Cold Mountain is a film portrait of the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet Han Shan, a.k.a. Cold Mountain. Recorded on location in China, America and Japan, Burton Watson, Red Pine, and Gary Snyder describe the poet’s life and poems.
Short film (about 30 minutes)
Han Shan wrote poems for everyone, not just the educated elite. A man free of spiritual doctrine, it is unclear whether or not he was a monk, whether he was a Buddhist or a Taoist, or both. It is not even certain he ever lived, but the poems do.
- Children, I implore you
- get out of the burning house now.
- Three carts await outside
- to save you from a homeless life.
- Relax in the village square
- before the sky, everything’s empty.
- No direction is better or worse,
- East just as good as West.
- Those who know the meaning of this
- are free to go where they want.
Red Pine poem 253
Directed by Mike Hazard and Deb Wallwork, the music is by Gao Hong and animations are by John Akre. For more, visit Center for International Education.
The film will engage people interested in poetry, China, Zen, Taoism and other spiritual pursuits.
For more from Red Pine (Bill Porter) click here.
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Categories: Art, Biography, Buddhism, Chan / Seon / Zen, Encyclopedia, History, Video
Buddhism now 
Thank you for posting this lovely video. Poet or enlightened master? I think both.