Carpe Diem #1378 Finally ... Enlightenment

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

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!"

Siddhartha (ill. Chinese Encyclopedia of Buddhism)

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.

Enlightenment

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!

smiling
everlasting
enlightened

© Chèvrefeuille

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!

Carpe Diem #1376 Re-United

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelrs,

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.

Siddhartha at the river (illustration from the novel by Hermann Hesse)

[...] "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.

OM

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)

Buddha

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

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until March 1st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem #1372 Mesopotamia

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What an amazing month this is. We are on a journey along the ancient Silk Road, a trade route straight through Asia. We started on the Northern Route around the Taklamakan Desert and now we are on the Southern Route. This Silk Road, there were several, we are now visiting ancient Mesopotamia. Let me tell you a little bit more about this ancient country.

Mesopotamia is a historical region in West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in modern days roughly corresponding to most of Iraq plus Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish–Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders.

The marshes in the delta region of Euphrates and Tigris today

The Sumerians and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians) dominated Mesopotamia from the beginning of written history (c. 3100 BC) to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC, when it was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire. It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and after his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire.

Around 150 BC, Mesopotamia was under the control of the Parthian Empire. Mesopotamia became a battleground between the Romans and Parthians, with western parts of Mesopotamia coming under ephemeral Roman control. In AD 226, eastern part of it fell to the Sassanid Persians. Division of Mesopotamia between Roman (Byzantine from AD 395) and Sassanid Empires lasted until the 7th century Muslim conquest of Persia of the Sasanian Empire and Muslim conquest of the Levant from Byzantines. A number of primarily neo-Assyrian and Christian native Mesopotamian states existed between the 1st century BC and 3rd century AD, including Adiabene, Osroene, and Hatra.

Mesopotamia (AdobeStock)

Mesopotamia is the site of the earliest developments of the Neolithic Revolution from around 10,000 BC. It has been identified as having "inspired some of the most important developments in human history including the invention of the wheel, the planting of the first cereal crops and the development of cursive script, mathematics, astronomy and agriculture."

I think you all have heard from this ancient country. It has a very rich history in is mentioned in the Bible and the Qu'ran, so there is a connection between these religions. That connection we will explore next month as we will "read" the Qu'ran. I have already started reading it and I only can say it's a beautiful book to read and I hope to explore it further next month.

As you know during our journey along the Silk Road we are reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and in that story a river plays a role too. As Siddhartha decides to go the Samanas he has to cross a river and after several years, and after his wealthy period with Kamala, he decides to leave again, He than needs to cross the same river again. He however doesn't cross the river because he becomes the apprentice of the ferryman. That part of the story we will discover later this week.

land of two rivers
which river I have to follow?

A new path chosen

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 25th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.

Carpe Diem #1371 Sansara (the cycle of life)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

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.

the forest
quiet as never before
even the birds

© Chèvrefeuille

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 by Hermann Hesse (cover)

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

© Chèvrefeuille

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

© Chèvrefeuille

Then, out of remote areas of his soul, out of past times of his now weary life, a sound stirred up. It was a word, a syllable, which he, without thinking, with a slurred voice, spoke to himself, the old word which is the beginning and the end of all prayers of the Brahmans, the holy “Om,” which roughly means “that what is perfect” or “the completion.” And in the moment when the sound of “Om” touched Siddhartha’s ear, his dormant spirit suddenly woke up and realized the foolishness of his actions.

entering Heavens
finally purified and without ego
I became wise

© Chèvrefeuille

Siddhartha was deeply shocked. So this was how things were with him, so doomed was he, so much he had lost his way and was forsaken by all knowledge, that he had been able to seek death, that this wish, this wish of a child, had been able to grow in him: to find rest by annihilating his body! What all agony of these recent times, all sobering realizations, all desperation had not brought about, this was brought on by this moment, when the Om entered his consciousness: he became aware of himself in his misery and in his error. Om! he spoke to himself: Om! and again he knew about Brahman, knew about the indestructibility of life, knew about all that is divine, which he had forgotten.

Brahmans Siddhartha and Govinda (painting by Scharkan, Deviant Art)

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!

