"Basho has tremendous respect in my heart. He is not only a mystic, a master, he is also a poet, a painter, a sculptor; he is a creative phenomenon. Nobody can compare with him as far as his multidimensional personality is concerned. He has the fragrance which only a flower can have. That fragrance is manifested in his poetry, in his small statements, in his every gesture. Even in his ordinary talks with people he cannot be other than Basho. Basho is far more refined, perhaps the most refined Zen master up to now. His refinement is in his cultured, meditative spaciousness. Out of that spaciousness many flowers have showered on the world. It does not matter wherever he is and whatever is going on, Basho is going to make it a Zen state of affairs. That uniqueness will not be found again. Basho is one of the greatest poets of the world, but he has written only haikus - very symbolic but very miraculous, very simple but very mysterious. They are all to be understood through visualization, because Zen does not believe in words. Visualize and perhaps you may have some understanding. A meditator, according to Basho, will go on searching deep within himself, but that does not mean that he should lose contact with the outside world. Once in a while he should open his eyes. With all his emptiness he should mirror the outside world. Those reflections are collected in these haikus. They don’t mean anything, they simply depict a picture. Basho is the greatest haiku poet of Japan, the Master haiku poet. But he was not just a poet. Before becoming a poet he was a mystic; before he starting pouring out with beautiful poetry, he poured deep into his own center. He was a meditator. It happened when Basho’s master died - Basho is a buddha, a buddha who writes poetry, a buddha who paints beautiful pictures, a very aesthetic buddha. His master died, thousands of people gathered. His master was very famous; more famous because of Basho, because Basho was a famous poet and painter and he was Basho’s master. Thousands of people gathered and they were very much surprised when they saw Basho crying, big tears rolling down his cheeks. A few close disciples of his master came to Basho and said, “It does not look right. Thousands of people are coming and they are getting confused. They don’t think a buddha should be crying and weeping, and you are the man who has been saying to them again and again: There is no death and the innermost core lives forever. Then why are you weeping? Your master is not dead, he has only moved from the small body to the universal body of God. So why are you weeping?” Basho wiped his tears and he said, “Listen! This is nobody’s business. I live according to my inner feelings, I cannot pretend. When my innermost core has disappeared into the universal. don’t care whether people think it right or not. If they don’t think that I am enlightened it’s okay, but I cannot pretend. I cannot do something which is not really there. And yes, I have said that the soul is immortal and my master has not died, he has disappeared into the universal. That’s why I am crying, not crying that he is dead but crying that now I will never be able to see his form. Now he has become formless - and his body was beautiful. I will never be able to look again into those deep eyes, I will never be able to hold his hand and touch his feet. I have lost his form - I am crying for his body, for his form; I am not crying for the formless soul. And I am not concerned whether people think me enlightened or unenlightened, that is their business. Who cares?”
Hey willie, if you’re going to quote something then provide the source or be a thief. By the way, those quotes are truly atrocious. Talk about blowing smoke where the sun doesn’t shine. A pure example of extreme fetishization
Enjoyed your analysis. Herewith is my haiku tribute to Bashō,s frog poem with commentary by the late Jane Reichold who also considered my poem among her top 10 haiku of all time. I was humbled and honored. Bashō,s frog four hundred years of ripples Commentary: “At first the idea of picking only 10 of my favorite haiku seemed a rather daunting task. How could I review all the haiku I have read in my life and decide that there were only 10 that were outstanding? Then realized I was already getting a steady stream of excellent haiku day by day through the AHA forum. The puns and write-offs based on Basho's most famous haiku are so numerous I would have said that nothing new could be said with this method, but here Al Fogel proved me wrong. Perhaps part of my delight in this haiku lies in the fact that I agree with him. Here he is saying one thing about realism-ripples are on a pond after a frog jumps in, but because it refers back to Basho and his famous haiku, he is also saying something about the haiku and authors who have followed him. We, and our work, are just ripples while Basho holds the honor of inventing the idea of "the sound of a frog leaping is the sound of water". As haiku spreads around the world, making ripples in more and larger ponds, its ripples are wider-including us all. But his last word reminds us all that we are only ripples and our lives are that ephemeral. It will be the frogs that will remain”. All love in isolation from Miami Beach, Florida -Al
