AWAKENED COSMOS: THE MIND OF CLASSICAL CHINESE POETRY. by Hinton, David - 2019

Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala, 2019. 138 pp, 8 1/2" H. "What is consciousness but the Cosmos awakened to itself? This question is fundamental to the Taoist and Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist worldview that shapes classical Chinese poetry. A uniquely conceived biography, (this book) illuminates that worldview through the life and work of Tu Fu (712-770 C.E.), China's greatest classical poet. Tu Fu's writing traces his life from periods of relative normalcy to years spent as an impoverished refugee amid the devastation of civil war. Exploring key poems to guide the reader through his dramatic life, 'Awakened Cosmos' reveals Taoist/Ch'an insight deeply lived across the full range of human experience. Each chapter presents a poem in three stages: first, the original Chinese; then, an English translation in Hinton's masterful style; and finally, a lyrical essay that discusses the untranslatable philosophical dimensions of the poem. The result is nothing sort of remarkable: a biography of the Cosmos awakened to itself in the form of a magisterial poet alive in T'ang Dynasty China." Interior - clean and tight with no previous ownership marks. Exterior - very minor rubbing on the covers.. Not Signed. Second Printing. Soft Cover. Very Good+.