(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline Woon)

Su Shi (苏轼), also known as Su Dongpo (苏东坡), lived from 8^th January 1037 to 24^th August 1101. He was a prominent figure in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) as well as a poet, calligrapher, writer, painter, gastronome, pharmacologist, and statesman. His father Su Xun (苏洵) gave him the name Shi (轼) after an ornate armrest usually fixed on the front section of Chinese carriages, as a reminder to the boy to pay heed to how he appeared in public.

Likewise, his father named his brother Su Zhe (苏辙) after wheel tracks left by carriages, to imply that the boy should leave a good impression on others and in his life. Apart from his given name, Su Shi was also known by his courtesy name Zizhan (子瞻), meaning “little forward-looking one”, and his pen-name Dongpo Jushi (东坡居士), meaning “east slope householder”. However, he is most commonly referred to as Su Dongpo.

As a statesman, Su Shi was a significant political figure in the Song Dynasty. He was associated with historian and politician Sima Guang (司馬光), and went against the New Policy Party led by Wang Anshi (王安石), a notable Chinese economist, statesman, chancellor and poet. Known for his expressive style, Su Shi’s writings provided clarity of understanding for Song Dynasty topics such as travel and the iron industry. Both his father and brother were also famous scholars.

In addition, Su Shi’s poetry enjoyed a long period of popularity and influence in China, Japan, and other nearby countries, as well as in English-speaking parts of the world through translations by Arthur Waley and others. In the field of Chinese arts, Su Shi is often thought to be “the leading personage of the 11^th century”, and had a famous Hangzhou dish named in his honour, Dongpo pork.

Life and Family

Su Shi was born in Meishan (眉山), in what is now known as Sichuan province near Mount Emei (峨眉山), one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China which is associated with the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. He attended the local village school led by a Taoist teacher for his early education until his mother took on the responsibility of educating him at a later date.

Su Shi’s first marriage took place when he was just 17, and he had a total of three wives throughout his lifetime. His first wife was Wang Fu (王弗, 1039-1065 CE) who married him when she was just 16. She was a brilliant and quiet lady from Sichuan who passed away at the age of 29 on 14^th June 1065 CE after bearing Su Shi his first son, Su Mai (苏迈). Su Shi was heartbroken at the loss of his wife and wrote a memorial for her (亡妻王氏墓志铭) that spoke of Wang Fu’s outstanding qualities as a wife. She was an extremely virtuous woman, who often advised him on the integrity of his acquaintances when he was an official.

In 1075 CE, 10 years after Wang Fu’s death, Su Shi composed the poem “To the Tune of the Rivertown Man” (江城子), after dreaming of her while in Mi Prefecture. This poem remains one of his most famous works.

《江城子》

十年生死两茫茫 不思量 自难忘
千里孤坟 无处凄凉
纵使相逢应不识 尘满面 鬓如霜
夜来幽梦忽还乡 小轩窗 正梳妆
相顾无言 惟有泪千行
料得年年肠断处 明月夜 短松冈

English Translation

To the Tune of the Rivertown Man

The year Yimao, 1st month, 20th day:
recording a dream I had last night

Ten years – dead and living dim and drew apart.
I don’t try to remember but forgetting is hard.

Lonely grave a thousand miles off,
cold thoughts – where can I talk them out?

Even if we met you wouldn’t know me,
dust on my face, hair like frost –

In a dream last night suddenly I was home.
By the window of the little room
you were combing your hair and making up.

You turned and looked, not speaking,
only lines of tears coursing down –
year after year will it break my heart?
The moonlit grave, its stubby pines.

In 1068 CE, two years after Wang Fu’s death, Su Shi married Wang Runzhi (王閏之, 1048-93 CE) who was Wang Fu’s cousin and 11 years his junior. She spent the next 15 years with Su Shi until her death in 1093 CE, going through many ups and downs with him especially during his career in officialdom and political exile. Su Shi praised Wang Runzhi for being a fair and understanding wife who treated his three sons equally, including the eldest borne by Wang Fu.

