(71) Imparting sublimely natural grace characterizes the loftiest level of poetic art. However the loftiest Chan psyche is none other than supramundane sublimity. It goes without saying that poetry of the Chan genre is also characterized by its sublimely natural grace. What needs to be made clear here is this: All the poems whose content has something to do with Chan or which contains some Chan-related phraseology are not poems of the Chan genre. Only such Chan-related poems as can fully evince a sublimely natural grace can be rated as worthwhile poems of the Chan genre. An old Chinese saying has it that “experiencing the process of poeticizing is similar to carrying on a seated meditation session”. And I would like to add that composing poetry is in essence making Chan audible and that Chan is in essence a muted process of poeticizing.

In the shade of the pine tree,

“My master,” the lad told me;

“Is in this hill gleaning medicinal herbs.

And I’ve no idea his whereabouts in the beclouded quarters.”   

Though in this poem neither Buddha nor Chan is ever mentioned, yet its content and sublimely natural grace defy any attempt at gainsaying it isn’t a poem of the Chan genre. From this poem you can elicit what a poem of the Chan genre is apt to impress you with.