Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Buddhist : Zen / Chan

Taoist

8th Century

China
(East Asia)

Han-shan (Cold Mountain)

Timeline (730? - 850?)

Poems by Han-shan (Cold Mountain)
Books

Han-shan (Cold Mountain), Han-shan (Cold Mountain) poetry, Buddhist, Buddhist poetry, Zen / Chan poetry, poetry, Taoist poetry

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Both Toaists and Zen Buddhists claim Han-shan as theirs. The poetry of Han-shan shows a familiarity with both traditions, though he seems to have enjoyed poking fun at Taoists and Buddhists alike.

An early biography places the dates of his life in the seventh century, but Red Pine (Bill Porter, the translater of The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain) points out arguments that seem to suggest dates in the late eighth century.

It is difficult to speak of Han-shan's life with historical certainty since so much folk legend has also grown up around him. Autobiographical hints appear in several of his poems and there are a few historical references to him, as well as his two companions, Feng-kan (Big Stick) and Shih-te (Pickup).

As a young man, Han-shan was apparently a part of the privileged civil servant class, but he left his family and wealth at about age thirty to take up the life of a hermit poet, settling in a remote cave beneath a rocky overhang. It was from this natural retreat that Han-shan took his name, which means Cold Mountain or Cold Cliff. (Han-shan is known in Japan as "Kanzan.")

Han-shan is said to have been handicapped, having difficulty walking. He describes himself in one poem wearing heavy wooden clogs, which are thought to have helped him to walk.

About a day's journey away was the Kuoching Temple at Mount Tientai. It was there that he befriended Feng-kan (Big Stick) and Shih-te (Pickup). Many stories are told of the antics of these three, poking fun at the self-importance of many of the monks while, in their craziness, enacting the true Dharma or Way.

Traditionally, Han-shan is said to have lived to be 120 years old and, in fact, in one of his poems he states that he is over 100 years old, so this may be true.

In the legendary stories surrounding Han-shan, he is not said to have died, but to have disappeared. A high official is said to have discovered that Han-shan, contrary to the crazy image he cultivated, was actually a great spiritual being. The official sent several people to Han-shan's isolated retreat to bring him back but, on seeing their approach, Han-shan wedged himself into a crack within the cliff wall, crying out "Thieves!" Then the crack closed around him. The fissure of that crack is still said to be visible.

After Han-shan's disappearance, the poems he had inscribed on local stones and trees were gathered together, along with the poems of Shih-te and Feng-kan, and soon began to circulate.

Han-shan was popularized in the West by the Beatnicks. Gary Snyder did an early translation of Han-shan's poetry and Jack Kerouac dedicated The Dharma Bums to Han-shan.

Poems by Han-shan (Cold Mountain)

	Clambering up the Cold Mountain path,
	My heart is like the autumn moon
	Sitting alone in peace before these cliffs
	[7] You have seen the blossoms among the leaves;
	[29] I spur my horse past the ruined city;
	[48] Beneath high cliffs I live alone
	[71] Someone lives in a mountain gorge
	[162] This rare and heavenly creature
	[203] Above Cold Mountain the moon shines alone
	[204] Down to the stream to watch the jade flow
	[235] Here's a message for the faithful
	[253] Children I implore you

Recommended Books

	The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain, Translated by Red Pine Amazon.com
	A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry, Edited by J. P. Seaton / Edited by Dennis Maloney Amazon.com
	The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Amazon.com
	The Poetry of Zen: (Shambhalla Library), Edited by Sam Hamill / Edited by J. P. Seaton Amazon.com
	Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems, by Gary Snyder Amazon.com
	Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry, Edited by Wu-chi Liu / Edited by Irving Yucheng Lo Amazon.com
	The View From Cold Mountain, Translated by J. P. Seaton / Translated by Arthur Tobias Amazon.com

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Han-shan (Cold Mountain)

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Support the Poetry Chaikhana

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World