Carpe Diem Haiku Kai is the place to be if you like to write and share Japanese poetry forms like haiku and tanka. It’s a warmhearted family of haiku poets created by Chèvrefeuille, a Dutch haiku poet. Japanese poetry is the poetry of nature and it gives an impression of a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. ++ ALL WORKS PUBLISHED ARE COPYRIGHTED AND THE RIGHTS BELONG TO THE AUTHORS ++ !!! Anonymous comments will be seen as SPAM !!!
Welcome at a new episode of our Kai, but before I start with this episode I have to apologize for not publishing last weekend. There were circumstances in private life that needed my attention so I hadn't time to publish our weekend meditation last weekend.
Today I have a more informative episode for you all about the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the pilgrimage that is our theme this month.
The Shikoku Pilgrimage or Shikoku Junrei is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long history, large numbers of pilgrims (known as henro still undertake the journey for a variety of ascetic, pious, and tourism-related purposes.
In addition to the 88 "official" temples of the pilgrimage, there are over 200 bangai — temples not considered part of the official 88. To complete the pilgrimage, it is not necessary to visit the temples in order; in some cases it is even considered lucky to travel in reverse order.
The pilgrimage is traditionally completed on foot, but modern pilgrims use cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, or motorcycles. The walking course is approximately 1,200 km long and can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days to complete. "Henro" is the Japanese word for pilgrim, and the inhabitants of Shikoku call the pilgrims o-henro-san, the o being an honorific and the san a title similar to "Mr." or "Mrs.". They are often recognizable by their white clothing, sedge hats, and kongō-tsue or walking sticks. Alms or osettai are frequently given. Many pilgrims begin and complete the journey by visiting Mount Kōya in Wakayama Prefecture, which was settled by Kūkai and remains the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The 21 km walking trail up to Koya-san still exists, but most pilgrims use the train.
mysterious Island dedicated to the Path of Enlightenment four countries* as one
Youkoso at Shikoku dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
Today we start with our Shikoku Pilgrimage and so I started this episode with "Youkoso", which means "welcome''. From this day on we will make a pilgrimage along a selection of the 88 temples on the Isle of Shikoku and will trod in the footsteps of thousands of O-Henro (pilgrims on Shikoku-route) and in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi (774-835).
The Shikoku Pilgrimage starts at the first temple, Ryozenji, but before we start with our Shikoku Pilgrimage we first have to learn the "Heart of the Great Wisdom Sutra":
Heart of the Great Wisdom Sutra
When a sincere truth seeker attains the wisdom of enlightenment, he realizes that all the five senses are empty and he transcends every suffering.
Listen: All things are no different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from all things. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness are also like this.
Listen: The original nature of all things is neither born nor extinguished. There is no purity, no defilement; no gain, no loss.
In this world of emptiness there is no form, no feelings, perceptions, impulses, or consciousness. No eye, ear, tongue body, or mind. Therefore, no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, or thought. The world of form does not exist, nor the world of the mind or of ignorance; no old age and no death.
Yet there is continuous ignorance, old age, and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering; no wisdom and no attainment because there is nothing to be attained. The compassionate truth-seeker depends upon the wisdom of enlightenment.
When the mind does not become attached to anything, there are no obstacles and fear does not exist. This mind goes beyond all disruptive views and attains Nirvana. All the Buddhas of the past, present and future depend upon the wisdom of enlightenment--and so attain the supreme, wisdom of enlightenment as the great unexplainable true word, the great shining true word that is able to remove all suffering. It is true, not false. This true word of wisdom says:
Gyate Gyate Hara Gyate Hara So Gyate Bodhi Sowa Ka.
Ryozenji (the first temple)
Well ... as we are prepared now I say again "Youkoso" and I bow for you. In my heart I chant the Heart Sutra to become in tune with Shikoku. We are on our way and will start at the first temple Ryozenji at Naruto in Tokushima Prefecture. It is here were the pilgrimage starts.
Ryozenji Temple is also known as "Vulture Peak" which refers to one of the sermons the Buddha once gave on a mountain with the same name. It was on that mountain that Buddha started with his religion and wrote the Heart-Sutra and e.g. the Lotus-Sutra.
So this first temple is in every way the start of our Shikoku Pilgrimage.
In the upcoming episodes of our Shikoku Pilgrimage I will try to tell you all more about Buddhism as one of the roots for our beloved haiku. As you maybe know ... in the classical rules of haiku is said that there has to be a Buddhistic layer in haiku. Of course I will use haiku examples written by the classical haiku-poets and sometimes written by modern haiku-poets.
