak Chinese or Japanese beyond what DuoLingo has taught me.:grin:

For me, the second line was always important! I believe Steven Heine translates it as “in the midst of delusion I awaken to the true path,” and that is an essential idea in my eyes. Pondering the pitiful human existence, which is like a dream, Dogen Zenji reminds us that it is only in the midst of it that one can awaken, and nowhere else. Saving all beings, continuing practice-verification is the one thing that remains to be dealt with, but it can wait, as right now, rain falls onto the deep grass of Fukakusa, and that is the totality of it all.

I love this poem and what it expresses! Nice to get an idea of how it can change when words are employed or arranged differently, as you did here!

Also, I am not sure if I responded in the right place or to the right post. Apologies for my clumsiness.

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Delighted to have a Zen Sramana offering their views on these! Thank you for your interest. :slight_smile:

This being so, I’d welcome heartily if you think my renderings capture the heart of the Zenji’s thought! :folded_hands:

I plan to (eventually!) translate all his works, but for now, if there are any verses dear to you, I’d be delighted to give them a shot and offer them for your review. :slight_smile:

Indeed, for example, it could as well be read as “Awakening to the path of forgotten ways in the midst of dream”, or, “Losing the path” (in the sense of “Finding the self is losing the self” kind of way).

The Chinese allows for such multiple readings, and well, Zenji is fond of double entendres galore! So I try to pick one to my biases to keep a metric painting. :smiley:

Beautifully put. :heart:

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與禪人
無明誰惡唯秋露
實相元來此裏真
留而難知流水底
結來易變承當身

Among the Zennin
Ignorance alone finds fault with the autumn dew,
Turns out the real nature’s been right in this, true;
Hard to see the depths while lingering currents flow—
Bound to change easily this body we borrow.

Glossary
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
漢字 無 明 誰 惡 唯 秋 露
Pinyin wú míng shuí è wéi qiū lù
Hiragana む めい だれ あく ただ あき つゆ
Romaji mu mei dare aku tada aki tsuyu
English without brightness who find fault only autumn dew
漢字 實 相 元 來 此 裏 真
Pinyin shí xiāng yuán lái cǐ lǐ zhēn
Hiragana じつ そう もと きたる この うち まこと
Romaji jitsu sō moto kitaru kono uchi makoto
English real nature origin come this within truth
漢字 留 而 難 知 流 水 底
Pinyin liú ér nán zhī liú shuǐ dǐ
Hiragana とどまる しかして かたい しる ながれ みず そこ
Romaji todomaru shikashite katai shiru nagare mizu soko
English linger and/while difficult know flow water depths
漢字 結 來 易 變 承 當 身
Pinyin jié lái yì biàn chéng dāng shēn
Hiragana むすぶ くる やすい かわる うける あたる み
Romaji musubu kuru yasui kawaru ukeru ataru mi
English form/bind come easy change bear take on body

承當身: I’ve taken the poetic liberties of the meaning “This body we take up / bear responsbility for”, using borrow for the action.

Seeing how Heine had no problem omitting that entire detail with “That this very body is itself bound to be ever-​changing.” I feel fine for the poetic expression. :slight_smile:

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That one “spoke to me” straight away and will keep me contemplating this evening. Thank you very much :slight_smile:

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與禪人
雲斷青天鶴意閑
浪連古岸魚行漫
設人著眼及斯際
百尺竿頭一進間

Among the Zennin
As clouds part the blue sky, the crane’s heart is at ease,
Waves join the ancient shore; the fish roam as they please;
Should someone fix their gaze and arrive at this place—
The hundred‑foot pole’s tip is crossed in just one pace.

Glossary
雲 斷 青 天 鶴 意 閑
yún duàn qīng tiān hè yì xián
くも たつ あお てん つる こころ しずか
kumo tatsu ao ten tsuru kokoro shizuka
cloud part/sever blue sky crane heart/mind at ease
浪 連 古 岸 魚 行 漫
làng lián gǔ àn yú xíng màn
なみ つらなる ふるい きし さかな ゆく そぞろ
nami tsuranaru furui kishi sakana yuku sozoro
wave join/link ancient shore fish roam/go freely
設 人 著 眼 及 斯 際
shè rén zhuó yǎn jí sī jì
もし ひと つける め およぶ この きわ
moshi hito tsukeru me oyobu kono kiwa
suppose/should person fix/apply eye/gaze reach/arrive this place/juncture
百 尺 竿 頭 一 進 間
bǎi chǐ gān tóu yī jìn jiān
ひゃく しゃく さお あたま ひと すすむ ま
hyaku shaku sao atama hito susumu ma
hundred foot pole tip one advance space/interval

The phrase 閑雲野鶴 (idle clouds, wild crane) was a stock emblem of reclusive freedom by the Tang. Zenji seems to dismantle this cliché: rather than idle clouds, the clouds sever the sky; the idleness is not in the clouds but in the crane’s mind.

Clouds blocking the clear sky can be seen as the imperfections of the life, and yet the crane’s content with it. And even though waves reach the shore, the fish still finds a place to roam freely.

百尺竿頭: The tip of the hundred-foot pole; from a famous kōan. It designates the point of maximal, exhaustive effort in practice where the practitioner has climbed as high as the pole allows and stands. The full kōan asks: 百尺竿頭如何進步 (At the tip of the hundred-foot pole, how does one advance?) The point is not to reach the summit, but to surpass it and leave it behind.

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I adore Kobayashi Issa! The poor man lost every child (they all died as infants) and two of his wives in his life (the first died, and the second left him), but one child was born to his third wife, and that daughter had a long life, but she was only born after he had died, and he never knew her.

露の世は露の世ながらさりながら
*Tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara

This dewdrop world —
Is a dewdrop world,
And yet, and yet . . .

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