Jia Dao And Buddhist Literature

Jia Dao(贾岛)(779-843),also known as Jia Langxian(贾浪仙),was a middle-late Tang dynasty poet.He was born in the 14^th year of Dai-Zong's(代宗) Da-Li(大历) calendar period,and lived under the rule of eight successive emperors, Dai-Zong,De-Zong(德宗),Shun-Zong(顺宗),Xian-Zong(宪宗),Mu-Zong(穆宗), Jing-Zong(敬宗),Wen-Zong(文宗) and Wu-Zong(武宗).During that period,the Tang dynasty was going into decline after the An Shi Rebellion(安史之乱,755-762).Jia Dao was at first a monk,but left the monastery to sit for the imperial exams without success.Moreover,the Tang imperial court was in disarray at that time due to the Niu-Li Factional Struggles(牛李党争,808-850). During this period,the imperial exams were filled with fraud and bribery,causing Jia Dao to live through his life without fulfilling his ambitions.This thesis is divided into three sections.The first section provides an introduction to the life of Jia Dao and the era he lived in.The second section provides a classification of Jia Dao's poems into different categories in order to understand the practical usage of his poems,and also the proportion of each category in relation to the total number of poems.The third section attempts to address the linkage between Jia Dao's Ku-yin poem style(苦吟诗风) and Buddhism,in order to discuss the life of Jia Dao and his poems in relation to Buddhism.