On one occasion, their youngest son made Su Shi angry as he did not understand his father’s unhappiness during his political exile. Wang Runzhi scolded Su Shi for his silliness, which prompted him to write the poem “Young Son” (小兒).

《小兒》

小兒不識愁 起坐牽我衣
我欲嗔小兒 老妻勸兒癡
兒癡君更甚 不樂復何為
還坐愧此言 洗盞當我前
大勝劉伶婦 區區為酒錢

English Translation

My Young Son

My young son knows no grief:
he tugged at my garment upon sitting upright.

I was just about to lose my temper
when my old wife chided the boy for being silly.

“But my husband’s sillier than the son,” she said.
“Why not just be happy?”

I sat upright, embarrassed by her words;
she placed a washed wine cup before me.

She’s far better than Liu Ling’s wife
who got mad with her husband for spending on wine!

Wang Runzhi passed away when she was 46, having borne Su Shi two sons, Su Dai (苏迨) and Su Guo (苏过). After overcoming his grief, Su Shi wrote a poem in her memory and expressed his wish to be buried with her. On her second birthday following her passing, Su Shi wrote her another poem called “To the Tune of ‘Butterflies Going After Flowers’” (蝶戀花).

《蝶恋花》

泛泛東風初破五
江柳微黃 萬萬千千縷
佳氣郁蔥來繡戶
當年江上生奇女
一盞壽觴誰與舉
三個明珠 膝上王文度
放盡窮鱗看圉圉
天公為下曼陀雨

English translation

To the Tune of ‘Butterflies Going After Flowers’

A wafting east breeze breaks on the Fifth’s dawn.
Willows by the Yangtze, yellow-wan,
interweave in its tens of thousands.

A festive air comes luxuriantly to these patterned gateways.

Once a wondrous lady was born along this stream:
with whom shall I raise this wine-cup, on her birthday,
though she’s now deceased?

Three offspring pearls, all placed lovingly on her lap,
like Wang Wendu.

I release countless carps,
watch them squirm lazy,
uncomfortably, away
as the Lord of Heavens lets down Datura rain.

Later, Su Shi married his third wife, Wang Chaoyun (王朝云, 1062-1095 CE), who had been his handmaid since she was about 11 years old. Once illiterate, she taught herself to read. She was a former Qiantang singer and probably the most famous of Su Shi’s companions. At one point in time, Su Shi’s friend Qin Guan wrote a poem called “A Gift for Dongpo’s Concubine Chaoyun” (赠东坡妾朝云) to praise her beauty and lovely voice.

Su Shi himself dedicated a number of his poems to Wang Chaoyun, including “To the Tune of the ‘Song of the South’” (南歌子), “Verses for Chaoyun” (朝云诗), “To the Tune of ‘The Beauty who Asks One to Stay’” (殢人嬌·赠朝云) and “To the Tune of ‘The Moon at Western Stream’” (西江月). Wang Chaoyun remained a faithful wife until she passed away due to illness on 13^th August 1095 CE, at Huizhou. Wang Chaoyun and Su Shi had a son together, who died in infancy. His name was Su Dun (苏遁) and he was born on 15^th November 1083 CE. After Chaoyun’s death, Su Shi never married again.

Works and Exile

The development of poetry during the Song Dynasty included works by the social critic and pioneer of a “new subjective style” Mei Yaochen (1002–1060 CE); the eccentric yet brilliant Mi Fu (1051–1107 CE); the premier Chinese female poet Li Qingzhao (1084–1151 CE); and of course the politically controversial yet renowned master Su Shi. Although Chinese poetry sprang from the Liang Dynasty (502–557 CE), and developed further during the brief existence of the Southern Tang Kingdom, it was most popular during the Song Dynasty. This popularity was due to works by Song Dynasty poets, of which Su Shi is still remembered as one of the most famous.

Su Shi and his younger brother, Su Zhe, had a good and close relationship. When Su Shi was 19, both of them passed the highest-level civil service examinations and achieved the Jinshi degree, a prerequisite for high government office positions. His accomplishments at such a young age drew the attention of Emperor Renzong and Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修), an influential statesman. Ouyang Xiu was already an admirer of Su Xun, Su Shi’s father, and had sanctioned his literary style at court. Impressed with Su Shi as well, he became the young man’s patron.

