An Investigation Of Yan Yu’s Analyzing Poetics Metaphorically With Chan

"Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" is not only one of distinctive features of "The Poem Theory of Canglang", but also one of important ways of Yan Yu used to discuss poetics. Yan Yu is not the pioneer of "Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan", because there were many cases of illustrating poetics with Chan before him. In Wei、Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties, the communications between Chan Buddhism and poems occurred, while the connection of Chan Buddhism and poetics was established in Late Tang and Five Dynasties. In Northern Song Dynasty,"Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" is very popular with poets and formed a specific method of "reflected fully on poetry、 achieve enlightened insight、attaining skills". In Southern Song Dynasty, on the basis of absorbing previous achievements, combined with his own opinions on poetry, Yan Yu developed "Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" and finally made it mature. Besides, Yan Yu illustrating poetics with Chan resulted in a profound impact on later cases of illustrate poetics with Chan.In terms of the general thought of Yan Yu’s "Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan", it consists of two sides:firstly, the methods and process of learning are similar, which concentrated on "judgement","reflect fully on poems" and "enlightened insight". In Chan Buddhism,"judgement" refers to the feeling and thought of human which is prior to experience, while Yan Yu used it to describe the ability to analyze and appreciate the construction of form and the disadvantages and advantages of poems. The meaning of "reflecting on poems" is reading the books of Chan carefully, however, Yan Yu applied it to explain that it’s important to reading poems carefully."Enlightened insight" in Chan refers to achieve the truth of Chan Buddhism through arduous probing and studying, and Yan Yu used it to explain the understanding of the skills of writing poems and the aesthetic characteristics of poems through meditating poems of all dynasties. Secondly, the enlightment of writing poems and learning Chan, the "Jing Jie" of poems and Chan are connected by essential spirit. The enlightment of writing poems and learning Chan focused on two points, one is unrelated to knowledge and the ability of logical reasoning, the other is the outbreak of enlightment. The theory of "Jing Jie" about poems and Chan are elaborated from two angles, from the perspective of language and thoughts, the poems and Chan are pursuing to get rid of the shackles of language, so that the "Jing Jie" of poems and Chan is characterized with no trace of language, like an antelope sleeping with its horns hang on the tree so we can not find the trace of his footprint. From the perspective of object and mind, the poems and Chan are the same in eliminating the boundary of object and mind.Although Yan Yu’s"Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" is not original, he is not just imitated predecessors’ cases. The progress of Yan Yu’s "Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" made covered three points: firstly, Yan Yu has impressive consciousness and explicit targets when he using it; secondly, along with the use of this metaphor, Yan Yu deepen and expand some categories; thirdly, the illustrating poetics with Chan is systematical. Yan Yu’s "Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" led "poems can be illustrated with Chan" to "poems are consistent with Chan". Besides Yan Yu’s "Analyzing poetics metaphorically with Chan" profoundly influenced Wang Yuyang’s theory of "poetic charm" and Wang Guowei’s theory of "Jing Jie".