OK ... let us start with our Shikoku Pilgrimage and I love to share my first haiku for this new month with you and I am looking forward to all our new insights and wonderful haiku.
Vulture Peak
pilgrims chanting the Heart Sutra to honor Kukai - cry of a Vulture breaks through the serene temple - pilgrims chanting
Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. As you all know I changed our theme for this month recently. So to day we go on this new path in which we will explore (already) modern and classical kigo (seasonwords) for spring. Spring has started and I am enjoying the view of plum blossom, cherry blossom and more young leaves opening. Yes ... it's spring.
Today's theme is "hanamatsuri" a wonderful Asian festival in which the birth of Buddha is celebrated.
The following text comes from a pamphlet published by the Northwest Ministerial Association, Buddhist Churches of America.
Hanamatsuri, literally flower festival, is celebrated on April 8, commemorating the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha became enlightened as Sakyamuni Buddha and this marks the release of sentient beings from suffering and sorrow.
According to our tradition, the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, was born in Nepal on April 8, 566 B.C. He was born the son of King Suddohana and Queen Maya. There are many flowery descriptions of the scene at his birth, including celestial birds singing beautiful songs, beautiful flowers, and a sweet gentle rain bathing the baby Buddha. It is not necessarily the beauty of the flowers, the sounds of the celestial birds, nor the sweet gentle rain that fell, but the vibrant fact that on this day was born the greatest of sentient beings who became the Enlightened One, the Buddha.
Every year we celebrate our own birthday. In our youth we are anxious to reach “adulthood,” and in our old age we attempt to cling to our “youth.” What is the meaning and reason for celebrating our birth? Much of the meaning of our own birth is often lost in the gifts and the merriment. The celebration of our birth is an expression of gratitude. This gratitude is extended towards our friends, parents and to life itself. This gratitude grows from an understanding that our birth is the result of many people and that our lives are in- tertwined with all others.
Understanding the Buddha’s teaching of interdependancy of all things will make it clear that our birth is the result of many causes and conditions. Realizing this we can see that our birth is truly a rare and wonderful gift, and we have an obligation to live out this life in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha.
happening to be born on Buddha’s birthday a baby deer!
This obligation to live our lives out to the fullest becomes even more striking when we look at the symbolism and the significance of the flower. The flower, as with all human beings, has its moment of youth and beauty, but its beauty soon begins to fade and eventually it dies. Our birth is like the blossoming of a beautiful flower, but it is the seed of our own demise. When we can understand our own impermanent nature, then it becomes very clear how we should live our lives.
Isn't it a wonderful festival ... I love the background on this festival and I am glad to bring it to you here at CDHK.
This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until April 2nd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now .... have fun!
Share your Japanese poetry inspired on this wonderful classical kigo with us all here at our Haiku Kai.
What a joy this part of the month is. We are reading the poems of Rumi, the Mystical Poet. Rumi has really written wonderful beautiful poems with a deep spiritual meaning hidden in it.
As you all know haiku has a Zen-Buddhistic base and that brought me the idea to share a poem by Rumi in which you can read this base too. I even remembered a haiku I have written once that fits the "tone" of this poem by Rumi.
thrown away bowl once filled with rice dances on the wind
I think you all understand in which direction these haiku are pointing. In these haiku we can read one of the pillars of Buddhism, Emptiness. And that Emptiness is part of the poem by Rumi which I love to share with you for your inspiration. As I stated above, emptiness is part of Buddhism, but Rumi wasn't a Buddhist, he was a Sufi. But there is something with him. He has said himself that he wasn't of any kind of religion. There are sources that say that Rumi was muslim, but he never said that himself. He was one of the earliest enlightened spirits that said "All Gods Are One God".
So ... I am looking forward to your responses on this beauty by Rumi:
Saladin's Begging Bowl:
Of these two thousand "I" and "We" people, which am I? Don't try to keep me from asking! Listen, when I'm this out of control! But don't put anything breakable in my way! There is an original inside me. What's here is a mirror for that, for you. If you are joyful, I am. If you grieve, or if you're bitter, or graceful, I take on those qualities. Like the shadow of a cypress tree in the meadow, like the shadow of a rose, I live close to the rose. If I separated myself from you, I would turn entirely thorn. Every second, I drink another cup of my own blood-wine. Every instant, I break an empty cup against your door. I reach out, wanting you to tear me open. Saladin's generosity lights a candle in my chest. Who am I then? His empty begging bowl.
