Hsiang-yen  cannot resist the temptation  to expound

　　   on his experience  in stereotypically  Ch'an jargon,

　　   displaying  a misguided conformity to non-conformist

　　   expressions.  The  remonstrance  of his fellow  monk

　　   forces  him  to  reconsider,  and  his  response  is

　　   accordingly less flamboyant. However, only the final

　　   poem shows that he has exorcised  the demons  of lan

　　   guage  and conceptualization, as he fully recognizes

　　   the   futility　　 of   verbalizing　　 enlightenment.

　　   Enlightenment  is for  him  no longer  an object  of

　　   intellect  but  rather  a fact  of being.  The Ch'an

　　   strategy  behind this process has been described  as

　　   follows:

　　　　  The Zen experience  is centripetal, the artist's

　　　　  contemplation  of subject sometimes  referred to

　　　　  as  'mind-pointing'.  The  disciple  in an early

　　　　  stage  of discipline  is asked to point the mind

　　　　  at  (meditate  upon) an  object, say  a bowl  of

　　　　  water.  At first, he is quite naturally inclined

　　　　  to metaphorize, expand, rise imaginatively  from

　　　　  water  to  lake,  sea,  clouds,  rain.   Natural

　　　　  perhaps, but  just  the kind  of 'mentalization'

　　　　  Zen masters  caution  against.  The disciple  is

　　　　  instructed  to continue until it is possible  to

　　　　  remain  strictly  with  the  object, penetrating

　　　　  more deeply, no longer looking  bold it but, the

　　　　  Sixth Patriarch  Hui-neng maintained  essential,

　　　　  bold  it..so  close  an identification  with the

　　　　  object  that  the  unstable   mentalizing   self

　　　　  disappears.(44)

　　   ────────────

　　   (44) Lucien Stryk, The penguin Book of Zen Poetry,

　　　　 p.23.

　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.372

　　   IV.  AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL  ANALYSIS  OF THE  THREEFOLD

　　　　   EXPERIENCE OF AWAKENING:THE CASE OF CH'ING-YUAN

　　　　   WEI-HSIN

　　   To  explore  this  process   more  closely,  let  us

　　   consider antoher set of enlightenment poems, perhaps

　　   the most famous of all, illustrating  the dawning of

　　   Ch'an awareness for Ch'ing-yuan Wei-hsin.  His three

　　   stage process of understanding has often been quoted