Shiwu (石屋, Wade–Giles: Shih-Wu) or Stonehouse (1272–1352) was a Chinese

Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

poet and hermit who lived during the Yuan Dynasty. Shiwu was born in the town of

Changshu Changshu (; Suzhounese: /d͡ʐan¹³ ʐoʔ²³/) is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. It borders the prefecture-level city of Nantong to the northeast across the Yangt ...

, taking his name from the Shihwutung (Stonehouse cave) in Yushan. In 1292 Shiwu became a novice at Yushan's Hsingfu temple, a major monastic center at the time. He studied under master Yung-Wei and three years later was ordained and received the dharma name Ch'ing-hung.

Biography

He is said to have followed a monk to the Tianmu Mountains to meet with Chan master Kao-Feng. On his arrival Kao-feng asked why he came to his hermitage, to which Shiwu answered, "I've come for the

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

". Kao-feng said, "The Dharma isn't so easy to find. You've got to burn your fingers for incense". Shiwu replied, "But I see the Master before me with my own eyes. How could the Dharma be hidden?". Kao-feng took him as his pupil and gave him the koan "All things return to one" for study.

Chi-an

After three years with little progress, Shiwu decided to leave and Kao-feng recommended he study under the Chan master Chi-an. Shiwu crossed the Yangtze and met Chi-an at West Peak Temple near Chienyang. Chi-an asked Shiwu what teaching he had received. Shiwu said, "All things return to one". Chi-an asked what it meant and Shiwu remained silent. Chi-an said "Those words are dead. Where did you pick up such rot?". Shiwu bowed and asked for instruction. Chi-an then gave him another koan: "Where buddhas dwell, don't stop. Where buddhas don't dwell, hurry past". Shiwu said he didn't understand but decided to stay with Chi-an. One day, Chi-an asked once more about the koan and Shiwu answered, "When you mount the horse, you see the road". Chi-an admonished him once again. Shiwu left but on his way down the mountain he saw a pavilion and had a sudden insight. He turned back and told Chi-an, "Where buddhas dwell, don't stop. Those are dead words. Where buddhas don't dwell, hurry past. Those are dead words too. Now I understand living words". Chi-an asked him what he understood and Shiwu answered, "When the rain finally stops in late spring, the oriole appears on a branch" Chi-an later served as abbot of the Taochang temple and Shiwu joined him. Shiwu also served as a meditation teacher in Lingyin temple.

Poet

In 1312 at the age of forty he moved to Xiamu Mountain near Huzhou to live as a hermit and it is here that he composed his "Mountain Poems" (Shan-shih), one-hundred and eighty-four verses mostly dealing with life in the mountains. In the preface to the Mountain poems, Shiwu writes:

Here in the woods I have lots of free time. When I don't spend it sleeping, I enjoy composing gathas. But with paper and ink so scarce, I haven't thought of writing them down. Now some Zen monks have asked me to record what I find of interest on this mountain. I've sat here quietly and let my brush fly. Suddenly, this volume is full. I close it and sent it back down with the admonition not to try singing these poems. Only if you sit on them will they do you any good.''The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a 14th-Century Chinese Hermit'', Red Pine, 1999, p. 1

The opening poem of the Shan-Shi describes the natural setting of his hermitage: :I made my home west of the Sha :where water fills Sky Lake and the moon fills the river :people are frightened when they see the heights :but once they arrive they know the trail :dried snail shells on rock walls :fresh tiger tracks in the mud :my door stays open when spring days grow long :when paulownias bloom and cicadas call Many of his poems deal with the mundane facets of everyday hermit life. :I don't stop moving all day :long before sunset I'm done :back home I wash off my feet and sleep :too tired to notice the mountain moon's passage :birds wake me up from a distant grove :the red sun's disc shines through the pines :today and tomorrow don't differ :the years are all the same. Some of the poems also focus on Zen Buddhist philosophical ideals like impermanence and non-attachment. :This body's existence is like a bubble's :may as well accept what happens :events and hopes seldom agree :but who can step back doesn't worry :we blossom and fade like flowers :gather and part like clouds :worldly thoughts I forgot long ago :relaxing all day on a peak.

Reception

American translator Red Pine traveled to the

Zhongnan Mountains The Zhongnan Mountains (), sometimes called the Taiyi Mountains () or Zhounan Mountains (), are a branch of the Qin Mountains located in Shaanxi Province, south of Xi'an, China that extend from Wugong County in the east of the province to Lantian ...

and translated Shiwu's poems into English.

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