Su Shi on the left, Ouyang Xiu on the right

In 1057 CE, during the Jinshi examinations, Ouyang Xiu required the candidates to answer questions on the Confucian classics in prose according to an ancient style not frequently used. He did this without prior notice to determine how educated the candidates were. The Su brothers gained high honours for what were deemed impeccable answers and achieved celebrity status as a result. In Su Shi’s case, he repeated his exceptional performance in subsequent degree examinations in 1061 CE.

Su Shi was often separated from his loved ones due to his work as a government officer. When he was serving as the Prefect of Suzhou in 1078 CE, Su Zhe was able to join him for the mid-autumn festival, which inspired him to write the poem “Mid-Autumn Moon” sung to the tune of “Yang Pass”, that reflected the preciousness of time spent with family.

《中秋月》

暮云收尽溢清寒
银汉无声转玉盘
此生此夜不长好
明月明年何处看

English translation by Red Pine

Mid-Autumn Moon

As evening clouds withdraw a clear cool air floods in
the jade wheel passes silently across the Silver River
this life this night has rarely been kind
where will we see this moon next year?

From early 1060 CE and throughout the next 20 years, Su Shi held a variety of government positions throughout China, with the most notable being in Hangzhou where he was responsible for constructing a pedestrian causeway across the West Lake. It was eventually named the Su Causeway in his honour. He also served as a magistrate in Mi Prefecture, which is today located in Zhucheng County of Shandong province. When he became Governor of Xuzhou in 1078 CE, he wrote a memorial in which he highlighted the troubling economic situation in the Liguo Industrial Prefecture. This prefecture was extremely important for the Chinese iron industry, and was on the verge of becoming a hotbed for rebellion.

Su Shi was also seen to be at odds with the political faction headed by Wang Anshi. Once, he wrote a poem that criticised Wang Anshi’s reforms, focusing on the government’s monopoly of the salt industry. The dominance of the reformist faction at court gave the New Policy Group the ability to deport Su Shi for his alleged political crimes. One of the claims they made was that Su Shi had criticised the emperor, when in fact his criticism targeted Wang’s reforms. Wang Anshi himself played no part in the action against Su Shi; in fact he had retired from public life in 1076 CE. Before this event occurred, Wang Anshi had even established a cordial relationship with Su Shi.

Su Shi was first exiled between 1080-1086 CE. He was sent to Huangzhou in Hubei to work a post which carried only a nominal title and no government stipend. This left Su Shi poverty stricken. It was during this period that he began practising Buddhist meditation. With help from a friend, Su Shi built a small residence on a parcel of land in 1081 CE, on a farm called Dongpo (‘Eastern Slope’). It was from the name of this farm that he adopted his literary pseudonym. He grew fond of the area that he had been banished to, and many of his best poems were written during this period. He also produced his most famous piece of calligraphy, “Han Shi Tie” (寒食帖) while at the small residence.

In 1086 CE, Su Shi and all other banished statesmen were recalled to the capital due to the ascension of a new government. However, Su Shi was banished a second time between 1094–1100 CE to Huizhou, which is now in Guangdong province, and Hainan Island. In 1098 CE, the Dongpo Academy in Hainan was built on the site of the residence that he lived in whilst in exile.

Although court ministers were split into rival factions due to political bickering and opposition, they sometimes came together in moments of non-partisan cooperation. An example of this was when Shen Kuo (沈括, 1031–1095 CE), a prominent scientist and statesman, and one of Wang Anshi’s most trusted associates and political allies, befriended Su Shi.

As regional inspector of Zhejiang, Shen Kuo had presented Su Shi’s poems to the court sometime between 1073 and 1075 CE. These poems were the ones that led politicians Li Ding and Shu Dan to accuse Su Shi of harbouring abusive and hateful sentiments against the Song court, which led to Su Shi’s first banishment. Yet, Su Shi did not think ill of Shen Kuo’s actions, and his lack of ill will allowed their friendship to flourish in later life.

