Poems and Ci of Jigong

AnonymousJun 2024

2.1

Word count: 4.9K words
Chapters: 32

Summary

Traditional Chinese culture and thought have a long history and are highly original, inventive, and literary. Early forms of thought are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of traditional Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and local gazetteers—all are profound and extensive. This "Essence of Chinese Classics" series preserves the original appearance of the books and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers can cultivate their temperament and subtly appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

This book gathers poetry and verse related to the folk image of Jigong into one volume, showing how a religious figure used poems and gathas to express otherworldly sentiments and exhort the world. Its reading value lies not in rigorous textual criticism but in experiencing a language that interweaves Zen meaning with marketplace flavor: there are the direct, admonishing lines of gathas as well as the refined, detached lines of literati style. For general readers, it is a lightweight entry into Buddhist poetry and folk belief texts, suitable for casual dipping during leisure, using the language of poetry to appreciate an attitude of letting go of attachment and following conditions. The editorial approach, which preserves the original appearance, also allows readers to glimpse the features of traditional compiled editions. It is suitable as an interest reader in traditional culture, not as a strictly collated or annotated individual collection.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Jigong legends and Buddhist culture
Casual readers who want to relax with short poems and gathas
Writers and teachers who need folk-literature material
Beginning readers new to Chinese classics who prefer light reading

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers requiring precise collation and textual criticism
Readers expecting a systematic author chronology and creative background
Readers who prefer long narrative or modern fiction

Reading tips

Read three to five poems a day; do not seek full understanding—first feel the tone and rhythm
Mark Buddhist scriptural terms as you go, then look them up together afterward
Read alongside Jigong legend stories to understand the context of the poems and gathas
Keep a pen handy and jot down lines that move you

版权信息
济公活佛诗词
临江仙
酒怀
饮酒
醉傲
赠明颠
临江仙?雪
无题（四首）
湖山有感
游洞霄宫
赠赵太守
赠冯太尉
语录
下棋
雨伞
嘲灵隐寺印铁牛
神子赞
鹧鸪天?瘗促织
把火文
撒骨文
与安抚
化盐菜疏
净慈寺募疏
重建净慈寺疏文
致少林长老书
寄少林和尚
自撰联
西归口颂
颂付沈万法
辞世偈言
自述

FAQ

Can I understand these poems without a foundation in Buddhist studies?

Yes. Most of the poems in the book are short gathas, many in plain language, so there is no need to master Buddhist scriptures first. It is suggested to grasp the literal meaning and the exhortatory tone first, then consult reference books for specialized terms; proceeding step by step will bring reading pleasure.

Is this book suitable for academic citation?

The book focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional thought and culture and retains the original appearance of the text; it is not an edition aimed at textual collation and evidential research. If used in academic papers, it is advisable to check more authoritative individual collections or annotated editions and to note the source of the edition.

What reading pace is appropriate?

Such gathas are short and suit fragmented reading. You can read a fixed number each day and reflect briefly, avoiding aesthetic fatigue from reading straight through; you can also excerpt by theme and build your own list of aphorisms.

Comments

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.