Verses of Silent Illumination: Hongzhi Zhengjue’s Poetic Vision of Caodong Zen

Abstract

Zen master Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157) is best known for bringing the Caodong lineage to prominence during the Song dynasty and for coining the phrase “silent illumination” (mozhao) which came to define Caodong meditative practice. Hongzhi was anything but silent, however, in his promotion of the insights of wordless meditation and produced one of the most extensive recorded sayings (yulu) in the Song, whose poetic content far exceeds any other yulu of the period. In this article, I argue that poetic composition is a central component of Hongzhi’s Zen practice and a privileged means for asserting a distinct Caodong identity. Rather than constituting a rejection of words and letters, the principle of silence transforms the character of Hongzhi’s poetic compositions in a manner that characterizes his Caodong practice. Hongzhi primarily promotes and articulates his vision of silent meditation through poetic means, including his famous “Inscription of Silent Illumination” (Mozhao ming), as well as the images of the “withered tree” and “cold ashes” associated with the Caodong meditative ideal of absolute silence. Furthermore, when these texts and images are analyzed in their poetic contexts, “silent illumination” appears to be far more dynamic than usually conceived, thus, accounting for an active component that encompasses the vital role of words and letters. In this manner, Hongzhi depicts a vision of Caodong practice that synthesizes wordless meditation with poetic composition as two complementary sides of a single mode of religious cultivation. Furthermore, this paradoxical synthesis corresponds to the identification of the ultimate and conventional truths within Caodong Zen philosophy. In sum, contrary to the predominant perception of Caodong practice as simply identified with absolute silence, for Hongzhi, an active and dynamic engagement with poetic composition more accurately characterizes how he imagined the lineage’s teachings.