Bai Juyi And Zen Ideology Classics

Based on Bai Juyi,a famous Tang poet and three Zen ideology classics--Diamond Sutra,Vimalakirti Sutra,The Heart Sutra,this thesis gives a thorough analysis of the influence of these three Zen ideology classics have on Bai Juyi's thought and his poetry composing from a specific and subtle angle,which may help us to have a deeper understanding of the relationship between Bai Juyi and Buddhism.As an imported culture,Buddhism finally formed into distinct Zen culture with Chinese characteristics after centuries of collision and fusion with Chinese culture.As the Tang Dynasty provided a precious opportunity for the thriving of Zen culture,poets in this period were inevitably influenced by the Zen culture.Among the heterogeneous Buddhist beliefs Bai Juyi hold,Zen culture undoubtedly had the greatest influence on him.In the mid-Tang Dynasty,Zen had shifted from studying lankavatara sutra in the early period to Diamond Sutra,which,as the founding basis of Zen Buddhism,had a profound impact on Bai Juyi in the aspects of "no-self" and "be flexible".Vimalakirti Sutra is a major source of the Zen culture,and had been both comprehensively and thoroughly accepted by Bai Juyi,who in many aspects lived his life as a practitioner of Vimalakirti thoughts.As the nub of Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra,The Heart Sutra paved Bai Juyi's way for Buddhism in terms of mental cultivation methods.