Kong in Chinese Philosophy, Psychology, and Poetics

From the Introduction: "The project investigates a poetics of creative kong (emptiness) by studying the philosophical origins of the notion of emptiness in Indian Buddhism as well as its development in China from ancient times through the 17th century. I argue for the philosophical and religious significance of kong in the Chinese context as being open-minded, non-obsessive, and creative. The poetics and aesthetics of kong owes a significant debt to Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. The senses of kong enabled the writers and artists of the late Ming and early Qing to link with the immanent vividness of the world, and to evoke their creativity in literary and artistic practices when they tried to establish a close relationship to nature, instead of interfering with it." (pg. 2)
(Hardcover with color illustrations)