Carpe Diem #1253 Thousand Candles

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Wow what an awesome response I have gotten on one of the earlier posts here in which I told you about the start of Carpe Diem back in 2012. It is really awesome to see how many haiku poets have found their way to Carpe Diem. It is really a joy and an ecouragement to go on and create Carpe Diem Haiku Kai for you all.

This month it's all about "Imagination Without Limits", go with the flow, become one with the sphere of the images shared here ... and explore your limits ...

Today I have another beautiful image for you. This one I found on Tumblr's "AvaZenGarden" and I couldn't find the name of the photographer. With this image came a quote by Buddha, which I will share also here, but first the new CD Imagination.

Thousand Candles

And here is the quote by Buddha:

[...] “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases from being shared.” [...]

As I read this quote at "AvaZenGarden" I remembered that I had used this quote earlier here at CDHK (back in 2014) and immediately there came a few haiku in mind which fits this image like a glove.

First one by Ese, one of our steady visitors and great haiku poetess:

silent steps -
one more candle illuminates
the old chapel

© Ese

And another haiku which reached out to me while preparing this episode was a renown haiku by Yosa Buson, one of the five greatest haiku poets ever:

Lighting one candle
with another candle--
spring evening

© Buson

 

In that episode to which I am referring above I shared the following haiku with you all:

shadows on the wall
one single candle shines its light
towards the world

© Chèvrefeuille

Well all beauties if I may say so, but of course I have to create a new haiku inspired on this image trying to find my limits. Recently I started experimenting with another kind of haiku-creations, so I have tried that again inspired on this image, here is a new "experimental" haiku:

light
spread
around

© Chèvrefeuille (experimental haiku)

I hope you did like this new CD Imagination episode and I am looking forward to all your responses on this CD Imagination.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until September 18th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new CD Imagination later on. You can find a preview already at our CDHK Tumblr. Have fun!

 

carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #19 Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique "clever treatment" (prompt: fragile beauty)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this new episode of our Tanka Splendor month. I know I am a bit late, but I am on the nightshift so time isn't at my side the upcoming days. This month it is all about tanka and how to create them. Through the ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika I hope to inspire you all to create tanka or to improve your skills in writing tanka.

Today I will introduce to you Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique "clever treatment".

Clever treatment, a witty or ingenious treatment of a conventional topic

The style must have been popular because Teika gave 31 poems in his anthology of style examples. This one is by the Archbishop Jien (1155-1225) on the topic of "snow" from the Shinkokinshū, #6:679:
niwa no yuki ni / waga ato tsukete / idetsuru o / towarenikeri to / hito ya miruran

in the snow only
I was in the garden
leaving footprints
will people think someone brought
comfort to my loneliness?

As you can read in the above tanka (or waka) the poet brings a scene of someone in a garden covered with snow, but in that scene he just mentioned the ordinary way of walking through the snow and what kind of feeling it gives. I think the tanka shows you how important the ordinary snow can be to create a sophisticated scene.

Koya San monastery in the snow - only women were allowed to enter this monastery

In this tanka you can feel the loneliness in a very strong way. With the prompt "fragile beauty" I think we can create a tanka with this technique.

hands full of snow
the Great Buddha still smiles
with compassion
an old beggar and his bowl
bows in honor sharing his bread

© Chèvrefeuille

What an awesome technique this is. I hope I have inspired you.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 23rd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Chrysanthemums, later on. 

Carpe Diem #1031 live in the present

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome in the present ... fitting the title of todays episode. This month we are looking at "the power of words" through quote of known and unknown people. Today I have a quote by Buddha (563 BC-483 BC).
As you all know (maybe) haiku has a spiritual meaning too. That meaning is based in Buddhism and therefore Buddha cannot be missed in this month of quotes.

Buddha under the Bodhi Tree

Here is the quote for your inspiration:

[...] "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." [...] Buddha

I think you are all familiar with the story about Buddha. One of His last acts was to find Enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi Tree. He finally became Enlightened and founded the base for Buddhism.

PS. I am hopelessly behind with commenting so I hope to catch up soon.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until August 26th at noon (CET). Have fun!

Carpe Diem Kamishibai Extreme, #1 Winter feeling

 

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to tease you all a little bit and challenge you with a new Kamishibai (story-teller) form ... I have called this new Kamishibai form "Kamishibai Extreme".
Why ...?

