Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty known as the "Buddha of Poetry", has an attitude towards life and an intriguing inner world. Is his poetry really as full of Buddhist ideas as one might think?
Wang Wei, whose name is Maha, was born in Puzhou, Hedong (now Yuncheng, Shanxi), and his ancestral home is Qi County, Shanxi. He was a famous poet and painter in the Tang Dynasty, and was revered as the "Buddha of Poetry" by later generations.
Wang Wei's family was very prominent during the Tang Dynasty, his father Wang Chulian was the Sima of Fenzhou, and his mother Cui was the daughter of the Boling Cui family, who was also born in a famous family. This family background provided Wang Wei with a good educational environment and cultural atmosphere, and also laid the foundation for his future poetry creation.
Wang Wei showed extraordinary talent in his early years, and was promoted as a scholar in the ninth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (721), and later served as Taile Cheng. However, his career was not smooth, and he was demoted to Jeju Sichang to join the army because of the yellow lion dance of the Lingren. Since then, he has held a number of official positions, including the Right Collection, the Supervision of the Imperial History, and the Judge of the Hexi Festival. During the Tianbao period of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Wei worshiped the officials and gave things. However, during the Anshi Rebellion, Wang Wei was forced to assume a false position, and was imprisoned after the war subsided. Fortunately, because he once wrote "Ning Bi Chi" to express the pain of losing the country and missing the court, as well as his younger brother Wang Jin's meritorious request to reduce his nationality to atone for his brother's sins, he was able to forgive, demoted to the prince Zhongyun, and later moved to the middle school, and finally the right of the book.
The poem "Ningbi Pond" depicts the scene of An Lushan claiming the title of emperor in Luoyang and feasting the ministers in Ningbi Pond. Wang Wei was detained in the Bodhi Temple, hearing the news and deeply felt the pain of the country's ruin, his heart was stirred, the poem "the autumn locust leaves fall in the empty palace, Ning Bi Pond plays the orchestra" four sentences, with the autumn locust leaves falling, the palace is empty of the desolate scene, and the lively scene of the feast on the Ning Bi Pond is in sharp contrast, expressing his inner pain and indignation.
Wang Wei's poems and paintings show a detachment from the world, which is not unrelated to his deep connection with Buddhism. However, can we really get a glimpse of his true meaning of practicing a Buddhist life from his poems?
In Wang Wei's poetry, the love and pursuit of natural beauty is obvious. His poems often use landscapes and pastoral themes as themes, and through delicate depictions of natural scenery, he shows a realm of freshness and detachment. For example, in the poem "Autumn Twilight in the Mountain House", he describes: "After the new rain in the empty mountains, the weather is late in autumn. The bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring stone is upstream. This poem seems to make people feel the tranquility and beauty in the mountains after the rain, and become one with nature.
However, we should not assume that Wang Wei lived a true Buddhist life just because of his love and pursuit of natural beauty in his poetry. In fact, his poems are also full of attention and criticism of the real society. For example, in the poem "Veteran", he deeply reflects the indifference and injustice of social reality by depicting the experience of a veteran.
In addition, Wang Wei's life experience also shows that he did not live a Buddhist life entirely. He has experienced the ups and downs of officialdom, and he has also been hit by political frustration. These experiences show that he faces various difficulties and challenges in real life.
In Wang Wei's poems, in addition to the love and pursuit of natural beauty and the concern and criticism of the real society, there are many chapters that show the profound thinking of life philosophy and emotion. For example, in the poem "Farewell to the South": "The middle age is quite good, and the late home is in the south of the mountains." Every time you go alone, you know what you are winning. This poem not only expresses his yearning for Taoism and his love for nature, but also reveals his deep thinking about the philosophy of life.
To sum up, although Wang Wei is known as the "Buddha of Poetry", his poetry and life experience show that he did not fully practice the Buddhist life. His poems not only show his love and pursuit of natural beauty, but also reflect his concern and criticism of the real society. It not only expresses the deep thinking of the philosophy of life, but also reveals the nostalgia for worldly emotions. Therefore, we cannot simply equate his poetry with Buddhist thought, nor can we think that he lived a fully Buddhist life. Wang Wei's poetry and life experience provide us with a diverse and rich perspective, allowing us to see the pursuit and struggle of a person on different levels.