The topics addressed, scope, and approach of this paper involve contemporary postmodern/poststructural critical theory, literary criticism in particular, and Mahayana (大乘)—especially kongan (公案) and hwadu (話頭) Ch’an(Chinese)/Seon(Korean)/Zen (Japanese)—Buddhist thought (佛敎思想) is explained in detail. However, the theoretical ground is only to help the twenty-first century audience to deeply comprehend how literature and film offer us precious opportunity to experience the sublime (崇古)—aesthetic sensibility (美的感覺), through which we glimpse (一見) the ultimate reality (窮極的 現實). It is time now that intellectual (philosophical, critical, academic) explanation and spiritual experience are brought to work together in the common area, literature (文學) and film (映畫). It is important for literary readers to experience someone’s life story in the way of encountering the non-duality (非二重性) of the ultimate reality.

This paper is an attempt to interpret "Ash Wednesday" based on the assumption that religion as the background of life indeed can contribute to the salvation of mortals, and to examine how Eliot can reach the 'still point' in the Christian view. Religion(Religare in Latin) means the reunion between The Absolute and humans on the basis of the cleansing of The Original Sin caused in Eden. On the other hand, it may be the great spirit of 'engagement' as nothingness standing against existence. Further, religion becomes not only a way of an imaginary level defending grim reality, but also a 'presence' determined over innumerable ages to save humans from the horror of death. Eliot, believing poetry can function as a substitute for religion, pursued several aspects of religion to grasp the very essence of life and an unknown stage after life. But he might have gone through severe conflicts between religion without consciousness and religion with consciousness as Paul de Man put it. Through reading "Ash Wednesday," this can be associated with whether religion serves as a role of a mid-wife or a soporific. As a whole, this poem surely touches upon 'washing worldly cares' such as honors and achievements on Earth, or 'baptism' in the Christian way. In this sense, the poetic narrator thinks that "the aged eagle" tries to fully stretch his/ her wings, which only become mechanical gestures and squirmings harboring under Heaven, revealed in "infirm glory" and "transitory power." After the narrator died, his/ her flesh was gulped down by carnivorous "leopards" and then the dry bones were exposed to the earth. This stands for the process of naturalization that must be destined for all living things. Under "a juniper tree," Elijah cried and faced his cruel fate, but "The Lady" was only indulged in "contemplation" regardless of his pressing situation. This can be thought of as 'A View of White Bones' issued from Hinayana as found in the lines: "Where all loves end/ Terminate torment/ Of love unsatisfied/ The greater torment/ Of love satisfied." Consciousness, escaping from its body, moved to a transcendental level through "the toothed gullet of an aged shark." This step can be equivalent to Jonah's regeneration, needing negation of worldly concerns. The process of negation, as shown in Upinishad, must be necessary for the dead to renew their souls, so they can expect the amazing grace of the Creator. After having forgotten his earthly affairs through limbo, the narrator came to "the third stair," in which some blessed and comfortable environments were given to him/ her: "spring," "fiddles," and "flutes." Here there are no values of things that humans valued extremely on Earth. The values are merely for either 'exchange value' or 'sign value' just a kind of made-up value. Self-restoration happens after "Mary" leads "the others" across the other shore of Lethe and "fiddles" and "flutes" wash their ears, equivalent to a regenerative scene of "unicorn" leading "hearse." The reality of "signed" cross exists in the apocalyptical background of "the silent sister" and functions as a way of redemption. The Creator sends his holy message to creations by "wind" as "the token of the word unheard, unspoken" corresponding to some sensible revelation. Eliot doubts authenticity of language since he thinks that "the unheard, unspoken word" can be the true word "for the world," and values "enough silence." In this way, "those who walk in darkness" are those who pursue 'self' and "those who avoid the face" are those who disregard 'self.' The poet does not want "to turn again," which means that he may recognize the principle of entropy heading from valuable Eros to valueless Thanatos. The prayer like "Bless me father" can correspond to the ego-centric desire of the narrator, for he/ she tries to transfer his / her own faults to the God. The Human's spirit, "weak spirit," is merely a "lost heart" which can cause "lost lilac" and "lost sea," and arbitrarily drives "salt savour of the sandy earth." In conclusion, Eliot, reminding me of a missing and crying baby yearning for its lost mother, reflects on his bitter past on the assumption of his imaginary death. His 'alter-ego,' the narrator, through the process of sweeping off worldly cares, eventually gets to "place of solitude" dusting off "time of tension" and comes to learn how "to sit still" under "the juniper tree." Thus he becomes to be reborn in one with "spirit of the river" and "spirit of the sea," which means an esoteric level of enlightenment through which Buddha must have overcome the glossy temptations of Maya. But wandering long since being banished from Eden, Cain's offsprings heartily wish for the ecstatic recurrence of it. Eliot says that we can come to terms with the Maker only through burning each secular soul and body as becoming "ash," meaning the extinction of fiery desire.