Well in this new feature the goal is to write a haibun (story+haiku) with a maximum of 55 words including the haiku. It's not an easy task I think, but worth trying. I have written the following haibun in 55 words with the theme Winter Feeling.

WINTER FEELING, a haibun in 55 words

A wondrous place. Trees and streets covered with snow. The bright sunlight. Roofs like crystal. Love is warming our bodies in front of the fireplace. Drinking red wine, eating marshmallows. This is paradise. Our legs in twined. Lost in each other’s eyes. Together you and I.

making love
in front of the fireplace -
winter feeling

© Chèvrefeuille

 

This first Kamishibai Extreme is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will be open until November 16th at noon (CET). I am looking forward to all of your wonderful haibun in maximum 55 words ... will not be easy ...



Carpe Diem "Little Creatures" #11, "A Swallow" by Issa

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Issa is "the master" of "Little Creatures". He had an eye for those little creatures as we can read in a lot of haiku by him. This week's "Little Creatures" episode is about a wonderful little bird, the Swallow. I have found a nice "swallow"-haiku by Issa in which he also sees the humor of its actions.

daibutsu no hana kara detaru tsubame kana

a swallow
flew out of the nose
of the Great Buddha

© Kobayashi Issa

Credits: The Great Buddha of Kamakura in autumn

This great statue of Buddha will be the one at Nara, or at Kamakura. From the ordinary, relative point of view, we have a contrast between the sacred and the profane in the Swallow's flying out of the nose of the Buddhist image. From the absolute point of view, it is all the same whether the Swallow flies out of from the Holy Nose of Buddha or from the eaves of a public house. But the region of this poem is in neither the relative nor the absolute. It is in life itself, life which is neither law nor destiny but both. If, leaving this meaningless abstract talk, we reconstruct the poetical experience of Issa, we get the same thing, only expressed in more understandable terms. Issa felt the rightness of the Swallow's flying wherever its wings would carry it, yet recognized that the image was more than a mere mass of metal. Above all, he felt there was a significance in this clash between law and freedom, a significance which dries up into words when it is explained.

Credits: Great Buddha of Nara

Another verse by Issa, belonging to the winter season, which also illustrates his fusion of contraries, is the following:

nobotoke no hana no saki kara tsurara kana

from the end of the nose
of the Buddha on the moor,
hang icicles

© Kobayashi Issa

I like the style of Issa's haiku and it's really great to see in his haiku that he was very interested in the direct world around him. Every detail he saw and used in his haiku. I think he is really "the master" of the Little Creatures haiku.

Here is my haiku inspired on this wonderful set of "swallow"-haiku by Issa. I have not chosen for the Swallow, but for the Hummingbird, another wonderful little creature.

futsu no te derootasu no hachimitsu no tame no hachidori ou

hummingbird
chases for honey in the Lotus
in Buddha's hands

© Chèvrefeuille

Credits: Hummingbird on Lotus

Well ... I hope you did like this new episode of Little Creatures and that it inspires you to write all new haiku. Looking forward to all of your beautiful verses. This episode is open for your submissions today at noon (CET) and will remain open until next Thursday November 6th at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem #563, River

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we have river for prompt and I will 'write out of box' because I love to go in to a deeper layer. Why? I will tell you ... Herman Hesse wrote the wonderful, fictive, novel titled 'Siddhartha' in which he describes the story of a young Brahman-son named Siddhartha ... the same as the Buddha ... After a long time he ends up at a river becoming the ferryman ... Siddhartha learns a lot from the older ferryman and finally finds "his truth" in the river from which he says:

[...] "It is this what you mean, isn't it: that the river is everywhere at once, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at once, and that there is only the present time for it, not the shadow of the past, not the shadow of the future?" [...]

River's well

As the time passes Siddhartha encountered his son and lost him again, because the boy wouldn't live in poverty, because he had a life in richness. As his son has gone he (Siddhartha) sat down at the river together with his 'master' Vasudeva, the old ferryman, and they listen to the river.

[...] They listened. Softly sounded the river, singing in many voices. Siddhartha looked into the water, and images appeared to him in the moving water: his father appeared, lonely, mourning for his son; he himself appeared, lonely, he also being tied with the bondage of yearning to his distant son; his son appeared, lonely as well, the boy, greedily rushing along the burning course of his young wishes, each one heading for his goal, each one obsessed by the goal, each one suffering. The river sang with a voice of suffering, longingly it sang, longingly, it flowed towards its goal, lamenting its voice sang. [...]