 

Carpe Diem #1369 Kamala

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our daily haiku meme Carpe Diem Haiku Kai were we are on a journey along the ancient Silk Road, especially the route around the Taklamakan Desert. As I started this month I wasn't aware how difficult it would be to create these every day themes, because it takes a lot of my time to do research, but ... well all for the love of haiku and our CDHK family of course. I enjoy this month, but I don't know really why I have chosen to read Siddhartha by Hermann Hess simultaneous. I really struggle with this combination, but I just have to go on with this month and the challenge I have taken myself.

Yesterday we had a wonderful episode about "What was traded along the Silk Road" and I think I created a nice episode. That trading was also my clue to share another piece of Siddhartha, because in this wonderful novel about a young Brahman son on a quest to find Enlightenment there is also a part in which Siddhartha choses to become a man of the world, a trader. After his time under the wings of the Buddha he runs into a beautiful woman, Kamala, a rich courtesan, who also trades several goods and owns her own business. Today I love to share a part of Siddhartha in which he first sees this wonderful and beautiful Kamala.

[...] "At about noon, he came through a village. In front of the mud cottages, children were rolling about in the street, were playing with pumpkin-seeds and sea-shells, screamed and wrestled, but they all timidly fled from the unknown Samana. In the end of the village, the path led through a stream, and by the side of the stream, a young woman was kneeling and washing clothes. When Siddhartha greeted her, she lifted her head and looked up to him with a smile, so that he saw the white in her eyes glistening. He called out a blessing to her, as it is the custom among travellers, and asked how far he still had to go to reach the large city. Then she got up and came to him, beautifully her wet mouth was shimmering in her young face. She exchanged humorous banter with him, asked whether he had eaten already, and whether it was true that the Samanas slept alone in the forest at night and were not allowed to have any women with them. 

Climbing The Tree

While talking, she put her left foot on his right one and made a movement as a woman does who would want to initiate that kind of sexual pleasure with a man, which the textbooks call "climbing a tree". Siddhartha felt his blood heating up, and since in this moment he had to think of his dream again, he bend slightly down to the woman and kissed with his lips the brown nipple of her breast. Looking up, he saw her face smiling full of lust and her eyes, with contracted pupils, begging with desire." [...] (Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)

To make this fragment more clear I just have to share the dream Siddhartha had also:

[...] "In the night when he slept in the straw hut of a ferryman by the river, Siddhartha had a dream: Govinda was standing in front of him, dressed in the yellow robe of an ascetic. Sad was how Govinda looked like, sadly he asked: Why have you forsaken me? At this, he embraced Govinda, wrapped his arms around him, and as he was pulling him close to his chest and kissed him, it was not Govinda any more, but a woman, and a full breast popped out of the woman's dress, at which Siddhartha lay and drank, sweetly and strongly tasted the milk from this breast. It tasted of woman and man, of sun and forest, of animal and flower, of every fruit, of every joyful desire. It intoxicated him and rendered him unconscious.—When Siddhartha woke up, the pale river shimmered through the door of the hut, and in the forest, a dark call of an owl resounded deeply and pleasantly." [...] (Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)

Buddhism along the Silk Road

What has this to do with our journey along the Silk Road? Well ... I think with this fragment we enter a more personal part of the Silk Road. Along the Silk Road there must have been something like places were the traders, mostly man, could find there pleasures, if you understand what I mean. And I think that the "Kama Sutra" ideas were also spread along the Silk Road, because the Silk Road wasn't only a trading route but also a route to spread ideas and believes from other countries. We already saw that Buddhism came along the Silk Road and maybe this "Tantra-philosophy" also came to the several countries along the Silk Road. Maybe I am just someone who thinks to much and loves to share his thoughts with his audience, but I love to share these things with you all.

A little controversial episode I think. At the one hand the "Kama Sutra" (the world) and at the other hand Buddhism (the Inner world), but I think it fits our theme ... the Silk Road. The Silk Road was as controversial as this episode ... so I think I can publish this.

for the first time
climbing the tree of love
along the Silk Road

© Chèvrefeuille

Awesome ... a beautiful haiku (how immodest), but full of mystery.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 20th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. By the way ... with this episode we are entering the Southern Route around the Taklamakan Desert.

Carpe Diem #1367 Alai Valley (Northern Route)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

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.

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.

Alai Valley

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!

Alai Valley, colored mountains

mountain stream
the ice has melted - dances in the sun
crystal waterdrops

drinking tea
on the porch of a mountain hut -
the almost full moon

© Chèvrefeuille

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

© Chèvrefeuille

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!

Carpe Diem #1363 Taklamakan Desert (the "Sea of Death")(Northern route)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our wonderful Kai. This month we are traveling back in time while we are "trodding" along the ancient Silk Road. We are following the Northern Route that brings us along the Taklamakan Desert and later this month as we are returning home we will also take the Southern Route, also along the Taklamakan Desert.

The Taklamakan Desert is a very important issue this month, so I love to tell you little bit more about this Desert.

The Taklamakan Desert was once inhabited as excavations have proven

The Taklamakan Desert is one of largest shifting sand deserts in the world. It is intensely dry and located farther from an ocean than any other desert. Hemmed between China’s Kunlun and Tian Shan Mountains, this Chinese desert sprawls across an area of 100,000 square miles (270,000 square kilometres) and 85 percent of the total area consists of mobile sand dunes. The Taklamakan Desert has no permanent population, and few travelers brave crossing it due to its inhospitable terrain. This infamous expanse is often referred to as the "sea of death" or the "place of no return."

The Taklamakan Desert is distinguished by its constantly moving sand dunes. Its vast sea of gold sand is whipped into crescent-shaped sand dunes, some of which soar to 800 to 1,650 feet tall when winds reach hurricane force. Camels are the only animals able to tackle these monstrous dunes -- the way their feet splay outwards stops them from sinking into the sand.

The Taklamakan Desert supports small populations of animals like wild Bactrian camels, Asian wild asses, wolves, foxes, gazelles and wild boars. Camels, in particular, can tolerate the dryness of the desert area, and they are able to seal their slit-like nostrils closed, keeping out sand and dust.

Bactrian Camel

The Taklamakan Desert is almost devoid of vegetation. Tamarisk, nitre bushes and reeds are the only types of greenery found in the depressions between the dunes; however, plant life is much richer along the edges of the desert area. 

Locals recount tales that ancient cities filled with treasure lie lost and buried beneath the unknown depths of the Taklamakan Desert. In the late 1980s, an archaeological dig unearthed mummies in this remote region, some dating back to over 4,000 years. The mummies found show the wide range of peoples who have passed through the Chinese region; many exhibit Caucasoid features, and many were wearing European twill fabrics.
 The interest in these mummies exists largely because of their extraordinarily well-preserved state. One of the most famous mummies unearthed from the Taklamakan Desert is that of "Cherchen Man." He had reddish brown hair, a long nose, full lips and a ginger beard.

Cherchen Man

The trails that border the Taklamakan Desert once formed parts of the Silk Road, the trading routes of the past that are still being used in the early 21st century.

There is no water on the Taklamakan Desert and it was hazardous to cross. "Takla Makan" means "go in and you'll never come out". Merchant caravans on the Silk Road would stop for relief at the thriving oasis towns. The key oasis towns, watered by rainfall from the mountains, were Kashgar, Marin, Niya, Yarkand, and Khotan (Hetian) to the south, Kuqa and Turfan in the north, and Loulan and Dunhuang in the east. Now many, such as Marin and Gaochang are ruined cities in sparsely inhabited dusty spots with poor roads and minimal transportation.
 

caravan

 
[...] "A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. Dead to himself, not to be a self any more, to find tranquility with an emptied heard, to be open to miracles in unselfish thoughts, that was his goal. Once all of my self was overcome and had died, once every desire and every urge was silent in the heart, then the ultimate part of me had to awake, the innermost of my being, which is no longer myself, the great secret.
Silently, Siddhartha exposed himself to burning rays of the sun directly above, glowing with pain, glowing with thirst, and stood there, until he neither felt any pain nor thirst any more. Silently, he stood there in the rainy season, from his hair the water was dripping over freezing shoulders, over freezing hips and legs, and the penitent stood there, until he could not feel the cold in his shoulders and legs any more, until they were silent, until they were quiet. Silently, he cowered in the thorny bushes, blood dripped from the burning skin, from festering wounds dripped pus, and Siddhartha stayed rigidly, stayed motionless, until no blood flowed any more, until nothing stung any more, until nothing burned any more." [...] (Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)

