Monday, April 27, 2015

Carpe Diem Tokubetsudesu #45, The Beatitudes


Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I created our prompt-list for April I made a mistake. As you all know CD-Tokubetsudesu (former Ghost Writer) is published on every Wednesday, but it's already time to publish it according to the prompt-list, so this episode is just for one week on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. And for this episode I have chosen to share The Beatitudes as described in Matthew 5: 1-12 with you all for your inspiration. It fits really our central theme for April, Peace of Mind, and it's based on several ideas from Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions or life-philosophies.

I love to challenge you to bring The Beatitudes back to haiku or tanka or into a haibun ... no need to copy The Beatitudes, they are only used here for your inspiration. For those who love to "learn" more about The Beatitudes? I will bring them as prompts on Haiku Shuukan at WP after the ending of the prompts based on G.R.A.C.E.


Credits: Mount Arbel
The Beatitudes

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It's wonderful and I think The Beatitudes will inspire you to compose haiku, tanka or haibun to share with us.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 30th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, purity, later on. For now .... just have fun!
 

6 comments:

  1. What you wrote here is fantastic, Kristjaan: ''Haiku is the impression of a very short moment, as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. To catch that moment is the goal of every haiku poet/ess. You want to share your experience with your reader, but your reader has to feel how he/she (the reader) experienced the moment caught in the haiku.
    Haiku isn't just written by a haiku poet/ess, but to share an individual experience of the reader too. The reader must have the idea that he/she experiences what he/she reads, sees, feels, smells and so on in the written haiku. It makes the reader part of the haiku and in a way part of the haiku poet/ess.''

    I urge colleagues to read what Kristjaan wrote. above, before writing a haiku proclaiming their faith in their God. We need to be careful with these propaganda haiku, and treat the art of haiku with the respect it deserves, letting the reader find their own connection to the haiku

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    1. Thanks Hamish for your kind words. You have quoted what i strongly believe is the heart of haiku. Haiku isn't meant for propaganda ... Our readers have to make their own connection with the images in our haiku. Without our readers we, haiku poets/esses, are nothing. We need them to lighten us to become better without propaganding our believes.

      Namaste,

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  2. nice prompt, setting to the task of writing, have a good day

    much love...

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  3. Uh oh ... well... mine is sort of toeing the propaganda line! Fingers crossed ....!

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  4. For me, haiku can also be a spiritual "moment" so I often write in that direction... when faith is integral to life, one cannot separate it from one's writing...like Kristjaan's posts on the teachings of hinduism. Whatever we don't believe may seem like propaganda, I suppose. But thanks, all of you, for expressing your unique perspectives through your haiku!

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    1. Yes, I think ALL haiku are spiritual, and Kristjaan's posts on Hinduism were fascinating. Technically, they are haibun, and if you look at the haiku they are crystal clear and tangible.
      Faith is also for the reader to feel. Let him or her find the faith through the objective reality of the haiku. If one wants, one can find real Buddhist awakening in Basho's frog haiku - can it be taken as a moment or realisation? Yes, it can, but ONLY if the reader wants.
      Our haiku must get better, and develop. We cannot be heroes with every single haiku we write. We must be at one with our readers, where possible, and in the end, we are writing haiku, not 3 lines about our faith.

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