Siddhartha discovers that he has to be like the river, and that time not exists, that's what he learns from the river ... and that, my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers, is how I see the river as a metaphor for life itself, for not being on one place ... the river ... from it's well to it's delta is the greatest teacher we have in the nature around us ... look at the river, look really to the river ... and than ... well ... it will be magical.

River

A last quote from Siddhartha, as he is speaking with his old friend Govinda while sitting at the river I love to share here ... it's something Siddhartha tells about his master Vasudeva:

[...] "He had noticed that the river's spoke to him, he learned from it, it educated and taught him, the river seemed to be a god to him, for many years he did not know that every wind, every cloud, every bird, every beetle was just as divine and knows just as much and can teach just as much as the worshipped river. But when this holy man went into the forests (a metaphor for dying), he knew everything, knew more than you and me, without teachers, without books, only because he had believed in the river." [...]

Isn't it a wonderful thought? To see the river as a teacher, just by listening to its gurgling, look at it's clearness, it's everlasting journey ... the river has been everywhere and brings far away places to us ... as we listen to the river ... it can tell us wonderful stories.

I hope you did like this post and I hope you didn't see it like a sermon, because I am not a preacher, I am just a humble man who listens to the river, or ... to nature. In nature we can find knowledge, wisdom ...

For this episode I decided not to use a haiku by Jane Reichhold, because it wouldn't fit into this post, but I love to share a poem here by Julian Mann on Poemhunter.com

River feeling is
As simple as
Closing your eyes
For a moment.

Everything flows like river

River feeling is
As smooth as
Everything after
The first step.

Everything flows like river

River feeling is
easy as forgetting
Walking boots.

Everything flows like river

River feeling is
nice as
iron ties
Coming off.

Everything flows like river
Everything flows like river
Everything flows like river
Everything is good and flows
like river

As I read this poem by Julian Mann ... I think that he knew the story of Siddhartha and his river, but maybe that's not true, I don't know, but what I can say ... this poem is very similar to the feeling I got form reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. (!! the quotes from Siddhartha are from the Project Gutenberg version of Siddhartha !!)

River

high in the mountains

crystal clear water gives birth to a river -

I light a candle

© Chèvrefeuille

Wow! ... the river has done me a favour ... it inspired me in a strange way almost magical ....
!! All three photos are from Free Big Pictures !!

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until September 20th at noon (CET). I will post our new episode, Vineyards, later on. For now ... listen to your inner river of wisdom and find the right words to compose a haiku inspired on this post.

Carpe Diem's "Time Glass" #2 a time-challenge "Buddha"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Are you ready for a new time-challenge? It's Monday again and so it's time for a new "Time Glass" episode, in which the goal is to write a haiku inspired on a photo and a given prompt within 12 hours. So in this feature I challenge you all to write a haiku in 12 hours, comparing to the short moment of the sound of a pebble thrown in water, as is haiku ... Haiku is just a painting with words about a moment as short as an eye-blink.
I was a very lucky man as I saw how you all responded on our first "Time Glass" episode and so I think this "time-challenge" I will do every Monday. The "time-challenge" starts at 7.00 PM (CET) and ends at the next day 7.00 AM (CET), so just 12 hours to respond!!

Here is the photo for your inspiration:

© Chèvrefeuille, your host

And this is the 'prompt':

BEAMS OF LIGHT

Well ... I think this will inspire you all to write a haiku and share it within 12 hours ... so ... be on time!

This "Time Glass" episode is OPEN for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) and closes within 12 hours. Have fun! Be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem "Use That Quote" #7, Buddha

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another episode of our Special feature "Use That Quote" is here ... The goal of this feature is to write a haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun inspired on a given quote of a famous human.
For this episode I have chosen a quote by Buddha.

[…] "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared" […]

I think this is a great quote full of wisdom and strong unconditional love is hidden deep inside of it. Buddha (Siddhartha Gauthama) was a great philosopher and religious leader who has given us strong and intense way of Buddhism. 

Credits: Buddha under the Bodhi Tree

And here is my haiku inspired on the quote by Buddha:

shadows on the wall
one single candle shines its light
towards the world

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... now it's up to you. This episode of CD's "Use That Quote" is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 27th at noon (CET). Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun with us all.

