Bones of the Master​ is a wonderfully written book by George Crane.

In his book he

details a relationship he has with a monk named Tsung Tsai. He tells of a journey they take

together to retrieve the bones of Tug Tsai’s master in order to give his master a proper burial.

The story not only showcases his relationship to the Buddist monk, but as well as to Buddhism

and the different aspects of Buddhism. Georgie Crane uses poetry as a bridge to connect

himself to not only Tsung Tsai, but a little bit to Buddhism as well.

The first glimpse of this is in the beginning of the book. In the second chapter we see the

relationship between these two start to grow. On page 24 in Bones of the Master, the two of

them are talking when Tsung Tsai mentions, “‘Writer person completely like monk,’ he said.

‘Poetry is your meditation”. Throughout his life Georgie has always been wary and hesitant

towards religions and religious images and such. But poetry in a sense is his way to “meditate”.

When thinking of meditating we imagine sitting quietly with our eyes closed breathing, however

the process of writing poetry essentially replicates the motion and principles of meditating.

Through zen poetry Georgie had the freedom to express himself and the “spirit of freedom”.

Zen poetry comes in many shapes and forms. In class we looked at a list of poems and

each read one of them. I read the poem ​My Hovel​, which describes the Earth and landscape

surrounding a small reed hut. The last lines of the poem read,”​No spring breeze even at this late

date, Just winter clouds swallowing up my tiny reed hut.” My take on this line is how at peace

and simplistic the scene seems to be. There’s a calmness in the air and the sky of clouds

surrounds a tiny reed hut. For this form of zen poetry it can relate to Buddhism in a way where

the simplicity comes out and the detachment from externalities of the world come into play.

Buddhist use zen poetry to express themselves and tell a story the same way Georgie

expresses himself through the art of poetry.

 Although Georgie is respectful about Tsung Tsai’s Buddhsim and his way of life he does

have doubts of whether or not all of it is true. In one passage they talk upon an experience

Tsung had escaping from the Red Army, where he held onto the bottom of a train. He is

skeptical of his ability and his “monk power” to be able to hold onto the train. Here we see how

Georgie is still hesitant about Buddhism and some aspects of the religion. This is why the

practice of writing poetry and translating poetry is such an impactful aspect of the relationship

between Georgie and Tsung Tsai.

Meditation is often seen as a large part of the Buddhist religion, although you don’t need

to be a Buddhist to meditate. There are numerous groups and clubs where meditation is a large

focus for their organization. One of these groups is the Insight Meditation Society. Here they are

“​dedicated to providing a spiritual refuge for all who seek freedom of mind and heart.” They use

a form of Buddhist meditation known as vipassana, meaning insight. And although it is a form of

Buddhist meditation, you don’t need to be classified as a Buddhist to go there. The same way

Georgie doesn’t need to be a Buddhist to write and translate Buddhist poems and zen poetry.

The idea of death and what comes after death is very different across all religions. In

Christianity and Judaism they believe in a heaven, Hinduism believes in reincarnation, and

Buddhism believes in reincarnation into different realms of life. One of these realms is that of

Hungry Ghosts, where their necks are too small to eat or drink food and water, so they are

forever starving and thirsty. At a ​Dharma Rain Zen Center in Portland, Oregon, they come

together to remember and honor deceased friends and family, while letting go of the hungry

ghost inside of us. In the Buddhist religion the idea of reincarnation and the soul traveling to a

different body is much welcomed. Death is a natural part of a life cycle and clearly necessary to

be reborn into one of the 6 realms of Buddhism.When Tsung Tsai enlists his friend Georgie to
help him find the remains of his old master it’s out of love and respect that he had for his

master, for his master had passed away and been reborn again.

All in all the book ​Bones of the Master​ showcases an exhilaration story of two strangers

turned friends. One, Tsung Tsai, a Buddhist monk who escaped from the Red Army in China,

the other George Crane, a Zen poet who gets uncomfortable with religion. They journeyed

together to connect through poetry and stories. Even though Georgie isn’t a Buddhist monk,

he’s able to write and form a relationship to Buddhism. Maybe more importantly connect with his

neighbor, Tsung Tsai.