The begging bowl or alms bowl is one of the simplest but most important objects in the daily lives of Buddhist monks. It is primarily a practical object, used as a bowl in which to collect alms (either money or food) from lay supporters.
But the begging bowl also has symbolic significance associated with the historical Buddha. According to one legend, when he began meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree, a young woman offered him a golden bowl filled with rice, thinking he was the divinity of the tree. He divided the rice into 49 portions, one for each day until he would be enlightened, and threw the precious bowl into the river.
This and other legends, combined with its humble monastic uses, have made the simple begging bowl a symbol of the Buddha's teachings on nonattachment. The Vinaya states that monks may use bowls made of either iron or clay, and they can be small, medium, or large.
Well ... what a nice poem this is and as we look at the "back-story" what a wonder it is that through this poem by Rumi we can find the classic ideas about haiku ... one of those ideas is "a Buddhistic" layer.
This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 21st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!
Share your inspired Japanese poetry with us all here at our Haiku Kai, the place to be if you like to write and share Japanese poetry.
I have said it in earlier posts this month, but there are several similarities between the Quran and The Bible. One of those similarities is the story about the Creation. In the Quran and The Bible the creation stories are completly the same. What does that mean?
We all know that Islam is a young religion (7th century CE) and the story is the same as in the Bible. Of course we know that the Quran was reveealed to Muhammed the Prophet, but can Muhammed be the Prophet of the Christian God? Or is he really a prophet of Allah, I think we have to respect that idea, but I also think we can ask us these questions too.
Did Muhammed knew about the Bible? And was he just another interpreter of the Holy Bible? This could be an explanation of the similarities between the Quran and the Bible. Both holy books tell the story of the Creation.
The Beauty of Nature
The following verses are from the Surah ar-Ra'd or thunder. Thunder and Lightning is the title of this episode and I have chosen that title, because thunder and lightning are energies "used" by God. Maybe He used it as He was creating the flood that re-created Earth (the story of Noah). The Quran mentions thunder and lightning as a kind of punishment for Earth and its inhabitants.
[...] "It is He who shows you the lightning, causing fear and hope. And He produces the heavy clouds. The thunder praises His glory, and so do the angels, in awe of Him. And He sends the thunderbolts, striking with them whomever He wills. Yet they argue about God, while He is Tremendous in might." [...] (Surah 13: 12-13)
A similar verse we find in the book of Exodus:
[...] "And all the people were watching the thunderings and the flames and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when they saw it, they kept far off, shaking with fear. And they said to Moses, To your words we will give ear, but let not the voice of God come to our ears, for fear death may come on us." [...](Exodus 20: 18-19)
In both examples we see that the voice of God is heard as thunder and lightning, and that's very similar to the Scandinavian idea of Thor, God of Thunder. Or in that wonderful Hindu book Mahabharata you can find several verses in the same tone with the same idea and emotion.
[...] "Even as he said this, the clouds above thundered and everyone knew that the god of the thunderbolt was coming, and trembled in fear.' [...](Source: Mahabharata)
The same idea is also mentioned in several Shinto scriptures. Often the Shinto god of thunder and lightning is named Raijin (His name is derived from the Japanese words rai ("thunder") and "god" or "kami" (shin). He is typically depicted as a demon-looking spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with the symbol tomoe drawn on the drums. During a thunderstorm parents say to their children to hide their belly bottoms (navel), because the god of thunder will eat their belly bottom.
All wonderful ideas and thoughts I think, all can be a source for the Quran, but we have to respect the idea that the Quran was given to Muhammed by God.
frogs jump in - the sound of rain far away thunder and lightning
Well ... I hope you did like this episode and that it will inspire you to create haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form.
This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 11th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.
Share your haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on this episode with us all here at our Haiku Kai.
Welcome at the penultimate episode of this wonderful month in which we explored the ancient trading route renown as "The Silk Road". We have visited wonderful places and we read a wonderful novel about a young Brahman son, Siddhartha, on a quest for enlightenment. In this penultimate episode we will read the end of this story ... a rich spiritual story in which we can find a lot of wonder and knowledge, or to speak with Siddhartha "finding wisdom".