 

Carpe Diem #417, Ishite-ji (temple 51)

Dear O-Henro ... Haijin, visitors and travelers,

After our ''freedom''-talk yesterday it is good to be silent a while, so this new stage we walk in silence. Thinking over all the things we have talked about. Enjoying the stilness of nature, the whispered prayers of our fellow pilgrims ... just you and your thoughts.

We will visit the 51th temple, Ishite-ji, devoted to the Buddha of medicine and Healing, Yakushi Nyorai. The temple of Annoyō-ji was originally founded by Gyōki, and converted from a Hossō to a Shingon temple by Kūkai. Rebuilt by the ruler of Iyo Province in the eighth century, many of the temple buildings were destroyed by the Chōsokabe in the sixteenth century. The aetiology sees the temple's name changed to Ishite-ji or 'stone-hand temple' after the tightly-clenched hand of the newborn son of the lord of Iyo Province was opened by a priest from the Annoyō-ji to reveal a stone inscribed 'Emon Saburō is reborn'.

Ishiteji (temple 51)

I hope you have read the legend about Emon Saburo (by clicking on the link above). It's a nice legend and really a joy to read. Emon Saburo was absoluted by Kukai (or Kobo Daishi) after walking the pilgrimage 20 times and one in reverse on which he died.

in deep silence
Saburo is walking the path -
a frog jumps away

(c) Chèvrefeuille

While we are continuing our pilgrimage in silence our thoughts will be going on a role with us. It is not easy to make your mind silent, but it is worth trying, because in the silence lays our freedom, in silence lays our life and love ... to be silent makes you stronger ... try it once or a while.

rustling leaves
breaking through the deep silence
the silence deepens

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Ishiteji temple-pagoda

In silence there is healing, take your time to be silent. Go on a walk through the woods or through the city-park. Become one with nature and feel the inner health grow when you are walking in deep silence, meditating and contemplating on the tasks of life.

in the cathedral
the sound of praying man and women
deepens the silence

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 10th 11.59 AM (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, that will be another Special episode about Paulo Coelho's pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem #416, Jodo-ji (temple 49)

Dear O-Henro ... Haijin, visitors and travelers,

While we are on our pilgrimage along the 88 temples trail on Shikoku Island we are celebrating the state of Zen of our beloved haiku. Until now we have talked about selflessness, loneliness, grateful acceptance, wordlessness, non-intellectuality, contradictoriness and yesterday we talked about humor. Today we are talking about freedom while on our way to the 49th temple, Jodo-ji, but what is freedom?

We say we live in a free world, but there are still countries were freedom isn't obvious. For example there are still countries were you can not or may not be homosexual or were you may not say what you are thinking. There are still countries (including the US) were the government is censoring the news. We, the whole world, are not really free and maybe we will never reach a world in which freedom is for all and everything.

Freedom is ... breaking the chains

What is freedom?

Freedom is not doing what you like, but liking what you do. When we are in pain, grief and loneliness, we are safe. We can think as Satan did in Hell,

[...] 'Here at least. We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built. Here for his envy, will drive us hence'. [...]

This is the freedom that Buson felt one day, sitting alone in the darkness, remembering his father's face, his mother's voice:

it is evening, autumn;
I think only
of my parents

It is freedom from likes and dislikes, not in the sense that we become indifferent or unsensitive, but that likable things are not sentimentalized or falsified.

Shiki wrote the following haiku to which the above refers:

beaten at battledore and shuttlecock,
the beautiful maiden's
anger!

Freedom from morality, from notions of progress, from all abstract ideals, from preconceived values that the mind is supposed to bestow on things is what Issa says in this haiku:

simple trust:
do not the petals flutter down,
just like that?

We must have freedom from the idea, and freedom from the fact of seeking for happiness, seeking for beauty or significance. So Buson says:

an autumn eve;
there is joy too,
in loneliness

To escape from the feeling that happiness is an end in itself is a lifelong task. But we can at least be free of the notion, implanted in us indirectly from our earliest years, that we have a right to certain things, among them and perhaps chief, happiness.

Jodo-ji (temple 49)

Freedom is what we all need, freedom is our right to be free ... as haiku-poets we may use the freedom of speech and art to promote freedom for everyone and everything.
Maybe freedom is a political statement, but freedom is freedom.
Here we are ... on a pilgrimage along the 88 temples on Shikoku Island walking and talking, meditating and contemplating the most important right of humankind ... freedom.

