Reading Chan/Zen Poetry: To Write or Not To Write

Steven Heine (Florida International University)

Abstract

Examining key examples of 12th-14th century Zen verses that reflect on the debate about where the poetic imagination reflects and enhances or distracts and detracts from the awakened mind.

Bio

Steven Heine is professor of Religious Studies and History and Director of Asian Studies at Florida International University. A recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun award from the Japanese government, he has published extensively on the life and thought of Zen master Dōgen as well as the origins and spread of Zen Buddhism in East Asia. Book titles include: Did Dōgen Go to China?, Dōgen and Sōtō Zen, Zen Kōans, Zen and Material Culture, and most recently, From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen.