**3. Pei Yue's Poems for Monks**

The authors of the present paper are unable to locate any records of Pei Yue's relationship with Buddhism or monks in the historical literature. However, this omission is compensated for in Pei Yue's poems for monks. Eight complete poems and two remnants that remain today were created by Pei Yue for eight monks.

(1) Huaisu in Pei Yue's "Ode to Huaisu's Terrace":

 I call the names of the ancients;


 - Du Fu, Li Bai and Huaisu;



 (-) The grave of abandoned writing brushes that looks low is as high as a mountain;

 The inkwell that looks shallow is as deep as the sea.

 I am feeling deeply regretful.


 Wake up Huaisu loudly and make him write on it;


 - When I am going to return home, I sigh with emotion again.

 Three words are in front of me:


According to Tao Zongyi - (1329–fl.1412) (Tao 2016, p. 101), Pei Yue was "famous for a calligraphy style between running hand (*xingshu* -) and cursive hand (*caoshu* -)". Since Pei Yue was an expert in calligraphy, his evaluation of Huaisu's calligraphic skill is of grea<sup>t</sup> reference value. In Pei Yue's opinion, Du Fu (712–770), Li Bai (701–762) and Huaisu occupied the highest positions within the domains of poetry, white liquor and calligraphy, respectively. Their fame was so grea<sup>t</sup> that even "ghosts and Divine Beings" admired them. The site where Huaisu buried his "abandoned writing brushes"<sup>2</sup> and hoarded ink was located "in the eastern suburb of Yongzhou" and, according to Pei Yue, was worth visiting. "The grave of

abandoned writing brushes" was not as high as Pei Yue imagined, and "the inkwell" was not overly deep. However, Pei Yue believed that Huaisu's calligraphy achievements were unparalleled, like high mountains; his connotations were unfathomable, like the depths of the sea, and they could not be measured by how many writing brushes had been worn out or how much ink had been used up. Considering that he had never seen Huaisu's charm with his own eyes, Pei Yue felt regretful; he imagined allowing the reborn Huaisu to write on the sky. When leaving the site, Pei Yue could not help but sigh again. In the final three lines, by describing a sad atmosphere, with a number of desolate images, Pei Yue expressed his sadness, which was brought by Huaisu's death, and his own imminent departure from this place; secondly, Pei Yue considered that art had reached its acme when it became integrated into nature, and that Huaisu's calligraphy had attained such a state, so that every natural scene and creature that Pei Yue saw at Huaisu's site seemed to be one of Huaisu's calligraphy characters.

As mentioned earlier, the comments that Pei Yue's poems "sometimes included unexpected and amazing lines" and "had fantastic ideas" are well reflected in this poem. In addition, in Huang Tingjian's (1045–1105) (cited in Hu 1962, p. 125) view, this poem was "especially witty and weird". In this poem, "the grave of abandoned writing brushes" is both low and high; "the inkwell" is both shallow and deep. While appearing contradictory, with these phrases, Pei Yue deftly contrasted what he saw with what he felt. In order to capture the tremendous power of Huaisu's calligraphy, Pei Yue imagined turning the sky into paper and using the river to make ink. The notion of transforming botany and animals into artistic characters is unexpected and artful.

(2) Guanxiu in Pei Yue's "For Guanxiu" (remnants) (*Zeng Guanxiu (canju)* - ( ), Peng et al. 1960, p. 8269) and "Written to Guanxiu" (Ji Guanxiu , Peng et al. 1960, p. 8267).

There are two remnants entitled "For Guanxiu" attributed to Pei Yue: "(*Shi shi jing jie yi, wei shi hui que nan*) - - " state that writing excellent poems is much harder than achieving success in any other task. There also exists Pei Yue's one complete poem, entitled "Written to Guanxiu":

 - I recall once my master and I;

 (- ) Discussed in the quiet mountains (or Discussed seriously in the mountains).


 Only by thinking hard can we create poetry.

 - The dogs shivering in the cold covered themselves with withered leaves to sleep;

 The hungry birds ate rotten pears.