In freedom we have arrived at Jodo-ji temple, the 49th temple on the Shikoku trail, devoted to Shaka Nyorai or the Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama) the prince that founded Buddhism. So this temple is very important on our pilgrimage.
Siddhartha lived at a palace and was shielded from the world outside the palace. He took his freedom to leave the palace and became Shakyamuni. Siddhartha took his freedom, his right to feel and be free ... as we have talked about during our walk to Jodo-ji.

stray dog seeking food
between the garbage of Mc Donalds -
rambler under the bridge

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong one, but it's in tune with the theme for today. A rambler maybe he choose for his freedom, maybe he didn't, but at least he can do what he wants ... sleeping under a bridge, swimming naked in the pool ... he feels free.

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 9th 11.59 AM (CET). I will (try to) publish our next episode, Ishiki-ji (temple 51), later on today. For now have fun, be inspired and share your haiku, senryu, tanka, kyoka or haibun with us all here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem #394 Horinji (temple 9)

Dear O-Henro ... Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Our pilgrimage continues ... after a good night's sleep we are rising early, almost at the same time as the sun rises, to go on. I have slept well and am full of new energy ... After doing my morning ritual I pick up my backpack. "A new day", I think. "What will this day bring me, bring us?"

the sun rises
accompannied by the song of birds -
a soft breeze

a soft breeze
plays with the young green leaves
the scent of spring

the scent of spring
overwhelms my senses
I thank Buddha

Today our goal is the 9th temple of the Shikoku henro (pilgrimage)... what will it bring us? We will see, we will hear, we will smell, we will feel and taste Horinji or "The Dharma Wheel Temple". We will need all of our senses to experience Horinji.

The Gate (Shokakuzan) to Horinji

Hōrin-ji (法輪寺?) is a Kōya-san Shingon temple in Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Temple 9 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, the main image is of Parinirvana Shaka Nyorai. The temple is said to have been founded by Kōbō Daishi, who carved the image.
Parinirvana Shaka Nyorai means that the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) entered the realm of the eternal true Self.

The temple was founded by Kōbō Daishi and its honzon is the only surviving example of a reclining Buddha (Nehanzō) on the Shikoku pilgrimage. In fact, it is rare in all of Japan. It was carved by Kōbō Daishi and survived a 16th century fire that destroyed the temple when it was located in nearby Hochiga valley.
After the fire, the temple was rebuilt in its present location. Another fire in the 19th century again destroyed everything except the belfry.

The honzon (main hall) is locally popular for healing and curing illnesses of the feet and the waist.

The Mantra which must be used here is:

Nômaku Sammanda bodanan baku 

This mantra means "homage to all the Buddhas". And it refers to all and everything, because all and everything can become Buddha.

Parinirvana of the Buddha

eternal true Self
found in Parinirvana like Buddha -
the perfume of incense

the perfume of incense
guided my Inner Self on the Path
to Enlightenment

Not a strong set I think, but these haiku came right from my heart as I was preparing this episode for you all. In a way I have thrown away my Ego to become a haiku poet and share my passion for this Japanese poem with you all.

In my work as an onclogy nurse I have done the same. While I am at work the only thing I care of is the wellbeing of my patients. I do my work out of unconditional love for all and everything ... that makes me a buddhist ... or ...?

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 8th 11.59 AM (CET). I hope to publish or second Carpe Diem Special of this month, in which we follow Paulo Coelho on his Way of St. James in Spain, later on today. For now ... be inspired and find your true Self in composing your haiku.

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge Month #XXI, Cathy Tenzo's "the Buddha Himself"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day in haiku paradise and especially in Tan Renga Paradise this month. Another wonderful haiku to start a Tan Renga Challenge with. Today it's a haiku in response on October's prompt "Buddha" and it's written by Cathy Tenzo of Haiku Plate Special. I think it's an awesome haiku in which the Buddha is be seen as also just a human who had to go his way and fins his own path to Enlightenment. Here it is:

the Buddha himself
did not start enlightened
he walked the path

(c) Cathy Tenzo

I am not a Buddhist, but as a haiku-poet I am a Buddhist, ... do you understand that? ....
Haiku is strongly connected with Buddhism and Zen-Buddhism and therefore I have to think sometimes as a Buddhist. In one of our upcoming episodes of "back to it's roots" I will tell you all more about the Buddhistic influences in haiku ... and of course in next January and February for sure as we are going on a Buddhistic Pilgrimage.
OK ... back to this episode of our Tan Renga Challenge Month. Here is my attempt to complete this Tan Renga started by Cathy:

the Buddha himself
did not start enlightened
he walked the path                                          (Cathy Tenzo)

following the signs along the path
the lotus comes to full bloom                          (Chèvrefeuille)

What a joy to make this Tan Renga complete and I wonder .... I wonder ... how you all will make it a complete Tan Renga .... so now it's up to you ... have fun, be inspired and share your completed Tan Renga with our Haiku Kai.
This episode will stay on until November 23th 11.59 AM (CET) and is now open for your submissions.