The above fragment from "Siddhartha" could have been easilyt placed in this surroundings. in the Taklamakan Desert. In the Taklamakan Desert the weather conditions are as extreme as above described in the fragment.
Maybe Taklamakan Desert is a place to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. but as I read the information and look at the images than to me it's a place that I would love to visit ... it seems awesome.

sand dunes
protecting fragile life
from the sun

© Chèvrefeuille

Not a very strong haiku, but I think I have caught the essence of the Taklamakan Desert.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 12th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Tian Shan Mountains (Northern route), later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem #1362 Gansu (Northern route)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend and that you all will have new energy for a new week full of the beauty of the ancient Silk Road. This month we are on a journey "Along The Silk Road" and especially we are following the Northern and Southern Route. That means we especially are following the "Silk Road" through China and "around" the Taklamakan Desert. While we are on this journey we are reading a wonderful "esoteric" novel written by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha, in which we are following a young Brahman son who is on a journey to find himself, his inner peace, to become enlightened. Why are we reading this novel? Well Buddhism entered China along the "Silk Road", so Siddhartha is a nice novel to read while on our journey.

Samanas in the forests

[...] " The first light of day shone into the room. The Brahman saw that Siddhartha was trembling softly in his knees. In Siddhartha's face he saw no trembling, his eyes were fixed on a distant spot. Then his father realized that even now Siddhartha no longer dwelt with him in his home, that he had already left him.
The Father touched Siddhartha's shoulder. "You will," he spoke, "go into the forest and be a Samana. When you'll have found blissfulness in the forest, then come back and teach me to be blissful. If you'll find disappointment, then return and let us once again make offerings to the gods together. Go now and kiss your mother, tell her where you are going to. But for me it is time to go to the river and to perform the first ablution."
He took his hand from the shoulder of his son and went outside. Siddhartha wavered to the side, as he tried to walk. He put his limbs back under control, bowed to his father, and went to his mother to do as his father had said." [...] (Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)

And so started Siddhartha's journey ... his first step was going to his father to ask his permission to leave his home to become a Samana.
For us there is no need to ask permission to leave the home for our journey along the Silk Road, but we are on our way. Today we arrive at Gansu. Let me tell you a little bit about Gansu in the time of the Silk Road.

Panorama shot Daxia River Valley

In imperial times, Gansu was an important strategic outpost and communications link for the Chinese empire, as the Hexi Corridor runs along the "neck" of the province. Hexi Corridor or Gansu Corridor refers to the historical route in Gansu province of China. As part of the Northern Silk Road running northwest from the bank of the Yellow River, it was the most important route from North China to the Tarim Basin and Central Asia for traders and the military. The corridor is a string of oases along the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. To the south is the high and desolate Tibetan Plateau and to the north, the Gobi Desert and the grasslands of Outer Mongolia. At the west end the route splits in three, going either north of the Tian Shan or south on either side of the Tarim Basin. At the east end are mountains around Lanzhou before one reaches the Wei River valley and China proper.

Hexi Corridor

  The Han dynasty extended the Great Wall across this corridor, building the strategic Yumenguan (Jade Gate Pass, near Dunhuang) and Yangguan fort towns along it. Remains of the wall and the towns can be found there. The Ming dynasty built the Jiayuguan outpost in Gansu. To the west of Yumenguan and the Qilian Mountains, at the northwestern end of the province, the Yuezhi, Wusun, and other nomadic tribes dwelt, occasionally figuring in regional imperial Chinese geopolitics.
By the Qingshui treaty, concluded in 823 between the Tibetan Empire and the Tang dynasty, China lost much of western Gansu province for a significant period.
After the fall of the Uyghur Empire, an Uyghur state was established in parts of Gansu that lasted from 848 to 1036 AD. During that time, many of Gansu's residents were converted to Islam.
Along the Silk Road, Gansu was an economically important province, as well as a cultural transmission path. Temples and Buddhist grottoes such as those at Mogao Caves ('Caves of the Thousand Buddhas') and Maijishan Caves contain artistically and historically revealing murals.

