Tao Yuan-Ming had a special fondness for the green pine, for he said, "When frost destroys all the other plants, its lofty branches are then revealed" Again in "Return," he stressed, "I linger around a lonely pine tree, stroking it." So you can see how attached he was to the pine tree and how fond he was of it. Apart from being fond of the pine tree, he was also fond of drinking. However, does it mean that he drank his wine in the presence of the pine tree? In this regard, Tao Yuan-ming was truly wonderful for he said, "I lift my flask and hang it on a cold branch." What he meant was that he carried his wine flask and walked towards the pine tree and then hung it on one of the branches. Take note of the character han [cold]. It complements the line: When frost destroys all the other plants. Therefore, the cold branch represents the pine tree's hardy nature. Even more wonderful is the line: Gazing afar now and then. Having hung the wine flask on a sturdy branch, he looked neither at the flask nor at the pine tree. Instead, he gazed afar. What was he gazing at? Possibly, he saw the fine sunset reflected in mountain mist! Birds were flying home in groups, and he realized that no words could express the profound meanings within these scenes.

Here, I am using one of his poems as an illustration. Actually, what he saw might not have been these scenes. As he was casually pacing up and down next to the pine tree, stopping every now and then to gaze afar, he might have lifted his head to gaze at the sky. This might just have been a perfunctory gesture on his part. Was there any significance to his gazing afar? This is very difficult to say but there was certainly a kind of emotion involved. It was a transcendental state that he experienced spiritually. Tao's poems are of a rare quality because they can express this sort of inexplicable spiritual state in words. The green pine was lovely, and drinking could help him to relax. Now that he had hung up his wine flask on the pine branch, it meant that he had disregarded the wine flask as well as the pine tree. However, all along, he had repeatedly mentioned his wine flask and the green pine, which had already given rise to a certain state in his mind. So on harboring such a notion, he lifted his flask and hung it on a cold branch, gazing afar now and then.

Such remarkable penmanship could not have been produced by people of superficial intellect. If a person does not truly possess such an innermost state, it is impossible for him to write in this manner. By the same token, if a person is not well-versed, it is also impossible for him to describe this state. After Tao Yuan-ming described this state he concluded, "My life is like a dream-illusion, why should I be bound by the mundane dust?" What did he see when he gazed afar? It was not necessary that he was gazing at something in particular. The last two lines reveal that he had some feeling and this came about from the transcendental spiritual state that he experienced when he was gazing afar.

We say that Tao Yuan-ming was fundamentally a Confucian at heart but at the same time, he was also influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhists believe that human existence is like dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows. So in his poem, "Returning to Country and Farming," he said, "Life is like an illusion; everything returns to emptiness." However, this notion of life being likened to a dream and an illusion is not only a Buddhist belief. The Chinese Taoists also subscribe to this idea. The quotations given in annotation at the end of this book are derived from Taoist principles. In Zhuangzi - The Great Supreme, there is a saying: "You and I are still in a dream from which we have not yet awoke." This is a dialogue between Confucius and his disciple, Yan Hui. The conversation goes like this: There was a person whose mother had passed away. During the mourning period, he did not howl and wail like other people and so Yan Hui enquired of Confucius whether this person's behavior was appropriate or not. To this, Confucius replied, "This person truly understands the natural phenomena of birth and death because he has awakened. However, you and I still have not achieved that kind of awakening. It is as if we are still in a dream."  

Was this actually spoken by Confucius? Well, it is really an enigma. In fact, that was Zhuang-zi's attempt to propagate his own ideology, which was a means to transcend birth and death and enable one to naturally see the Way. Therefore these two lines, "Though born in the midst of dream-illusion, why should I be bound by the mundane dust?" contain references to both Buddhist and Taoist principles. The character 'xie' means to tie up together. The character 'ji' refers to a horse bridle. These two lines mean that our existences are just like a dream and an illusion. So why should we be shackled and restrained by mundane matters? Why are we unable to liberate ourselves mentally and spiritually? You see, on the one hand, Tao Yuan-ming wrote about his daily activities:

sometimes, he would go to the east garden and hang his wine flask on a pine branch and as he strolled along, he would gaze afar. On the other hand, what he wrote was not purely about his daily activities but rather about the spiritual state that he attained in the midst of his daily life. A person who is enriched spiritually and morally can attain this type of state; while one who lacks such qualities has to resort to leading a bustling life in pursuit of fame and self- benefit in order to fulfill his spiritual void.

There was a very arrogant poet in Mainland China who once said, "In the past few thousand years, China has produced only three and a half poets. One was Qu Yuan, another was Tao Yuan-ming and the third was Zhuang-zi." Broadly speaking, the sentiments expressed in Zhuang-zi's essays could be considered as those of a poet's and so he could be regarded as one. Who was the other half poet? He was referring to Du Fu. Subsequently, some students asked, "People like Su Dong-po and Cao Meng-de had also written excellent poems. Why were they not considered poets?" Actually, if we lower our standards a bit, then there will be many poets in China. For example, the Complete Tang Poems contains more than 48,000 poems composed by more than 2000 poets. However, if we were to set a strict standard, then who would qualify as a poet? A poet's works should express his most genuine feelings and should not have any trace of hypocrisy or embellishment, or any hint of undesirability.

Du Fu is widely acknowledged as history's greatest poet. Then why was he regarded as only half a poet? I must say that Du Fu was truly a great poet. He composed remarkable poems such as "Song of the Road - Going from the Capital to Fengxian" and "Autumn Feelings" (Eight Poems). However, do you know of any other poems that Du Fu wrote? I am now going to write down the titles so that all of you will know what sort of poems they are. For example - "Taking a Rest with a Group of Young Nobles and their Lady Companions." This was such a senseless topic and yet he composed a poem about it. This is to say that Du Fu, at times, could not break from convention and was willing to compromise himself by doing things that he should not have done or been willing to do. Du Fu also wrote such a line: "If I cannot compose excellent lines, I shall persevere until death." [River Waters Resembling the Sea]. What he meant was that he must compose the best poems that other people couldn't write, otherwise he would not die in peace. This shows he strove to outshine others. If you compare Du Fu with Tao Yuan-ming and Qu Yuan, you will realize the differences.  

 ~ To be continued