I have read Siddhartha several times and every time again I read new things, new ideas, new knowledge ... and maybe you have read it with me and have found your revelation, your wisdom, but I am quit certain that you all have enjoyed the read, because Siddhartha's story could have been written for us ... haiku poets.
Cover Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (Sanskrit)
Finally ... Enlightenment:
[...] "Siddhartha," Govinda spoke, "we have become old men. It is unlikely for one of us to see the other again in this incarnation. I see, beloved, that you have found peace. I confess that I haven't found it. Tell me, oh honorable one, one more word, give me something on my way which I can grasp, which I can understand! Give me something to be with me on my path. It is often hard, my path, often dark, Siddhartha." Siddhartha said nothing and looked at him with the ever unchanged, quiet smile. Govinda stared at his face, with fear, with yearning, suffering, and the eternal search was visible in his look, eternal not-finding. Siddhartha saw it and smiled. "Bend down to me!" he whispered quietly in Govinda's ear. "Bend down to me! Like this, even closer! Very close! Kiss my forehead, Govinda!"
But while Govinda with astonishment, and yet drawn by great love and expectation, obeyed his words, bent down closely to him and touched his forehead with his lips, something miraculous happened to him. While his thoughts were still dwelling on Siddhartha's wondrous words, while he was still struggling in vain and with reluctance to think away time, to imagine Nirvana and Sansara as one, while even a certain contempt for the words of his friend was fighting in him against an immense love and veneration, this happened to him: He no longer saw the face of his friend Siddhartha, instead he saw other faces, many, a long sequence, a flowing river of faces, of hundreds, of thousands, which all came and disappeared, and yet all seemed to be there simultaneously, which all constantly changed and renewed themselves, and which were still all Siddhartha. He saw the face of a fish, a carp, with an infinitely painfully opened mouth, the face of a dying fish, with fading eyes—he saw the face of a new-born child, red and full of wrinkles, distorted from crying—he saw the face of a murderer, he saw him plunging a knife into the body of another person—he saw, in the same second, this criminal in bondage, kneeling and his head being chopped off by the executioner with one blow of his sword—he saw the bodies of men and women, naked in positions and cramps of frenzied love—he saw corpses stretched out, motionless, cold, void— he saw the heads of animals, of boars, of crocodiles, of elephants, of bulls, of birds—he saw gods, saw Krishna, saw Agni—he saw all of these figures and faces in a thousand relationships with one another, each one helping the other, loving it, hating it, destroying it, giving re-birth to it, each one was a will to die, a passionately painful confession of transitoriness, and yet none of them died, each one only transformed, was always re-born, received evermore a new face, without any time having passed between the one and the other face—and all of these figures and faces rested, flowed, generated themselves, floated along and merged with each other, and they were all constantly covered by something thin, without individuality of its own, but yet existing, like a thin glass or ice, like a transparent skin, a shell or mold or mask of water, and this mask was smiling, and this mask was Siddhartha's smiling face, which he, Govinda, in this very same moment touched with his lips. And, Govinda saw it like this, this smile of the mask, this smile of oneness above the flowing forms, this smile of simultaneousness above the thousand births and deaths, this smile of Siddhartha was precisely the same, was precisely of the same kind as the quiet, delicate, impenetrable, perhaps benevolent, perhaps mocking, wise, thousand-fold smile of Gotama, the Buddha, as he had seen it himself with great respect a hundred times. Like this, Govinda knew, the perfected ones are smiling.
Not knowing any more whether time existed, whether the vision had lasted a second or a hundred years, not knowing any more whether there existed a Siddhartha, a Gotama, a me and a you, feeling in his innermost self as if he had been wounded by a divine arrow, the injury of which tasted sweet, being enchanted and dissolved in his innermost self, Govinda still stood for a little while bent over Siddhartha's quiet face, which he had just kissed, which had just been the scene of all manifestations, all transformations, all existence. The face was unchanged, after under its surface the depth of the thousandfoldness had closed up again, he smiled silently, smiled quietly and softly, perhaps very benevolently, perhaps very mockingly, precisely as he used to smile, the exalted one. Deeply, Govinda bowed; tears he knew nothing of, ran down his old face; like a fire burnt the feeling of the most intimate love, the humblest veneration in his heart. Deeply, he bowed, touching the ground, before him who was sitting motionlessly, whose smile reminded him of everything he had ever loved in his life, what had ever been valuable and holy to him in his life."[...](Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)
And so ends the story of Siddhartha, finally the young Brahman son has found the goal of his quest ... becoming an enlightened being full of wisdom of all ages, full of the universe, full of love for all and everything on the globe.