Su Shi’s most famous piece of calligraphy, Han Shi Tie (寒食帖)

After a long period of exile, Su Shi received a full pardon in 1100 CE and was then posted to Chengdu. However, he died in 1101 CE in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province at the age of 64 while en route to his new assignment. He gained even greater popularity after his death, as people sought out his calligraphy works and built shrines in his honour. He has also been depicted in various artworks, such as in Li Song’s (1190–1225 CE) painting of ‘Su traveling in a boat‘, known as ‘Su Dongpo at Red Cliff‘. The painting was inspired by Su Shi’s poem about a 3^rd century Chinese battle. Similarly, the areas which Su Shi visited were soon festooned with stone inscriptions informing travellers and locals that the great Su Shi had been at those very locations. When Su Shi died in 1101 CE, his brother Su Zhe buried him alongside his second wife Wang Runzhi, according to his wishes.

Su Shi and Chan Master Foyin

Su Shi enjoyed close friendships with many eminent monks and masters of the time, who in turn maintained their relationships with him. In 1079 CE, when Su Shi was in Huangzhou County, he began reading the Buddhist classics voraciously and developed a close relationship with the renowned Chan Master Foyin Liaoyuan. The two left many famous records of their conversations, including detailed questions and answers relating to Chan Buddhism. Below are some of these accounts.

Eight Worldly Winds

This is one of the most famous exchanges between Su Shi and Master Foyin, and has been mentioned in many works including Garma C Chang’s “The Practice of Zen”. When Su Shi took office in Guazhou, above the Yangzi River, Master Foyin was based at the Gold Mountain Temple, on the opposite bank.

One day, Su Shi had a powerful experience during meditation and immediately composed a verse:

“I pay homage to the supreme ones in the sky, whose brilliant rays radiate in the billion-fold universe; not being blown by the winds of the eight worldly concerns, I sit steadily on the golden lotus.”

稽首天中天
毫光照大千
八风吹不动
端坐紫金莲

This poem appeared to praise the enlightened Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but in fact it implied that he himself would no longer be affected by the eight worldly concerns, and had achieved spiritual realisation. Satisfied with himself and his work, he cheerfully asked his servant to send it to Master Foyin for his approval and validation. Upon reading the poem, the master gave a two-word remark and asked the servant to give it to Su Shi.

Su Shi was confident that Master Foyin would offer some sort of praise for his work, and was anxious to receive his reply. When the servant returned, Su Shi saw that all Master Foyin wrote was,

“Break wind! (放屁)”

Flushed with anger, Su Shi immediately took a boat across the river, ready for an argument. To his surprise, the master was waiting for him at the front gate of the temple.

As soon as he reached the master, Su Shi confronted him:

“I see you as my friend and confidante. You don’t need to acknowledge my realisation, but how can you be so disrespectful?”

The master replied calmly, “What did I say?” Su Shi showed the two words to the master. Having looked at it, the master burst into laughter and said:

“Not blown by eight winds but blown across the river by a fart.”

八风吹不动
一屁弹过江

With little effort and a few strokes of his pen, Master Foyin showed Su Shi that he was not as spiritually advanced as he claimed to be. If he had overcome the eight worldly concerns, he would not have gotten angry at the words “break wind” and crossed the river just to confront the master. Ashamed but wiser, Su Shi departed quietly. This event proved to be a turning point in Su Shi’s spiritual development. He vowed to be more humble, and not a person who simply boasted of possessing virtue.

The Jade Belt of Su Shi

One day, Master Foyin was giving a lecture on the Buddhadharma at Jinshan Temple. The lecture hall was packed when Su Shi finally arrived. Master Foyin remarked:

“It’s all packed. There’s no seat for you.”

As a lover of Chan philosophy, Su Shi enthusiastically and wittily replied:

“Well, since there’s no seat for me, I will have to take your body of the four great elements and the five heaps as my seat.”

Knowing that Su Shi was having a philosophical discussion with him, the master answered,

“Mr. Su, I have a question for you. If you can answer my question, then you can take my body as your seat. But if you can’t, we will keep your jade belt as a souvenir here in the temple.”

