Pilgrimage to the East
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Zen Baggage book cover. |
In 1983 his translation of The Poems of Cold Mountain, by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Han Shan, garnered much attention. Two years later his most celebrated work The Mountain Poems of Stonehouse, a collection of 300 poems recording Shihwu or Stonehouse's Zen hermit life, was published.
Porter is also known for his translation of three of Buddhism's most important scriptures: The Diamond, Heart and Platform Sutras.
"I seem to have a karmic connection with certain books. I meet them. I see them in a bookstore or library and I think 'this is good' and 'I am going to translate this.'"
He added that after 30 years of translation, the process is more natural and enjoyable now.
"I have the heart of a translator. A poet dances alone while a translator likes to dance with somebody. Translation is a performing art. I am performing on the page."
Currently based in Washington, he spends most of his time writing, translating poetry and sutra and visiting Buddhist centers in the US.
Although his books are primarily targeted to help English readers better understand Buddhism and Chinese culture, he said they are becoming increasingly more appealing to Chinese readers. The improvement in Chinese people's spiritual life plays a major role, Porter explained.
Chinese "are looking for something that is meaningful. Lots of people have made money. They are rich but they are not happy. Many people in China are becoming interested in spiritual cultivation…Many people are interested in different forms of spiritual practice."
"I can tell Chinese things about their own culture they forgot. It has been a while since Chinese people have been losing the ability to read their own poetry…Some like to know how a foreigner thinks about this. I see things simpler than they do and differently," he explained.
Although Buddhist and Chinese poetry books are still new in the US, Porter said he has already set his sights on a travelogue that links the hometowns of the great Chinese poets he admires, which he said would become another good baggage story.
