The relationship between Tang-Song poetry and Zen Buddhism thought

Résumé

The Tang and Song Dynasties were a time when Zen Buddhism was prevalent, and it was also a critical period for the rapid development of ancient Chinese literature. The literati at this time were generally influenced by Zen Buddhism thoughts, and their literary ideas were all-encompassing and rich in layers. Poetry was introduced into Buddhist gatha to explain Buddhist principles, and the infiltration of Zen made poetry have a pure and distant Zen state. Poetry and Zen merged with each other in the literati’s works, thus shining brilliantly in the history of ancient Chinese literature. This paper will start with the times’ background and specific poetic texts, focusing on the relationship between Zen Buddhism thoughts and poetic works in the Tang and Song Dynasties, in order to explore how the two combine and influence each other.