The Chan Interpretation of Wang Wei's Poetry：A Critical Review

Hailed as the “Buddha of Poetry”, Wang Wei is considered to be one of the greatest High Tang poets, and his poems have often been tied to Buddhism by countless scholars throughout the centuries due to their unique combination of the appreciation of the beauty of nature and the awareness of sensory illusions.

The author has undertaken an ambitious attempt to challenge the prevalent assumptions about Chan Buddhist implications in Wang Wei's nature poetry by examining literal and historical sources that dealt with Wang Wei's ideology of reclusion, his associations with Buddhist monks and his apprehension of Buddhist doctrines.

While researches on similar topics investigate how Wang Wei might have intentionally imparted Chan significance into his poetry, this book shows concretely why this is not the case and highlights the lack of evidence to support this claim.