Su Shi had always been a pompous man, so he accepted the wager. He was confident that he would be victorious. Master Foyin then asked:

“The four great elements and the five heaps do not constitute an ‘essence’. So, where are you going to be seated?”

Su Shi did not know how to respond. According to Buddhist cosmology, the physical body is made up of the four great elements that manifest in the body’s solidity, fluidity, heat and motion. None of these are tangible, therefore impossible to be seated upon. Su Shi lost his jade belt to Master Foyin that day and because of this, the belt remains in Jinshan Temple to this day.

Buddha and the Cow Dung

One day when Su Shi and Master Foyin were meditating, Su Shi thought that he had gained spiritual attainments. Upon completing his meditation, he asked Master Foyin, “What did you see in me when I was meditating?” Master Foyin looked closely at him for a moment and said,

“Your body was glittering like a Buddha.”

Upon hearing that, Su Shi was over the moon and laughed heartily. Master Foyin then asked Su Shi, “What about me, how did I look?” Su Shi liked to tease the earnest Master Foyin and said,

“You looked like a pile of cow dung.”

Master Foyin replied, “That means I need to put more effort into my practice.” Having taken advantage of Master Foyin, Su Shi went home and chuckled about the incident to his younger sister. His smart sister said, “My dear brother, this time you have lost to Master Foyin.” “Why is that?” Su Shi asked.

“Master Foyin saw that you looked like a Buddha because there is Buddha in his heart, and thus everything looks like Buddha to him. When you said Master Foyin looked like cow dung, imagine what was in your heart!”

Notable Achievements: Poetry

“The Red Cliffs” written by Su Shi during his first time in exile. Click to enlarge.

Around 2,700 of Su Shi’s poems have survived the test of time, along with 800 written letters. Su Shi excelled in the ‘shi‘, ‘ci‘ and ‘fu‘ forms of Chinese poetry, as well as prose, calligraphy and painting. The bulk of his poems adhere to the ‘shi‘ style, but his poetic fame rests largely on his 350 ‘ci‘ style poems. Su Shi also founded the Haofang school, which cultivated an attitude of heroic abandon.

Some of his notable works include the First and Second Chibifu (赤壁賦, The Red Cliffs, which were written during his first time in exile); Nian Nu Jiao: Chibi Huai Gu (念奴嬌·赤壁懷古 Remembering Chibi, set to the tune of Nian Nu Jiao); and Shui Diao Ge Tou (水調歌頭, Remembering Su Zhe during the Mid-Autumn Festival). The two earlier poems were inspired by the Battle of Chibi, a 3^rd century naval battle during the Three Kingdoms era, and the third was inspired by his brother.

In both his written works and his visual art, he combined spontaneity, objectivity and vivid descriptions of natural phenomena. Su Shi wrote many essays on politics and governance, including his famous work, Liuhoulun (留侯論). His popular, politically charged poetry was often the reason he was the victim of wrath shown by supporters of Wang Anshi. He also wrote poems on Buddhist philosophy, one of which was commented on extensively by the founder of the Japanese Soto School of Zen, Eihei Dogen, in a chapter of his work, “Shobogenzo“, entitled ‘The Sounds of Valley Streams, the Forms of Mountains‘.

Notable Achievements: Travel Literature

Su Shi also wrote ‘day trip essays’ about his experiences while traveling. These belong to the popular Song-era genre of ‘travel record literature’ (游记文学, Youji Wenxue). In these accounts, he employed the use of narratives, diary-style records and prose. Although other forms of Chinese travel literature contained cultural, geographical, topographical and technical information, ‘day trip essays’ used environmental settings and events to convey philosophical or moral arguments, and often employed persuasive writing styles. For example, his essay titled “The Record of Stone Bell Mountain” investigates and evaluates the accuracy of ancient texts surrounding “stone bells”.

Notable Achievements: A Memorial Concerning the Iron Industry

While acting as Governor of Xuzhou, Su Shi penned a memorial to the Imperial Court in 1078 CE. In it, he described issues in the Linguo Industrial Prefecture, which was under his administration at the time.