Isn't that what we all strive for in this life? Isn't that what we strive for as haiku poets? Being one with all and everything, not only being the poet, but also the reader ... That makes our haiku (or tanka or other Japanese poetry form) awesome ... and full of spirituality and love for nature ... being one!
I hope you did like this episode. I for sure did ... All parts of Siddhartha I have used this month were taken from the Gutenberg project.
This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 5th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our last episode, in a way an introductory episode to our next month, later on. For now ... have fun!
Share your haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on this episode with us all here at our Haiku Kai, the place to be if you like tocreate and share Japanese poetry.
I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend. I can say that my weekend was a weekend of illness, because the flue caught me, but I recovered fast from it. It's not completely gone, but it doesn't make me feel miserable anymore.
This episode I love to tell you a little bit more about "how Buddhism was spread along the Silk Road". I have written about it in a few of the earlier episodes here , but in this episode (wit a little bit help of Wikipedia) I love to tell you a little bit more about it.
By the way that's also the reason why I tried to read Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse together with you. Siddhartha is a wonderful Indian story in which we read how a young Brahman son, Siddhartha, goes on his way to find enlightenment. We already read about his encounter with the Buddha, but we also read about his encounter with the river ... or in other word the "religion" of the ferryman. About that last piece of Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment I will create an episode later this week. And our last episode of this month will be about "how Islam found its way along the Silk Road". That last episode will also be a kind of "pre-scripture" to our new CDHK month.
Buddhism ... found its way along the Silk Road:
The transmission of Buddhism to China via the Silk Road began in the 1st century CE, according to a semi-legendary account of an ambassador sent to the West by the Chinese Emperor Ming (58–75). During this period Buddhism began to spread throughout Southeast, East, and Central Asia. Mahayana, Theravada, and Tibetan Buddhism are the three primary forms of Buddhism that spread across Asia via the Silk Road.
The Buddhist movement was the first large-scale missionary movement in the history of world religions. Chinese missionaries were able to assimilate Buddhism, to an extent, to native Chinese Daoists, which would bring the two beliefs together. Buddha's community of followers, the Sangha, consisted of male and female monks and laity. These people moved through India and beyond to spread the ideas of Buddha. As the number of members within the Sangha increased, it became costly so that only the larger cities were able to afford having the Buddha and his disciples visit. It is believed that under the control of the Kushans, Buddhism was spread to China and other parts of Asia from the middle of the first century to the middle of the third century. Extensive contacts started in the 2nd century, probably as a consequence of the expansion of the Kushan empire into the Chinese territory of the Tarim Basin, due to the missionary efforts of a great number of Buddhist monks to Chinese lands. The first missionaries and translators of Buddhists scriptures into Chinese were either Parthian, Kushan, Sogdian, or Kuchean.
One result of the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road was displacement and conflict. The Greek Seleucids were exiled to Iran and Central Asia because of a new Iranian dynasty called the Parthians at the beginning of the 2nd century BCE, and as a result the Parthians became the new middle men for trade in a period when the Romans were major customers for silk. Parthian scholars were involved in one of the first ever Buddhist text translations into the Chinese language. Its main trade centre on the Silk Road, the city of Merv, in due course and with the coming of age of Buddhism in China, became a major Buddhist centre by the middle of the 2nd century. Knowledge among people on the silk roads also increased when Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty (268–239 BCE) converted to Buddhism and raised the religion to official status in his northern Indian empire.
From the 4th century CE onward, Chinese pilgrims also started to travel on the Silk Road to India to get improved access to the original Buddhist scriptures, with Fa-hsien's pilgrimage to India, and later Xuanzang (629–644) and Hyecho, who traveled from Korea to India. The travels of the priest Xuanzang were fictionalized in the 16th century in a fantasy adventure novel called Journey to the West, which told of trials with demons and the aid given by various disciples on the journey.
There were many different schools of Buddhism travelling on the Silk Road. The Dharmaguptakas and the Sarvastivadins were two of the major Nikaya schools. These were both eventually displaced by the Mahayana, also known as "Great Vehicle". This movement of Buddhism first gained influence in the Khotan region. The Mahayana, which was more of a "pan-Buddhist movement" than a school of Buddhism, appears to have begun in northwestern India or Central Asia. It formed during the 1st century BCE and was small at first, and the origins of this "Greater Vehicle" are not fully clear. Some Mahayana scripts were found in northern Pakistan, but the main texts are still believed to have been composed in Central Asia along the Silk Road. These different schools and movements of Buddhism were a result of the diverse and complex influences and beliefs on the Silk Road. With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, the initial direction of Buddhist development changed. This form of Buddhism highlighted, as stated by Xinru Liu, "the elusiveness of physical reality, including material wealth." It also stressed getting rid of material desire to a certain point; this was often difficult for followers to understand.
During the 5th and 6th centuries CE, merchants played a large role in the spread of religion, in particular Buddhism. Merchants found the moral and ethical teachings of Buddhism to be an appealing alternative to previous religions. As a result, merchants supported Buddhist monasteries along the Silk Road, and in return the Buddhists gave the merchants somewhere to stay as they traveled from city to city. As a result, merchants spread Buddhism to foreign encounters as they traveled. Merchants also helped to establish diaspora within the communities they encountered, and over time their cultures became based on Buddhism. As a result, these communities became centers of literacy and culture with well-organized marketplaces, lodging, and storage. The voluntary conversion of Chinese ruling elites helped the spread of Buddhism in East Asia and led Buddhism to become widespread in Chinese society. The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism essentially ended around the 7th century with the rise of Islam in Central Asia.
Isn't it an awesome story ... Buddhism found its way along the Silk Road and became a worldwide religion. In this tradition several centuries later haiku emerged as a poem inspired on nature with a touch of Zen Buddhism ... does that mean that we, haijin, are in a way Buddhists, maybe that's our deeper source for our haiku ...
merchants trade not only beautiful goods believes too
This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until March 4th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.
Share your inspired Japanese poetry with us all here at our Haiku Kai.
Today I love to tell you a little bit more about the friendship between Siddhartha and Govinda. Both Brahman's sons who befriended already early in their lifetime. Together they started a quest for enlightenment, but somewhere on their quest their paths separated. Govinda stayed at the Buddha and became a Buddhistic monk and Siddhartha became a merchant. As we read in one of our earlier episodes Siddhartha has chosen to leave his beloved Kamala and ran away from his home.
At the start of his quest he had to cross a river and now he has returned to that river ... and here is what happened after he heard the mysterious and holy "om", before he fell asleep against the trunk of a coconut-tree.
[...] "Deep was his sleep and without dreams, for a long time he had not known such a sleep any more. When he woke up after many hours, he felt as if ten years had passed, he heard the water quietly flowing, did not know where he was and who had brought him here, opened his eyes, saw with astonishment that there were trees and the sky above him, and he remembered where he was and how he got here. But it took him a long while for this, and the past seemed to him as if it had been covered by a veil, infinitely distant, infinitely far away, infinitely meaningless. He only knew that his previous life (in the first moment when he thought about it, this past life seemed to him like a very old, previous incarnation, like an early pre-birth of his present self)—that his previous life had been abandoned by him, that, full of disgust and wretchedness, he had even intended to throw his life away, but that by a river, under a coconut-tree, he has come to his senses, the holy word Om on his lips, that then he had fallen asleep and had now woken up and was looking at the world as a new man. Quietly, he spoke the word Om to himself, speaking which he had fallen asleep, and it seemed to him as if his entire long sleep had been nothing but a long meditative recitation of Om, a thinking of Om, a submergence and complete entering into Om, into the nameless, the perfected.
What a wonderful sleep had this been! Never before by sleep, he had been thus refreshed, thus renewed, thus rejuvenated! Perhaps, he had really died, had drowned and was reborn in a new body? But no, he knew himself, he knew his hand and his feet, knew the place where he lay, knew this self in his chest, this Siddhartha, the eccentric, the weird one, but this Siddhartha was nevertheless transformed, was renewed, was strangely well rested, strangely awake, joyful and curious. Siddhartha straightened up, then he saw a person sitting opposite to him, an unknown man, a monk in a yellow robe with a shaven head, sitting in the position of pondering. He observed the man, who had neither hair on his head nor a beard, and he had not observed him for long when he recognised this monk as Govinda, the friend of his youth, Govinda who had taken his refuge with the exalted Buddha. Govinda had aged, he too, but still his face bore the same features, expressed zeal, faithfulness, searching, timidness. But when Govinda now, sensing his gaze, opened his eyes and looked at him, Siddhartha saw that Govinda did not recognise him. Govinda was happy to find him awake; apparently, he had been sitting here for a long time and been waiting for him to wake up, though he did not know him." [...](Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)
OM ("aum") means "highest concepts such as the cause of the Universe, essence of life, Brahman, Atman, and Self-knowledge". OM is a very strong mantra and is very useful to become one with all and everything.
