Cold Mountain Zen

Synopsis

The legendary Tang Dynasty poet Hanshan ("Cold Mountain") has inspired readers, artists, and Zen practitioners for over a thousand years with poems that celebrate solitude, impermanence, and the freedom found beyond worldly ambition. In this carefully curated collection, acclaimed translator Hiroaki Sato traces Hanshan's life from scholar and family man to mountain hermit, presenting poems that balance humor, clarity, spiritual insight, and an abiding love of the natural world.

More than a poetry collection, Cold Mountain Zen offers an inviting introduction to one of the most beloved voices in Zen literature. Alongside Hanshan's poems are illuminating essays and stories by renowned Japanese writers Mori Ōgai and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, providing historical context and exploring the enduring friendship between Hanshan and his fellow monk Shide. Fresh, musical, and deeply accessible, Sato's translations bring the rebellious spirit and quiet wisdom of these timeless poems vividly into the present.

About the Author

Hanshan ("Cold Mountain") was an eighth-century Chinese poet and Buddhist recluse whose work has become foundational to Zen literature. This edition is translated and edited by Hiroaki Sato, one of the foremost translators of Japanese and classical East Asian literature, whose extensive commentary places Hanshan's poetry within its historical and cultural context.

Publisher
New Directions

Publication Date
July 7, 2026

Format
Paperback

Pages
96

Subjects
Poetry · Zen Buddhism · Chinese Literature · Philosophy

ISBN
9780811240284