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    Taste of Hanshan (Cold Mountain)
    Taste of Hanshan (Cold Mountain)
    Taste of Hanshan (Cold Mountain)
    Ebook225 pages2 hours

    Taste of Hanshan (Cold Mountain)

    By Alexander Goldstein

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    About this ebook

    Tian-tai Mountains are famous for their well-known reputation as a residence of saints and immortals. From ancient times adepts engaged in Chinese Buddhism and Daoism all longed for coming to Tian-tai. Richly endowed by nature, the mountain beauty spots produced unique harmonious culture, the striking prototypes of which were vagabond-poets Han Shan (Japanese "Kanzan") and Shi De (Jittoku). Once expelled from Guo-qing monastery Shi De was given a home at Mount Hanshan where Han Shan, his intimate friend and sworn elder brother, had resided for a half of century. Musing on Han Shan's poems one day, while lounging in the hot sun and sitting on a huge stone in front of the thatched hut, Shi De rolled off the top into the grass called by the master "Three Paths"; he then hauled himself back onto the boulder and began writing poems in Han Shan's voice with a bold and shameless humour worthy of his inspirer, deducing a formula that "Man’s life is nothing but drifting in the world." This is finely distilled the Daoist thinking of this transitory life; Dao embodies a belief that all our accomplishments, all our strivings and things we hold dear are simply nothing if we don't cultivate our minds. To follow the way of Dao is to calmly, even joyfully, let life have its way with us. The whole things read like a treatise from Han Shan’s hand-scroll written by Shi De’s brush or, rather, his crude broom, with that special feeling that mysteriously refreshes and makes us gladly relaxed. For all their eccentricity and mysterious existence, Han Shan and Shi De exhibited great compassion, wisdom and have always inspired ordinary people to do good, avoid evil, and study the noble Buddha's Dharma. Hence, they were thought to be the reincarnations of Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva respectively.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlexander Goldstein
    Release dateFeb 15, 2012
    ISBN9781466143630
    Taste of Hanshan (Cold Mountain)
    Author

    Alexander Goldstein

    Alexander Goldstein, a graduate of the Far-Eastern University in Sinology, lived and worked in mainland China for a period as a translator/interpreter, a manager, and a martial arts' practitioner. A certified instructor of ‘Chang-quan’ (external-style boxing) and ‘Taiji-quan’ (internal-style boxing), he is a lecturer of Chinese culture and traditions at the Open University in Tel-Aviv. He also is the author of Lao-zi's "Dao-De Jing," Chan (Zen) masters' paradoxes, "The Illustrated Canon of Chen Family Taiji-quan," a Chinese novel and some other editions, which are available in print and electronic publishing at most online retailers published in English, Spanish and Russian. What makes his books so appealing is profound analysis and authority with which various strains of the vigorous Chinese culture are woven into a clear and useful piece of guidance for a business person who conducts the affairs with far-eastern counterparties and for a counsellor who develops strategies that enable leaders to position their organisations effectively.

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      Book preview

      Taste of Hanshan (Cold Mountain) - Alexander Goldstein

      Taste of Hanshan

      (Cold Mountain)

      Published by Alexander Goldstein

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2011 Alexander Goldstein

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      * * * * *

      Contents

      Author's Note

      Preface

      PART ONE: Three Hundred And Eleven Poems of Master Han Shan

      PART TWO: Fifty-four Verses of Master Shi De

      About the Author

      Endnote

      Author's Note

      Tian-tai Mountains are famous for their well-known reputation as a residence of saints and immortals. From ancient times adepts engaged in Chinese Buddhism and Daoism all longed for coming to Tian-tai. Richly endowed by nature, the mountain beauty spots produced unique harmonious culture, the striking prototypes of which were vagabond-poets Han Shan (Japanese Kanzan) and Shi De (Jittoku). Once expelled from Guo-qing monastery Shi De was given a home at Mount Hanshan where Han Shan, his intimate friend and sworn elder brother, had resided for a half of century. Musing on Han Shan's poems one day, while lounging in the hot sun and sitting on a huge stone in front of the thatched hut, Shi De rolled off the top into the grass called by the master Three Paths; he then hauled himself back onto the boulder and began writing poems in Han Shan's voice with a bold and shameless humour worthy of his inspirer, deducing a formula that Man’s life is nothing but drifting in the world. This is finely distilled the Daoist thinking of this transitory life; Dao embodies a belief that all our accomplishments, all our strivings and things we hold dear are simply nothing if we don't cultivate our minds. To follow the way of Dao is to calmly, even joyfully, let life have its way with us.

      The whole things read like a treatise from Han Shan’s hand-scroll written by Shi De’s brush or, rather, his crude broom, with that special feeling that mysteriously refreshes and makes us gladly relaxed. For all their eccentricity and mysterious existence, Han Shan and Shi De exhibited great compassion, wisdom and have always inspired ordinary people to do good, avoid evil, and study the noble Buddha's Dharma. Hence, they were thought to be the reincarnations of Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva respectively.

      Preface

      (This Preface is written by the government official Lü Qiu-Yin who, having assumed his post as prefect of Tai-zhou, went to Guo-qing monastery located on Mount Tian-tai to visit two masters by the name of Han Shan and Shi De, as such visit having been recommended by Chan monk Feng Gan.)