Magoa Caves (Caves of the Thousand Buddhas)

Buddhism entered China along the Silk Road. Some say Buddhism came to China by the maritime route, but after scientific researches by several scientists, the over all conclusion was that Buddhism came along the Silk Road.

Did Samanas live along the Silk Road? Maybe at the places were traders stopped, the caravanserais, but I don't know that for sure. Could it be that Siddhartha was along the Silk Road while he was with the Samanas. Personally I think that wasn't possible, but in Siddhartha's later journey we will see a connection with the Silk Road. 

above the valley
hidden in his cave
Buddha meditates
without listening to the traders
beneath his feet

© Chèvrefeuille

Pff ... that wasn't easy. It was for sure not an easy task to create a haiku or tanka inspired on this episode, but I think my tanka fits the episode in a way.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 11th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Taklamakan Desert (Northern route), later on. For now .... Be inspired

Carpe Diem #1360 Along The Silk Road - Introduction

!! I have published a new Haiku Shuukan episode !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome to the first episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai February 2018 in which we will go on a journey along the ancient Silk Road while we are reading Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha", a story about the quest for personal enlightenment following the you Brahman son Siddhartha.

To start this first episode of our journey along the ancient Silk Road I love to share a tanka about "silk". Silk was the reason of creating this Silk Road. Trading started on the Silk Road first with silk and later on with a lot of more products like pottery and spices.

Albizzia Julibrissin (Silk Tree)

silk tree blossoms
in a soothing summer rain
trembling in silence
so fragile,
in a summer breeze

© Chèvrefeuille

Of course the silk that was one of the highly things to trade along the Silk Road, wasn't the silk from the Silk tree, but the silk made from the cocoons of the silkworms.

Another one, a haiku this time, that in a way points us towards our theme for this month "Along The Silk Road":

kimono slipping
fingertips discover silk road
ecstatic sigh

© Chèvrefeuille

Our Logo for this month in which we will go on a journey "Along the Silk Road"

[...] Siddhartha, was not a source of joy for himself, he found no delight in himself. Walking the rosy paths of the fig tree garden, sitting in the bluish shade of the grove of contemplation, washing his limbs daily in the bath of repentance, sacrificing in the dim shade of the mango forest, his gestures of perfect decency, everyone's love and joy, he still lacked all joy in his heart. Dreams and restless thoughts came into his mind, flowing from the water of the river, sparkling from the stars of the night, melting from the beams of the sun, dreams came to him and a restlessness of the soul, fuming from the sacrifices, breathing forth from the verses of the Rig-Veda, being infused into him, drop by drop, from the teachings of the old Brahmans. [...] (Source: Siddhartha by Hermann Hess)

Siddhartha had no joy in his heart. He only had questions and doubts in his mind. His life didn't give him the inner peace he needed so much. One day he decided to leave his family home to find inner peace. His quest started ... as does our journey start too ... Let us go on our way. Pick up your things and belongings. Pack your suitcases or ... your backpack ...

[...] The gods seem to have possessed my soul and turned it inside out, and the roadside images seemed to invite me from every corner, so that it was impossible for me to stay idle at home. [...] (Source: The Small Road Into The Deep North by Matsuo Basho).

through the sands of time
I walk towards a caravanserai
to refresh my mind

© Chèvrefeuille (August 2013)

Along The Silk Road

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty of China, which linked the regions of the ancient world in commerce. As the Silk Road was not a single thoroughfare from east to west, the term 'Silk Routes’ has become increasingly favored by historians, though 'Silk Road’ is the more common and recognized name. The network was used regularly from 130 BCE, when the Han officially opened trade with the west, to 1453 CE, when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade with the west and closed the routes.

"I can smell the pepper, the cinnamon and other spices already".

at the bazaar

the perfume of spices

overwhelms me

all those colorful people 

at the bazaar

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope this month will be like the above tanka ... a journey that overwhelms us and brings us the inspiration for our haiku, tanka or other kind of Japanese poetry.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 7th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, Chang'an (Northern route), later on. For now .... have fun!