I recently started reading haikus from Sonia Sanchez and this talk was really good for being straightforward and easy to understand. Here's one that I wrote: maybe tomorrow the angry dog will notice it's barking at wind
I love how cute this little comment section is of people leaving their haiku so I will add mine to this : In the snow so white Breaking through false facade The moon is undying
enjoyed your haiku and haiku analysis. Here’s my latest haiku: turning a new leaf **the genesis of this haiku was the result of me wanting-in these troubled pandemic times-to turn over a new leaf and make a fresh start-especially to try and change my conduct and attitude towards others and be less judgmental. Other published haiku writers have told me that the effectiveness of my haiku was the “double entendre” which is probably more suitable to senryu ( and probably why I am known more for my senryu). But once in a blue moon my muse will bless me with an efficacious haiku and I’m humbled. All love in isolation from Miami Beach, Florida. Al
Hitch Haiku - by Gary Snyder, 1965... Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American man of letters. Perhaps best known as a poet (his early work has been associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance); he is also an essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist with anarchoprimitivist leanings. He has been described as the "poet laureate of Deep Ecology".[2] Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the American Book Award. His work, in his various roles, reflects an immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature. He has translated literature into English from ancient Chinese and modern Japanese. For many years, Snyder was an academic at the University of California, Davis and for a time served as a member of the California Arts Council. Hitch Haiku (1965) some examples: They didn't hire him so he ate his lunch alone: the noon whistle * * * Cats shut down deer thread through men all eating lunch * * * A truck went by three hours ago: Smoke Creek desert * * * Jackrabbit eyes all night breakfast in Elko. * * * terebess.hu/english/haiku/snyder.html
Enjoyed the poem and your readings. I would like to share 2 haiku and a kyoka-one of the haiku a tribute poem to Bashō’s frog ( with commentary by the late Jane Reichhold ) Here is my haiku tribute poem to Bashō,s with commentary by the late Jane Reichold who also considered my poem among her top 10 haiku of all time. I was humbled and honored. Bashō,s frog four hundred years of ripples - -Al Fogel “At first the idea of picking only 10 of my favorite haiku seemed a rather daunting task. How could I review all the haiku I have read in my life and decide that there were only 10 that were outstanding? Then realized I was already getting a steady stream of excellent haiku day by day through the AHA forum. The puns and write-offs based on Basho's most famous haiku are so numerous I would have said that nothing new could be said with this method, but here Al Fogel proved me wrong. Perhaps part of my delight in this haiku lies in the fact that I agree with him. Here he is saying one thing about realism-ripples are on a pond after a frog jumps in, but because it refers back to Basho and his famous haiku, he is also saying something about the haiku and authors who have followed him. We, and our work, are just ripples while Basho holds the honor of inventing the idea of "the sound of a frog leaping is the sound of water". As haiku spreads around the world, making ripples in more and larger ponds, its ripples are wider-including us all. But his last word reminds us all that we are only ripples and our lives are that ephemeral. It will be the frogs that will remain”. - -Jane Reichhold Here’s my latest haiku: turning a new leaf **the genesis of this haiku was the result of me wanting-in these troubled pandemic times-to turn over a new leaf and make a fresh start-especially to try and change my conduct and attitude towards others and be less judgmental. Other published haiku writers have told me that the effectiveness of my haiku was the “double entendre” which is probably more suitable to senryu ( and probably why I am known more for my senryu). But once in a blue moon my muse will bless me with a haiku and I’m truly humbled. And lastly my most recent kyoka-penned just a few days ago: returning home from a Jackson pollock exhibition I smear paint on my face and am turned into art I think it’s the best kyoka I’ve ever written and will look for a contest although I’ve never seen a contest specifically for kyoka ( which somebody with an enterprising mind might want to initiate... I certainly would pay a small stipend to enter because senryu and kyoka are my specialties. Do you know of any? All love in isolation from Miami Beach, Florida. Al