 (- )- One day in the White Lotus (or Cloud) Association;


In this poem, Pei Yue recalled conversing with Guanxiu in a quiet location deep in the mountains. If the third word of the second line is *jing* (deeply and carefully), this couplet indicates that Pei Yue and Guanxiu explored a number of topics in depth and in detail. It is worth mentioning that in two other remnants, "(*Kuyin seng ruding, deju jiang chenggong*) - - - " (Peng et al. 1960, p. 8269), Pei Yue states that a person should think hard about his words carefully when writing poems, he can ge<sup>t</sup> outstanding work when he achieves an egoless and ideal state, which could be compared to the "concentration" of a monk. The remnants and the second couplet of "Written to Guanxiu" have common features: both of them compare poetic creation with dharma practices, and they consider "thinking hard about every word carefully" as the key to poetic creation. This is consistent with some reviewers' comments on Pei Yue's poems, as cited above, that they have the characteristics of "thinking hard about every word carefully" and "expressing precisely". The second couplet of "Written to

Guanxiu" even compares the importance of "thinking hard about every word carefully" in poetic creation to the significance of "emptiness" in Buddhism. "Emptiness" is the core ideology in Buddhism and the fundamental characteristic of everything.

*The Heart Sutra* (Xin jing , Buddhist Wisdom Books: The Diamond Sutra · The Heart Sutra 1972, pp. 85, 89, 93) and *The Diamond Sutra* (Jingang jing , Buddhist Wisdom Books: The Diamond Sutra · The Heart Sutra 1972, p. 59) state, respectively:

Here, O Sariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness; they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete. Therefore, O Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness; No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to: No mind-consciousness element; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to: there is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path. There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment. Therefore, O Sariputra, it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the perfection of wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble, he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.

Selfless are all dharmas, they have not the character of living beings, they are without a living soul, without personality.

These were what Pei Yue and Guanxiu, being proficient in both Buddhism and poetry, talked about at that time. The "shivering dogs" and the "hungry birds" reflect how harsh Guanxiu's practice environment was. These descriptions express Pei Yue's concern for Guanxiu.

The authors of the present paper believe that the fourth word of the last couplet of this poem should be *lian* (lotus) rather than *yun* (cloud), because *Baiyun she* - (White Cloud Association) may have no significant meaning, while a well known allusion can be derived from *Bailian she* - (White Lotus Association). Sun Changwu - (Sun 2000, p. 10) writes:

It is an important event in the history of Chinese Buddhism for Huiyuan (334–416) and others to form an association. The *Biographies of Eminent Monks* (*Gaoseng zhuan* ) records: "Liu Yimin - (352–410) of Pengcheng , Lei Cizong - (386–448) of Yuzhang - , Zhou Xuzhi (377–423) of Yanmen -, Bi Yingzhi (fl. 402) of Xincai -, Zong Bing (375–443), Zhang Laimin - - (350–418), Zhang Jishuo (359–423) of Nanyang and so on gave up their earthly glory and wealth and followed Huiyuan. Huiyuan held a ceremony to express their longing for Western Paradise in front of the Statue of Amitabha Buddha (Wuliangshou fo ) in the monastery". . . . The names of "White Lotus Association" and "Eighteen Sages" (Shiba xian ) did not appear in Huiyuan's day. . . . Bai Juyi (772–846) tried his best to publicize the legend of "White Lotus Association". . . . From then on, the allusion related to "White Lotus Association" often appeared in the works of poets and monk poets in the Late Tang and Five Dynasties. . . . The works of Pei Yue, Li Xianyong , Li Shanfu (fl. 861), Wu Qiao - (fl. 943), Li Zhong (fl. 920–fl. 974), Li Jianxun (fl. 873–952) and monk poet Guanxiu, Qiji - (864–fl. 937), Xiumu (?–918) and so on frequently used the allusion related to "White Lotus Association".

In the last couplet of this poem, Pei Yue used "White Lotus Association" to refer to the association of monks and common people; here, people from both outside and inside the secular world could open their hearts to each other. This couplet indicates that Pei Yue was strongly looking forward to seeing Guanxiu again in this place in the future.

(3) Shangyan in Pei Yue's "Written to Monk Shangyan" (Ji seng Shangyan , Peng et al. 1960, p. 8267):


 - Who can match his achievements?





 - (- ) One day in the future, he will shake a light whisk (or hold a golden tin staff);

 -- To return to the waterfall.