Carpe Diem #322, Buddha (provided by Patricia)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we share (for the second time) haiku on Buddha (provided by Patricia) as we did earlier in one of our episodes of Carpe Diem's daily haiku meme. Of course it's not the intention to repeat prompts several times, but this prompt Buddha can be for sure a second time, because there are new contributors and of course Buddhism is part of haiku.

In our first month with musical prompts by Karunesh I shared a music-video by Guy Sweens, and I love to share that video again here, because it shows us the life of the Buddha, once known as Siddhartha Gauthama (an Indian prince).

Ah! Wonderful ... what a beautiful piece of music by Guy Sweens (a Dutch New Age Musician) I am proud that Guy is a fellow Dutchmen and I love his music very much.

on his journey
Buddha shows his compassion -
rustling leaves

A strong haiku I think, but that's not up to me to decide. This episode is a short one, but ... well ... there is more to come and to read here at our Haiku Kai.
Be inspired and share your haiku on Buddha with us all, with your haiku family, here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.

This prompt will stay on 'til October 15th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, a new Special by Garry Gay, our featured haiku poet of this month, later on today around 7.00 PM (CET).
!! Buddha is open for your submissions at 7.00 PM (CET) !!

Carpe Diem Imagination #7, Buddha under the Bodhi-tree

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I love to share another wonderful photo with you for our "Imagination"- feature. The goal is to write a haiku inspired on the photo shared ... in other words Imagination is all about painting with words. So let this photo inspire you to write haiku.

silent devotion
I bring offerings to Buddha -
peace for my heart


This episode of "Imagination" will stay on 'till October 16th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will (try) to post the new episode that day.

Have fun, be inspired and share your haiku painted with words with our Haiku Kai.

Carpe Diem Extra #2, Guy Sweens "Siddhartha's Journey"

Good day dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As promised a Carpe Diem Extra episode about Guy Sweens "Siddhartha's Journey". A few days ago I used another video instead of the prepared episode "Siddhartha", because of don't having permission to use the music by Guy Sweens. As I have told you I have gotten the permission to use the music by Guy Sweens, so today, in this Extra edition of Carpe Diem, I love to share this music video with you all. But first I love to tell you something more about Guy Sweens, a Dutch Worldfusion and New Age artist.

Credits: Guy Sweens

Guy was born in the South-East of the Netherlands. He showed much interest in music as a child and was spending time listening to pop and classical music throughout his youth. His grandfather inspired Guy to play the piano and it was at this time he discovered how he enjoyed composing music by himself.
When Guy reached the age of 16, he found out about a rarely new technique in the pop music scene that was and still is very popular: (re)mixing of already existing records. By coincidence, Guy discovered the weekly broadcast remixes of world famous Dutch remixer/producer Ben Liebrand in 1986. Inspired by Liebrand's remixes, Guy started to make remixes himself. A room in front of his bedroom in his parents' house became his home-studio.
The remixing went on until the beginning of the 1990's. In 1993, Guy switched to a brand new and totally different musical style called New Age Music. The first New Age song Guy ever listened to was "Dawnlight" from Karunesh. 

(Dawnlight by Karunesh inspiration source of Guy Sweens)

 The year 2000 became a turning point in Guy's musical career. From now on he decided to concentrate only on composing New Age and World-Fusion Music. Guy preferred composing music in this genre, because it is more melodic, varied and everlasting than Dance music. New Age and World-Fusion gave him much more freedom to express himself without the obligation to constantly keeping up with new musical trends, which is always the case in the Dance scene.
Guy's most important inspirational sources are traditional Asian and Indian music, the moody style of Jazz, pop- and classical music, but also the Middle-Ages and the music of that time. All these musical styles have the ability to express all kinds of feelings.
Guy's music can best be defined as vibrant, passionate, spiritual and full of melodic warmth with gentle rhythm. It is a fusion of western and exotic styles with a clear Indian influence. In order to create these textures, Guy uses many different instruments from all over the world, combined with modern synthesis and technology.

