Abstract
Fūryū has been defined as the aesthetic of unconventionality (Qiu, 2001). In a broader, psychosocial context, it is associated with an iconoclastic attitudea freethinking, grounded idealism amidst a myriad of circumstances. Experientially, fūryū can be understood as the Zen of poetic sensibility. Ikkyū Sōjun, an iconoclastic Rinzai Zen master (1394-1481), was the embodiment of fūryū. In his Zen poetry, was a frequent metaphor for his sexuality and often alluded to counter the hypocrisy of most 15 th century Zen establishments. Similarly, in his poem Song of Myself, Walt Whitman openly addressed his bisexuality and themes of Self as Nature with a sensuous fortitude reminiscent of fūryū. Both points considered, thegoal of this paper was to identify the fūryū in Song of Myself by comparingthe poetry of Ikkyū and Whitman. The analysis of fūryū in the context of modern American literature can assist the contemplative practices of Zen Buddhist or transcendental meditators in the West. Furthermore, it can contribute to the understanding of fūryū as an accessible universal concept, present in modern and contemporary literature, and in the practice of Zen itself.
Highlights
Fūryū has been defined as the “aesthetic of unconventionality” (Qiu, 2001)
Fūryū can be understood as the mindful awareness that blooms from poetic sensibility.Its development has been associated with the iconoclastic stance of figures such as Ikkyū Sojūn, a Rinzai (Linji) Zen master who burned his seal of transmission after achieving enlightenment (Qiu, 2001)
In “To Lady Mori with Deepest Gratitude and Thanks”, love was reverently conceived by Ikkyū as a wellspring of fūryū
Summary
Abstract— Fūryū has been defined as the “aesthetic of unconventionality” (Qiu, 2001). In his Zen poetry, Nature was a frequent metaphor for his sexuality and often alluded to counter the hypocrisy of most 15th century Zen establishments In his poem “Song of Myself”, Walt Whitman openly addressed his bisexuality and themes of “Self as Nature” with a sensuous fortitude reminiscent of fūryū. The concept of “Self as Nature” was brought forth by Walt Whitman in “Song of Myself” (1892/1973), and to some degree by other transcendental poets such as Emerson Unlike his contemporaries, the iconoclastic stance in Whitman’s poetry emerged primarily from his open bisexuality. Considering the similarities between the poetry of Ikkyū and Whitman, the goal of this brief comparison articlewas to introduce the reader to the concept of fūryū and its application within a modern Western philosophical context To this end, the definition of fūryū as “the aesthetic of unconventionality” (Qiu, 2001)was used to identify the concept of fūryūin “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman. Two terms have been capitalized: “Nature” to denote the “ever present ecological life forces that exist with or without human presence" (LeVine, 2018, p. xxv) and “Self” to distinguish the transcendent entity from the ego-mind
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