In a revealing passage about the Chinese iron industry, Su Shi speculated that the enormous workforce being employed, the competing provinces that had rival manufacturers seeking imperial favour, as well as the rise of local strongmen capable of raiding the industry, all had the capability of creating an armed rebellion.

It was clear by reading the text that the government officials in the various prefectures had to negotiate with the central government in order to meet the demands of varying local conditions. They were not supported by the central government, but had to persuade them to help improve the lives of their citizens.

Notable Achievements: Technology of the Song Dynasty

China’s Song Dynasty was an era of reunification after a brief period of conflict. As such, it developed a fresh and new form of high society. Several of its greatest poets were also capable government officials such as Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi and Wang Anshi. The ‘ci‘ form of poetry flourished as a few hundred songs became standard templates for all other poems with distinctive and variously set meters.

For centuries, the free and expressive style of Song high society has been compared to the majestic poems from the Tang Dynasty by critics engaged in fierce arguments over which dynasty had the best poetry. Additional musical influences during the Yuan Dynasty created the distinctive ‘qu‘ opera and spawned the ‘sangqu‘ form of poetry as an off-shoot.

The sluice gate and flash lock for canals were invented during the ancient Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) of China. By the 10^th century, the designs were improved upon in China with the invention of the canal pound lock, allowing different levels of water along separated and gated segments of a canal, which could be adjusted and controlled. This innovation allowed for larger transport barges to pass safely without danger of crashing upon embankments.

These improvements were praised by those such as Shen Kuo. In 1088 CE, Shen Kuo wrote in his Dream Pool Essays that, if properly used, sluice gates positioned along irrigation canals were most effective in depositing silt for fertilisation.

Su Shi, however, had arrived at a different conclusion, years earlier in 1060 CE. In his work Dongpo Zhilin, he wrote that the Chinese had perfected this method of moving silt centuries ago, but that the canal system was ineffective by the time of his writing. Although Su Shi made no note of it in his writing, the root of the problem was that the needs of agriculture and transportation conflicted with each other on a practical level.

Dongpo Pork

There is a legend that states Su Shi invented the dish known as Dongpo Pork by accident, but there is no evidence for this. This dish went on to become a well-loved meal in later centuries. The story says that Su Shi once decided he wanted to make stewed pork. While he was cooking, an old friend arrived and challenged him to a game of Chinese chess. When they finished, Su Shi suddenly remembered his stew, by which time it had become extremely thick and coated the pork. Since then, the dish has been known as Dongpo Pork.

Lin Hsiang Ju and Lin Tsuifeng in their scholarly work Chinese Gastronomy included the recipe, “The Fragrance of Pork: Dongpo Pork“, and remarked that,

“…the square of fat is named after Su Dongpo, the poet, for unknown reasons. Perhaps it is just because he would have liked it.”

Su Shi himself had stated that he was never comfortable with killing animals for his dinner, and supported a vegetarian lifestyle. However, he had cravings for certain foods, such as clams, that he could not resist. After he was imprisoned, his views changed:

“Since my imprisonment I have not killed a single thing… having experienced such worry and danger myself, when I felt just like a fowl waiting in the kitchen, I can no longer bear to cause any living creature to suffer immeasurable fright and pain simply to please my palate.”

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Shi
• https://cn.hujiang.com/new/p486974/
• http://zhongguogudairenwuzhi.blogspot.my/2012/03/su-shia-writer-poet-artist-calligrapher.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_Song_dynasty
• https://books.google.com.my/books?id=sEo1DwAAQBAJ
• http://en.lingyinsi.org/list_299.html
• http://shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_newS_list/index.aspx?nodeid=297&page=ContentPage&contentid=15269
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_literature

For more interesting information:

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• Bodhidharma – the founder of Gongfu
• Ji Gong – The Crazy Monk of China
• Du Fu – a Poet Savant
• Amazing Xuanzang and His Journey to the West
• Kumarajiva – the Great Translator from Kucha
• Emperor Kangxi | 康熙皇帝
• Professor Garma C.C. Chang – The Illustrious Pioneer
• Bill Porter (Red Pine): The Translator of Chinese Poems and Promoter of Zen Buddhism

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