The Poetry of Emptiness

Bruce is a very direct, effective writer and his materials are immensely valuable. For a different, equally valuable, perspective on the Taoist understanding of emptiness, David Hinton’s “Hunger Mountain” is unique. Hinton, a translator of classical Chinese, has written a wonderful short book about his walks in the mountains of Vermont. He writes about how the Taoist/Ch’an concept of emptiness is an integral part of the Chinese language. Each chapter takes a particular symbol and concept in Chinese, shows how it’s used in the context of classical Chinese poetry, and illuminates emptiness in a way I’ve never experienced before. His writing and images are so vivid, I’ve had experiences of emptiness just reading and contemplating his work.

He has also written a wonderful anthology of classical Chinese poetry, covering centuries of poets, also heavily imbued with the taste and texture of emptiness. These works provide a wonderful complement to Bruce’s direct, practical instructions on meditation, Taoism, and emptiness. Most scholarly writing about Taoism and Chinese philosophy is dry and lifeless, but Hinton’s work is alive, rich, and beautiful.