In-Person and Online: Mountains and Moonlight – Buddhist Wisdom in Classical Chinese Poetry

In-Person and Online: Mountains and Moonlight – Buddhist Wisdom in Classical Chinese Poetry

with Lin Wang Gordon

Friday, May 29th, 2026 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm ET

In-Person Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor

When Buddhism entered China around the first century, it entwined with Taoism and Confucianism, together they weaved the fabrics of Chinese culture and the texture of everyday life. Along with a reverence for nature, Buddhist insights of impermanence and equanimity flowed into Chinese poetry, giving voice to renunciation and quiet joy.

Across centuries, poets from all walks of life—court officials and recluses, the successful and the dispossessed—turned to Buddhist wisdom to navigate uncertainty and flow of life. Some found grace after loss; others withdrew from fame and power, discovering contentment in simplicity and the ordinary rhythms of life. Their poems speak not only of mountains and moonlight, but of resilience, equanimity, and inner freedom—questions as alive today as they were a thousand years ago.

What do these poems offer us today? How do we find peace and joy in a noisy world? Besides achievement and success, what kind of life leads to contentment? In this evening of reflection, we will read Buddhist-inspired poetry across dynasties and poets, meditate, and let insights arise.

Lin Wang Gordon, who majored in East Asian Studies and a lifelong lover of classical Chinese poetry, invites you to step into ancient China—to explore stillness, simplicity and grace.

Note: This program will be recorded. The recording will be sent to all registrants after the program, so please feel free to sign up even if you cannot join in real time.

In-Person Registration:

Please register below to attend in-person. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)

If you are registering via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet, you can scroll right and left and up and down within the below form if it is partially obscured or cut off.
CLICK HERE to open the registration form in a new browser window.

Bring a Buddy: If you are a member of our Circle of Friends, you’re invited to bring a Dharma buddy to this program for no additional cost. Simply select “1” from the drop-down next to the Bring a Buddy level, and enter your special discount code (provided in your Circle of Friends welcome email) to reduce the price to that of a single, standard registration. This registration will grant attendance for you and your buddy.

Online (Zoom) Registration:

Please register below to attend online via Zoom. If you are able, registering at the “Supporter” level enables others to attend at the “Subsidized” level. Thank you for your generosity! (Please note that the registration price includes a base level of teacher support, and you will have the opportunity to donate more after the program.)

If you are registering via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet, you can scroll right and left and up and down within the below form if it is partially obscured or cut off.
CLICK HERE to open the registration form in a new browser window.

Bring a Buddy: If you are a member of our Circle of Friends, you’re invited to bring a Dharma buddy to this program for no additional cost. Simply select “1” from the drop-down next to the Bring a Buddy level, and enter your special discount code (provided in your Circle of Friends welcome email) to reduce the price to that of a single, standard registration. This registration will grant attendance for you and your buddy.

Volunteering

All of our programs rely on volunteers to support our teachers and staff with various tasks and responsibilities. Volunteering allows you to participate in our programs at no cost. To inquire about volunteering opportunities, please fill out our inquiry form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.