In the story about Siddhartha and Govinda we see the embodiment of OM, because they belong to eachother like Yin and Yang and after they were separated they are again together ... that's the meaning of OM in this story. They will be together always in a spiritual way, because they both take their own path, but in a way the same path. Govinda follows his master Buddha and Siddhartha follows his master ... his Higher Self.
chanting OM nature awakes in the early light souls re-united
Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. This month we are on a journey along the ancient Silk Road. A renown trade-route straight through Asia. While we are on this journey we are (trying) to read a very nice and spiritual novel written by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha. A story about a young Brahman-son who is on a quest for Enlightenment. A few days ago I told you that Siddhartha had found Kamala, a rich courtesan. Through Kamala he is attracted by beauty and wealth, because Kamala wants a lot of goods and more richness of him. Siddhartha becomes a man of the material world. And that made the connection with the ancient Silk Road.
I am a bit "stuck" on prompts about the Silk Road, as I told you earlier this month I hadn't thought that making a whole month about the ancient Silk Road was this difficult.
For today's episode I have chosen to share a part of "Siddhartha" with you. In this part of Siddhartha we see how he is "running" away from his home and his beautiful Kamala. In other words "he is running away from the world". Siddhartha has finally found insight in his life and that the life he lived as a wealthy merchant will not bring him the Enlightment he is looking for. Than the story takes a turn ...
[...] "
Siddhartha
walked through the forest, was already far from the city, and knew nothing but
that one thing, that there was no going back for him, that this life, as he had
lived it for many years until now, was over and done away with, and that he had
tasted all of it, sucked everything out of it until he was disgusted with it.
Dead was the singing bird, he had dreamt of. Dead was the bird in his heart. Deeply,
he had been entangled in Sansara (cycle
of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence), he had sucked up disgust
and death from all sides into his body, like a sponge sucks up water until it
is full. And full he was, full of the feeling of been sick of it, full of
misery, full of death, there was nothing left in this world which could have
attracted him, given him joy, given him comfort.
Passionately
he wished to know nothing about himself anymore, to have rest, to be dead. If
there only was a lightning-bolt to strike him dead! If there only was a tiger a
devour him! If there only was a wine, a poison which would numb his senses,
bring him forgetfulness and sleep, and no awakening from that! Was there still
any kind of filth, he had not soiled himself with, a sin or foolish act he had
not committed, a dreariness of the soul he had not brought upon himself? Was it
still at all possible to be alive? Was it possible, to breathe in again and
again, to breathe out, to feel hunger, to eat again, to sleep again, to sleep
with a woman again? Was this cycle not exhausted and brought to a conclusion
for him?
Siddhartha
reached the large river in the forest, the same river over which a long time
ago, when he had still been a young man and came from the town of Gotama, a
ferryman had conducted him. By this river he stopped, hesitantly he stood at
the bank. Tiredness and hunger had weakened him, and whatever for should he
walk on, wherever to, to which goal? No, there were no more goals, there was
nothing left but the deep, painful yearning to shake off this whole desolate
dream, to spit out this stale wine, to put an end to this miserable and
shameful life.
tears fall on the bank of the river weeping willow
A hang bent
over the bank of the river, a coconut-tree; Siddhartha leaned against its trunk
with his shoulder, embraced the trunk with one arm, and looked down into the
green water, which ran and ran under him, looked down and found himself to be
entirely filled with the wish to let go and to drown in these waters. A
frightening emptiness was reflected back at him by the water, answering to the
terrible emptiness in his soul. Yes, he had reached the end. There was nothing
left for him, except to annihilate himself, except to smash the failure into
which he had shaped his life, to throw it away, before the feet of mockingly
laughing gods. This was the great vomiting he had longed for: death, the
smashing to bits of the form he hated! Let him be food for fishes, this dog
Siddhartha, this lunatic, this depraved and rotten body, this weakened and
abused soul! Let him be food for fishes and crocodiles, let him be chopped to
bits by the demons! With a
distorted face, he stared into the water, saw the reflection of his face and
spit at it. In deep tiredness, he took his arm away from the trunk of the tree
and turned a bit, in order to let himself fall straight down, in order to finally
drown. With his eyes closed, he slipped towards death.
eyes closed dreaming away into oblivion beckoning death
But this
was only a moment, flash. By the foot of the coconut-tree, Siddhartha collapsed,
struck down by tiredness, mumbling Om, placed his head on the root of the tree
and fell into a deep sleep." [...](Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)
Of course the story continues. The part after the above given one is in my opinion the most beautiful story written ever, but that we will read next week as we are closing in to the end of February.