Pei Yue passionately eulogized Shangyan's achievements, which, he felt, no one could match. Shangyan lived a leisurely life in the mountains. However, in Pei Yue's eyes, such a leisurely life was not what Shangyan had expected. Pei Yue believed that extraordinary Shangyan would eventually return to the depths of nature and integrate his whole body and mind with nature. Both the "whisk" and the "tin staff" are meaningful in Buddhism. The former is not only an "instrument for flicking away mosquitoes" (Yijing 1990, p. 229), but also a common tool used by prominent monks to admonish ordinary monks and help them learn the dharma (Huiran 1990, pp. 496, 503–4). The *Tin Staff Sutra* (Dedao ticheng xizhang jing , 1990, p. 724) states: "Past Buddhas held tin staff, future Buddhas will hold tin staff, present Buddhas also hold it". This demonstrates that the "tin staff" is an indispensable item for eminent monks. The *Tin Staff Sutra* ( 1990, p. 724) also states: "The tin staff is called the wisdom staff or the morality staff because it displays holy wisdom (*shengzhi* ) and creates merit (*gongde* )". Pei Yue praised Shangyan for his "holy wisdom" and "merit" by describing Shangyan "holding a golden tin staff". Regardless of whether the fourth and fifth words of the last couplet of this poem are "light whisk" or "golden tin staff", this couplet expresses certainty that Shangyan will return to the pure land with Buddhist items and that he is a true Buddhist master.

(4) Chubin in Pei Yue's "Written to Monk Chubin in the South of Dongting Lake" (Huwai ji Chubin shangren , Peng et al. 1960, pp. 8266–67): - - No wonder I feel kind to Chubin;


 He can use the verses in the *Book of Songs* · *Major Odes* (*Shijing* · *Daya* ·);

 He seems not to believe in the Lesser Vehicle.


 White clover ferns float on the Xiang River.


 I hope you can tell me about your travel experiences.

Chubin shared with Pei Yue his new poetry. After reading, Pei Yue immediately felt unexpected and delightful kindness towards Chubin. Chubin could transform and then draw upon the former poets' beautiful lines when creating his poetry. In the Chinese Buddhist tradition, the so called Lesser Vehicle (Hinayana or *xiaocheng* ) is believed to carry oneself only, while the Great Vehicle (Mahayana or *dacheng* ) carries all people.<sup>3</sup> Pei Yue suggested that Chubin "seemed not to believe in the Lesser Vehicle", indicating that Chubin, in his poetry, expressed a desire to save all sentient beings, and that Pei Yue also had the desire to free all the common people. At

this moment, faced with a bleak scene, Pei Yue said goodbye to Chubin: "If we have the opportunity to see each other in the future, we can chitchat again".

(5) Chumo in Pei Yue's "Mourn Monk Chumo":

> In a desolate atmosphere, under the curtain of the mourning hall; - - Smoke from burning incense is seperated by the candlelight.


 - What he left to the clouds was loneliness.


 - And passed on his frock so that it would not be destroyed.

 - - After crying, I turn my head again;

 - The faint bells ring from the mountains surrounded by the dusk.

When Pei Yue visited Chumo's former residence and saw a forlorn scene, sadness immediately filled his mind. Pei Yue described how junipers were still there, but Chumo was not; when clouds floated over Chumo's residence as usual, they could not see him again. Chumo visited Buddhist holy sites to seek Buddhist essences a few times and imparted his lifelong learning to others to keep truths alive. After some contemplation, Pei Yue wiped away his mourning tears, turned round and looked out into the distance. The vast twilight surrounded the mountains, and the bells rang faintly. Both the circumstances and Pei Yue's mood were gloomy and dismal.

(6) Zhiqian in Pei Yue's "Written to Monk Zhiqian" (Ji seng Zhiqian , Peng et al. 1960, p. 8269):

 - Having natually noble and clear appearance;

 - Zhiqian once held Buddhist ceremonies to gran<sup>t</sup> precepts to others inthepreceptplatform<sup>4</sup> ofthecapital.

 Always talking about the similar Buddhist scriptures;


Consisting of only four lines in twenty Chinese characters, this poem demonstrates Zhiqian's appearance, temperament, past experience and ideas regarding the learning of Buddhism. The *Preface of the Collection of the Fundamental Principles of Chan* (Chanyuan zhu quan ji douxu , Zongmi 2008, p. 22) and the *Platform Sutra* (Tan jing , McRae 2000, p. 31) state, respectively:

Bodhidharma (Damo , ?–536) received dharma from India. When coming to China, he saw most people learning Buddhism here did not inherit dharma, they only took things with entities as explanations and guidelines. Using fingers to point to the moon is like learning dharma through words, moon symbolizes dharma, and fingers symbolize words which are just tools, not the essences. Moon is not on fingers, dharma is not in words, but in my mind. Dharma should be transmitted from mind to mind, not through words. Exotoric Buddhism (Xianzong ) says this because it advocates eliminating attachments rather than discussing liberation without words and letters.

