Viewing "The Song of Everlasting Regret"

As spring: When I read this poem in my youth, I found it exceedingly beautiful and was moved by its deep affection. Now, upon rereading it, I deeply realize my own ignorance and the absurdity of this poem. In times of peace and prosperity: "One backward glance, a hundred charms are born; the six palaces' powdered ladies lose their grace," gathering the emperor's exclusive favor upon herself. When the nation faced crisis: "The six armies, refusing to advance, could do nothing; the graceful beauty died before the horses." A beautiful woman became a scapegoat, bearing the blame for the emperor. The hypocrisy of the sovereign: "The sovereign, covering his face, could not save her." How hypocritical and fickle is the affection between man and woman, how pragmatic the sovereign: to preserve his empire, he sacrificed his beloved, using her life to quell the fury of the six armies, so that he himself could escape.

The poet beautified this heartlessness as the emperor's profound love, creating an eternal masterpiece: "In heaven, we wish to be birds flying side by side; on earth, we wish to be trees with intertwined branches." "Heaven and earth may last forever, but this regret will never end." If this is so, why did the consort die while the sovereign alone lived? Why did he not hate himself for personally causing Yang Guifei's death, but instead lament that his own deep affection now had no outlet? Is this not absurd? I wonder what the poet was thinking? I wonder if his original intention was to use the poem to awaken the world. Yet, throughout the entire poem, it more so misleads and conceals the emperor's political incompetence and the ugly truth of his heartlessness, hypocrisy, and selfishness. It attributes his political failure to Yang Yuhuan being too beautiful and moving, a femme fatale who caused the dynasty's decline. Could the Imperial Consort, in the end, see through the suffering and illusion of this love between man and woman? Did she reflect on how her own arrogance from being favored and her greedy enjoyment of the prosperous era's splendor led to the bitter fruit she reaped today? With blessings exhausted, she perished—who is to blame?

Throughout history, how many men and women have indulged in and greedily enjoyed material pleasures and romantic love, blindly rushing like moths into a flame, unaware of the purpose, caring only for the fleeting sensations of the moment, even finding sweetness in bitterness, and refusing to turn back regardless of the great cost. People also yearn for fame and achievement. This poem, passed down through millennia and recited by countless people, has stirred admiration and longing for romantic love among men and women. Yet, the bond between man and woman is the primary cause of samsara; the more one craves it, the more one is bound. What kind of karmic consequences must this entail? It is truly frightening to contemplate.

Human karma determines that people possess these intense cravings and desires, these shallow mentalities and emotions, and these perverse modes of thinking; changing them is exceedingly difficult. Sentient beings, far from feeling weary of these sufferings, are instead deeply attached to them. The six senses constantly crave the six objects, which means they are constantly craving suffering. Not recognizing suffering, yet craving it—how can one attain liberation? Only great Bodhisattvas can transcend this stubborn karma and overturn these deeply ingrained human perceptions and cravings. It is akin to a project of modifying the human genetic code—extremely difficult. The more one observes and comprehends the suffering of the world, the more one feels gratitude towards the Triple Gem.