Enlightening Life and Returning to the True Self: Allen Ginsberg's Zen in His Poetry

Allen Ginsburg's affinity with Zen Buddhism is the inevitable of contingency,which is related to his own life experience,social environment,literary and cultural contexts. He begins to learn about Zen Buddhism at Columbia University. His belief in it deepens as he is in more contact with his friends on the east and west coasts of America. As a result,he goes to such Buddhist countries as India and China to learn Buddhism and practise meditation.He finally converts to Buddhism,piously believing in it until his death. In his Zen affinity,William Blake's voice across space and time initiates his spiritual enlightenment; In his happy life of meditation,he is absolutely at ease with everything,and his spontaneous writing integrating Zen with poetry exposes his poetry-Zen aesthetics in perceiving the real life; In his lightening life,he has compassion for the interests of the worldly,and transcends life and death,ultimately returns to his true Self.