David Lunde, Mary M.Y.Fung “A Full Load of Moonlight《禪詩集》”

The Anthology comprises English translations of 180 classical Chinese poems written by monastics and lay poets from the 7th to the 20th centuries who were mostly followers or connoisseurs of the Chan School. We have selected poems that in some way embody the spirit of Chan, with emphasis on literary merit.  Poems that are merely doctrinal expositions, however profound, are not included. Although some anthologies of Chan poetry consider only works by monastics, we include lay poets in our anthology because the literati devotees were of importance especially in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) periods, and their position in Chan orthodoxy is undeniable. No less an authority than Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, stressed the equal validity of practicing at home: “If you want to cultivate [this Dharma], you can also do so at home—it doesn’t depend on being in a monastery”. (The Platform Sutra, chapter 3) Historical records of the transmission of the Lamp (transmission of Chan teaching from master to disciple) also include episodes of laymen.

Mary M.Y. Fung was born in Hong Kong and received her B.A. (Hons.) from The University of Hong Kong, her M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, her Ph.D. in Translation Studies from the University of Warwick. She taught Chinese Literature and Translation at The University of Hong Kong for over thirty years and is currently Honorary Associate Professor at the University.

David Lunde is a poet and translator whose work has appeared in such journals as Poetry, The Iowa Review, TriQuarterly, Kansas Quarterly, Chelsea, Confrontation, Hawai’i Review, Chicago Review, Seneca Review, Cottonwood, The Literary Review, Renditions, and Northwest Review. His work has been included in 40 anthologies, and he is the author of 11 books of poems and translations