In 2005 Guy became a professional artist, composer and producer. He won the MG Music New Talent Competition and signed a record deal with MG Music later that year. MG Music is a record company based in the UK and owned by highly acclaimed New Age and World-Fusion artist Medwyn Goodall and his wife Wendy. In Spring 2005, Guy released his first album with MG Music "Gaya of Wisdom". The track “Siddhartha’s Journey” is from this album. (Source: www.guysweens.com )

It's a wonderful story I think. As a young boy Guy dreamed about music, was music, and now he is a world famous musician of New Age music in the same category as Karunesh. I think with this Carpe Diem Extra episode I celebrate Guy's wonderful music between the wonderful music of Karunesh.


in the light of dawn
the world looks mysterious
a new day begins

a new day begins
the sweet sounds of birds singing
in the light of dawn


Well ... I couldn't help it. I had to write a haiku inspired on the music by Karunesh in this Extra episode, but I promised you "Siddhartha's Journey" by Guy Sweens. This track comes from the album "Gaya of Wisdom" which Guy released in Spring 2005. (Video made by Nick Of London)

It's a wonderful musical video I think an I think also that the Journey of Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, is a great source of inspiration. So lean back, enjoy the music, become one with the deep mystery of the Buddha and share your haiku with us all here on Carpe Diem.

walking the path
from richness to poverty
enlightned Buddha

enlightened Buddha
reaching for the deep truth of life -
walk his path

This Extra Carpe Diem episode will be open  for submissions 'till August 12th 11.59 AM (CET). So be inspired and share your haiku with us all here on Carpe Diem's daily haiku meme, the place to be if you like writing and sharing haiku with the world.

Namaste

Carpe Diem #249, compassion

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers.\,

First I have to say "I am sorry", because I am hopelessly behind with commenting on all your posts, but I hope to catch up next Saturday. I have read already several entries, without commenting, and what I have read is wonderful.
Today our prompt is Compassion, with compassion the first thing which I think about is Buddha. I see his eyes in front of me and I feel how his compassionate eyes are touching me deep. Compassion ... a wonderful emotion, which we see to less in the world of today. Maybe ... maybe there will be a time, far in the future, that every living thing on Earth will be compassionate. I hope ... this will become true.

Credits: Buddha

full of compassion
the Buddha looks into the world
with sad eyes

with sad eyes
I look around in my world
dreaming of better times


This prompt will stay on 'til July 20th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next episode, Credibility, later on around 8.00 PM (CET) !! compassion is now open for submissions !!

Carpe Diem #247, Willpower

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's a sunny day here in the Lowlands of The Netherlands, almost 25 degrees Celsius and a little breeze. We (my wife and I) are busy in the backyard. After a year or ten we finally decided what to do with it. We now have a garden full of blossoming flowers and to pieces of grass fields. Of course a Buddha in it too, because I am a bit of a Buddhist and I would like to have one in my garden. So several days ago my wife gave me one as a present.
Buddha to me is the fullfillment of Willpower Siddhartha being a prince choose to be one with his people and through Willpower, our prompt for today, he succeeded in his goal to become enlightend. He is for sure Enlightened and mybe we all, including myself, will once be Enlightened being to.

Credits: Mountain Buddha

Look at his face ... the Mountain Buddha full of compassion became a god through willpower. We also can be gods by Willpower. Seek deep in your heart and find the peace and silence which is so common for Buddha. We all have a part of Buddha deep inside us ... through Willpower we can become Enlightened.


full of compassion
he sought for the deeper truth
through willpower

through willpower
we all can be enlightened beings
full of compassion


Sorry as this looks like a sermon. That wasn't my goal for this episode. Siddhartha Gauthama, the Buddha, came in mind at first as I was preparing this episode. I admire him, because he, a prince, became one with his people through the power of his will. He was really a strong Spirit and nowadays we can feel, see, hear, smell and touch him everywhere around us.

What a nice piece of Meditative Music, I hope you enjoyed it. This prompt will stay on 'til July 17 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our next Special episode by Jane Reichhold later on today around 8.00 PM (CET). I will give her inspirational haiku for our next Special hereafter. !! Willpower will be open for submissions at 8.00 PM (CET) !!


sweeping the porch
bright prints of raindrops
followed by splashes