Stepien quotes the critic Wai-lim Yip fittingly labeling Wei as “the quietest poet in Chinese and perhaps in all literary history.” Rather than engage in self-expression and verbosity, Wei opts for absence and scarcity. Stepien explains that the Chan school “traces its origins to the Buddha’s ‘Flower Sermon’ on Vulture Peak Mountain, in which the Buddha, rather than discoursing, is said to have simply held up a flower.” In response to this gesture, one of his disciples smiled, “thereby acknowledging his understanding of this teaching outside the realm of speech.” Independence from language thus became a centerpiece of Chan Buddhism. How did Wei transfigure this religio-philosophical belief into poetry? The answer lies in silence. Rather than engage in self-expression and verbosity, Wei opts for absence and scarcity.
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