Wang Wei: Road to emptiness. The Buddha poet's Chan belief and Vimalakirti

Wang Wei, the Buddha Poet, was acclaimed for his Chan attainment. His poetry was usually associated with emptiness, which is also a central teaching of Chan Buddhism. At the same time, Wang also named himself after Vimalakirti, a layman of ancient India who taught emptiness. This paper attempts to discuss the definition of emptiness portrayed in Wang's poetry in relation to Chan philosophy as well as Vimalakirti's teaching. In addition, in order to understand Wang's spiritual journey towards emptiness, the influences of Confucianism and Taoism on the poet would also be discussed. These two philosophies would help map out Wang's spiritual journey to emptiness and illustrate Wang's shift of thoughts throughout the poet's life. The paper would be of two major parts---the discussion and poetry annotation. The poem translation would examine in detail Wang's poetry style and messages.