Zen Buddhism in W. S. Merwin's ecological poems

  • Jiyong Geng*
  • , Jie Zhang
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The American ecopoet W. S. Merwin is a lover and practitioner of Zen Buddhism which was born and raised in ancient China. The recurrent themes of "oneness", "connections", and "karmic repetition" in Merwin's poetry correspond to the "Paticcasamuppada" philosophy in Zen Buddhism; and the "silence", "disembodiment" and "emptiness" in his poetry mirror the "Selflessness" doctrine in Zen Buddhism. And from his description of the natural world, we can sense the concept of "Buddha nature". The Eastern ecological wisdom of Zen Buddhism has left an imprint in Merwin's eco-poetry, and opens a new vista for his poetry writing.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)101-108
Number of pages8
JournalForeign Literature Studies
Volume34
Issue number5
StatePublished - Oct 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cultural fusion
  • Ecopoetry
  • W. S. Merwin
  • Zen Buddhism

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