If a person of the Mahayana or a person of the Supreme Vehicle hears this explanation of the *Diamond Sutra*, his mind will open forth in enlightened understanding. Therefore, you should understand that your fundamental natures have in themselves the wisdom of *prajña¯*. Allowing this wisdom to function of itself in constant contemplation, one therefore need not rely on the written word.

According to the Buddhist classics, the dharma already exists within people's minds. Neither preaching nor practicing dharma should rigidly depend on "words and letters". They also stress that not clinging to "words and letters" does not mean completely abandoning them. Zhiqian was deeply aware of this truth, so he focused on cultivating his mind to comprehend Buddhist principles. Based on the Buddhist sutras, Zhiqian paid more attention to expressing his self consciousness and elaborating his own comprehension when discussing dharma.

(7) A monk in Pei Yue's "A Monk Who Never Goes out of Monastery":

 Seemingly having visited many places;


 No vulgar words lingers in his ears;


 The moving shadow of the pagoda can be seen;




The monk learned Buddhism and sought truth only in his monastery. Although he never went out, his outstanding achievements made him appear to have been to many Buddhist holy sites. All the people around him were extraordinary, and the inside and outside of his monastery were like two different worlds. The "shadow of the pagoda" moved slowly, and the bells rang at regular intervals, these facts revealed that the outside world was constantly changing. The *Platform Sutra* (McRae 2000, pp. 45–46) records:

Good friends, what is it that is called meditative concentration (*chanding*; *samadhi ¯* )? Externally, to transcend characteristics is "meditation" (*chan*). Internally, to be undisturbed is "concentration" (*ding*). If one concentrates on characteristics externally, internally the mind is disturbed. If one transcends characteristics externally, the mind will not be disturbed. The fundamental nature is naturally pure and naturally concentrated; it is only by seeing the realms and thinking of the realms that one is disturbed. If one can see the various realms without the mind being disturbed, this is true concentration.

Good friends, to transcend characteristics externally is "meditation". To be undisturbed internally is "concentration". Externally "meditation" and internally "concentration" is meditative concentration.

This means that human beings' nature is both "pure" and "concentrated", but it is easily disturbed by "characteristics" and "realms". If a person can keep himself away from external interferences and calm his mind through practicing dharma, he can reach the state of "meditative concentration". In the last couplet of this poem, the monk sat in meditation, and external changes did not bother him at all. Pei Yue could not help but laugh at himself: compared with this distinguished monk, he was merely a busy layman in the secular world.

(8) Su Zhan in Pei Yue's "See off Advanced Scholar Su Zhan Who Will be a Monk After War":

 Serving the King of Emptiness because of chaos caused by war;

 Su Zhan felt lonely, but not sentimental.


- The monastery will be his home.



 Knowledge is of little use;

- Who should he ask about the way ahead?

The title indicates that this poem was written to Su Zhan, who once was an "advanced scholar" and would become a monk. Therefore, the authors of the present paper regard this poem as one written to a monk. *The Surangama Sutra* (Lengyan jing -, Buddhist Text Translation Society of Dharma Realm Buddhist Associa-

tion 2019, p. 252) states: "At that time there was in the world a Buddha named King of Emptiness"; the *Meanings of Five Assistance Conditions According to Sutras* (Yi jing ming wuzhong zengshangyuan yi - , Shandao 2013, p. 212) states: "There was a Buddha named King of Emptiness in the past"; and the *Collection of the Key Points of Some Sutras* (Zhu jing yao ji - , Daoshi 1990, p. 2) also states: "There was in the world a Buddha named King of Emptiness a long time ago". It can be seen that "serving the King of Emptiness" refers to converting to Buddhism. The war converted Su Zhan to Buddhism. From then on, he would regard monks as relatives and the monastery as home. According to the last two couplets of this poem, Su Zhan's condition was very depressed; he was tearful and his hair was all white. Learning did not bring him his expected life or allow him to realize his ideals, and he did not know where his future was. The despair delivered in the last couplet belongs not only to Su Zhan and Pei Yue, but also to all scholars who lived during a turbulent time and had no bright future.