This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 23rd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new weekend-meditation later on. For now ... have fun!
Share your inspired Japanese poetry with us all here at our Haiku Kai.
I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend full of joy and inspiration. Today (Sunday) we celebrated the 14th birthday of our oldest grandson, so we had a really good time, but it's also the reason why I am a bit late with publishing this new post, Alai Valley. (By the way: I haven't thought about our upcoming episodes, so every episode will be a surprise for me too).
We are still on the Northern Route of the Silk Road established by the Han-dynasty, but we are also leafing through that wonderful story by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha. We read that Siddhartha went to the Samanas and after several years of an ascetic life Siddhartha is still on a quest to become enlightened. His (Siddhartha) thoughts are no longer his, he has learned to live without anything, but has still not found the peace he is so desperately longing for. Than news reaches him and his friend Govinda, news about an Enlightened man, Buddha. They decide to go listen to this Buddha.
[...] "The Buddha went on his way, modestly and deep in his thoughts, his calm face was neither happy nor sad, it seemed to smile quietly and inwardly. With a hidden smile, quiet, calm, somewhat resembling a healthy child, the Buddha walked, wore the robe and placed his feet just as all of his monks did, according to a precise rule. But his face and his walk, his quietly lowered glance, his quietly dangling hand and even every finger of his quietly dangling hand expressed peace, expressed perfection, did not search, did not imitate, breathed softly in an unwhithering calm, in an unwhithering light, an untouchable peace." [...](Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)
I told you in an earlier post about the fact that Buddhism spread along the Silk Road. One of the main themes of Buddhism is "Emptiness" and todays episode is about that "emptiness", not in the idea of Buddhism, but in the idea of the Alai Valley,
The Alai Valley is a broad, dry valley running east-west across most of southern Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan. It is about 180 km east-west and about 40 km north-south and 2500-3500m in altitude. The north side is the Alai Mountains which slope down to the Ferghana Valley. The south side is the Trans-Alai Range along the Tajikistan border, with Lenin Peak, (7134m). The western 40 km or so is more hills than valley. On the east there is the low Tongmurun pass and then more valley leading to the Irkestam border crossing to China.
The valley has a population of approximately 17,000 and is almost entirely Kyrgyz. One traveler says "with no jobs, a harsh winter climate, and poor conditions for agriculture, life is immensely tough here, and most of the adult male population have left to seek work elsewhere."
Mountaineers and mountain hikers are the most frequent guests of the Alai Valley in the summer period. They arrive to the valley from the Kyrgyz city of Osh and move further to the area of Lenin Peak (7,134 m), the highest point of the Trans Alai Range. An excellent mountain road with ideal asphalt built by Chinese road builders complements the breathtaking landscapes of the mountain valley. Going up and down the Taldyk Pass the traveler is struck by contrasting many-colored rocks of regular shapes and picturesque deep and narrow canyons.
The rapid Kyzyl-Suu River runs along the Alai Valley. The name of the stream is translated as ‘the red river’, and the watercourse is called so after the color of the water it carries, which is red-brown. The slopes of the surrounding mountains are also red in most cases and contrast sharply with green alpine meadows, snow-capped summits and an excitingly deep dark blue sky! However, if you are lucky to be caught by a short summer rain, you will see the most beautiful of scenes - a huge bright rainbow traversing the sky and making the magic landscapes of the Pamirs absolutely fabulous!
Two haiku found in my archives. Both are once created inspired on our trip through the Altai Mountains Mongolia. Almost the same surroundings as the Alai Valley. I had to create a new haiku too and I tried to bring a few things together. I hope I have succeeded.
colored mountains my prize for conquering the valley her silken kimono
This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 18th at noon (CET). I hope to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!
Share your inspired Japanese poetry with us all here at our Haiku Kai.
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
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:
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!
Share your haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on the given image with us all here at our Haiku Kai, the place to be if you like to create and share Japanese poetry.
