Saturday, April 27, 2013

Carpe Diem #182, Awakening (provided by Cathy)



Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are soon coming at the end of this month of Carpe Diem and we have to go a few episodes. Today a very special episode. Why? This episode is on 'Awakening' (provided by Cathy of Haiku Plate Special) and haiku was to me an awakening to become a better man who didn't have need for a lot of words to say what his feelings are. Haiku became to me a kind of drug ... I cannot without this wonderful Japanese poetry and have to write (almost) every day a haiku or few.

Awakening brought at first the movie 'Awakening' in my mind. It's a wonderful movie with Rebecca Hall and Dominic West. It's a movie on exposing the hoaxs of paranormal sightings. A short take on the movie:
In 1921, England is overwhelmed by the loss and grief of World War I. Hoax exposer Florence Cathcart visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost. Everything she believes unravels as the 'missing' begin to show themselves.


Filmposter for Awakening

Another kind of Awakening is more likely for use in haiku and that is Bodhi (Enlightenment or Awakening) a strong part in Buddhism.

Bodhi  in Buddhism is the understanding possessed by a Buddha regarding the nature of things. It is traditionally translated into English with the word enlightenment and literally means awakened. Bodhi is knowledge of the causal mechanism by which beings incarnate into material form and experience suffering. Although its most common usage is in the context of Buddhism, bodhi is also present as a concept in other Indian philosophies and traditions.
Bodhi is an abstract noun formed from the verbal root budh (to awake, become aware, notice, know or understand) corresponding to the verbs bujjhati (Pāli) and bodhati or budhyate (Sanskrit). Also from the same root are the Sanskrit words bodha (also meaning knowledge or intelligence) and buddhi which is the exact equivalent to the Greek word nous.
The soteriological goal of Indian religions is liberation or moksha (also called mukti). Liberation is simultaneously freedom from suffering and the endless round of existences. Within the Sramanic traditions one who has attained liberation is called an arhat (Sanskrit; Pali: arahant), an honorific term meaning 'worthy' acknowledging the skill and effort required to overcome the obstacles to the goal of nirvana.


Source: Awakening

According to the Buddha the path to liberation is one of progressively coming out of delusion (Pali: Moha). This path is therefore regarded as a path of awakening. Progressing along the path towards Nirvana one gains insight into the true nature of things. A Buddha is one who has attained liberation and an understanding of the causal mechanism by means of which sentient beings come into existence. This mechanism is called pratitya samutpada or dependent origination. The knowledge or understanding of this is called bodhi.

Enough ... science for today. I love sharing knowledge, but sometimes I go on to long. So enough on Awakening ... let's go do some haiku composing on Awakening.


at dawn
refreshed and full new energy
awakening


awakening
haiku brought Buddhism closer
in a few words


in a few words
writing how you feel and think
that's haiku


that's haiku
a strong way to be creative
at dawn



Hm ... not a very strong cascading haiku, but I enjoyed writing it. So I hope you all are inspired to write and share new haiku on our prompt for today 'Awakening'. This prompt will stay on 'til April 29th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our fifth Carpe Diem Special, a haiku written by myself, later on today around 10.00 PM (CET). Here after I will give already the haiku which I love to share with you.


kono you na atsui hi watashino kageworeikyakusuru hitsuyouga ari masu yanagino shitade

such a hot day
my shadow needs to cool down
under the willow


10 comments:

  1. I combined the haibun prompt with awakening ;-) and will get back later ;-)

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  2. I especially like the second set..I hope you don't mind if I save it .They are all quite lovely.

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  3. Most informative post ~ enjoyed it ~ lovely cascading haiku for 'awakening' namaste, ^_^

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  4. I'm really looking forward to working with the 5th Carpe Diem Special prompt for April: "under the willow." Thank you, Kristjaan, for all your hard work day by day!

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  5. very beautiful haiku on awakening. Impressed by your knowledge of Budhism

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  6. Lovely and informative as usual. I would love to rest beneath the willow. We have no heat (yet).

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  7. Funny, I often awaken at dawn and the latest Carpe Diem prompt is one of the first things to chime on my iPhone, along with the lovely supportive comments on my blog from our wonderful group that came in whilst I slept .
    Thank you for the awakenings Kristjaan and my fellow Carpe Diem journeyers :)

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  8. I like these and what you had to say about haiku. I have added this new haiku practice as part of my Zen practice because one must be mindful and observant to write good haiku.

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  9. The April prompts and explanations, your haiku and illustrative haiku were just superb, really sublime - today's write up was endearing. Thank you again Kristjaan,and thank you for your comments and reading too.

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  10. Sorry Kris - I posted the Link "Story Telling under the wrong link - sam Edge

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