      "I was once appointed to serve in Tanzhou City and received a position as prefect there. The day I was about to depart, I had a bad headache. I called a doctor, but he couldn’t cure me and it turned worse. Then I ran into a Buddhist monk by the name of Feng Gan who said he had come from the Wu-tai Mountains especially to pay me a visit. I asked him to rescue me from my illness.

      He smiled and said, 'There are only four elements with which the human body consists of: earth, fire, water, and wind. Your sickness comes from illusion. If you want to do away with it, you need some pure water.'

      Someone brought water to the master who read an incantation and spat it on me. In a moment the disease was rooted out. Then he said, 'There are miasmas in Tai-zhou prefecture, when you get there take a good care of yourself.’

      I asked him, Are there any wise men in your area I could take as my master?

      He replied, 'When you see them you don’t recognise them, when you recognise them you don’t see them. If you want to see them, you can’t rely on their appearances. Then you can see them. There is Han Shan, incarnation of Manjusri Bodhisattva, who has attained enlightenment. Although he looks like a true tramp: his body and face are old and beat, his kerchief is made of birch bark, his clothes are ragged and worn out, and his shoes are wood, in a future incarnation he will become a buddha. He is hiding at Guo-qing monastery now. There is also his intimate friend Shi De (Foundling), incarnation of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They truly look like poor fellows and act like madmen. From time to time they go back and forth between their retreats deep in the mountains and Guo-qing monastery, where they work in the dining hall, tending the fire in the monastery’s kitchen, and the like.'

      Upon saying so, he left.

      I proceeded on my journey to my office in Tai-zhou, not forgetting this affair. Three days later I arrived at my official post; I went to the local temple and questioned an old monk. It seemed the master had been truthful, so I gave orders to see if Tang-xing district really contained men by the name of Han Shan and Shi De. The district Magistrate reported to me: 'In the district, seventy miles west, on a mountain people used to see a poor man heading off from the cliffs to stay awhile at Guo-qing monastery. In the monastery’s dining hall there is a similar man named Shi De.'

      I made some arrangement and went in person to Guo-qing temple.

      I asked some people around the temple, There used to be a master by the name of Feng Gan here. Where is his cell? And where can I find master Han Shan and master Shi De?

      Abbot Zhan Ran spoke up, saying, 'Monk Feng Gan lived in back of the library. Nowadays nobody lives there; a tigress often comes and roars. . .'

      Upon saying so, the abbot led me to Feng Gan’s yard. When we opened the door of his cell, we found nothing but the tigress’s tracks all around and written on the wall verse which read like this:

      "Originally, there is not a thing,

      Much less any dust to flick off.

      Once you can comprehend this,

      You needn’t sit tight any longer."

      I asked the abbot, When Feng Gan was here, what was his job?

      The abbot replied, 'He worked in the granary, grinding and pounding rice. At night he sang his childish songs to amuse himself.'

      I also was advised that most likely Han Shan and Shi De were in the kitchen. We then proceeded to the kitchen. Before the stoves I saw two men who were facing the fire, laughing loudly. Accordingly, I politely bowed down, inquiring, Master Feng Gan kindly directed me here to greeting you both. What should I do in order to receive your blessings?

      The two shouted at me: 'Ho!' They struck their hands together, giggling, 'Ha! Ha! Ha!'

      The two men had a great laughter, shouting out, 'Feng Gan is a blabbermouth, a true blabbermouth! If you don’t recognise Amitabha Buddha, what good does it do bowing to us? Why be so courteous to us, poor vagabonds?!'

      Then they gathered round, surprise was going through them. With one accord they exclaimed, 'Why has a high-ranking official bowed to a pair of clumsy clowns?'

      So saying, they grabbed hands and ran out of the kitchen’s doors.

      I cried, Catch them!

      But they quickly ran away. Passing through the monastery’s gates, Han Shan sang his song which, they said, was addressed to me. It went like this:

      "Your brush might move about with great ease,

      And in stature you might be tremendously huge.

      Still, being alive, you’re limited with your own flesh,

      But dead, you’ll become a nameless hungry ghost.

      From ancient times, like this there’ve been many;

      If you, sir, strive against it now, what good would that do?

      However, you can come to join me in the white clouds,

      Where I’ll teach you the violet fungus song of eternity."

      I asked the monks, Would those two men be willing to settle down at the temple?

      I ordered them to find a house, and to ask Han Shan and Shi De to return and live in the monastery. Han Shan, they said, went back to Mount Hanshan, also known as the Cold Mountain, or Frozen Peak.

      Soon I returned to my district and made two sets of clean clothes, got some incense and sent the package to the temple, but the two masters didn’t return. So I had it carried up to Mount Hanshan. My packers saw Han Shan who called in a loud voice, 'Thieves! Thieves!' Shouting so, he retreated into a mountain cave. Before the cave closed up on its own he shouted, 'I’m telling you, men, strive hard!' He entered the cave and was gone. No one was able to follow him.

      As for Shi De, his tracks disappeared completely, too. I ordered the abbot and the other monks to find out how they had lived, to hunt up the poems of Han Shan written on bamboo, palm’s leaves, trees, stones, cliffs, and also to collect those written on the walls of the village houses. Altogether there were more than three hundred long and short works. I have collected and edited them, bringing together in a single volume entitled Three Hundred and Eleven Poems of Master Han Shan. On the wall of the

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