Carpe Diem #1109 Siddharta's Journey by Guy Sweens

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today I love to share a "reprise" of a piece of music which I used earlier here at CDHK. Maybe you remember it, maybe not. I created this episode back in August 2013. I will not full re-create that post, but I love to share the music video of this wonderful piece of music by Guy Sweens, a young Dutch composer of New Age and Fusion music.

Guy Sweens

You can find more about him at his own website www.guysweens.com or you can read the mentioned episode HERE again.

Guy Sweens is a composer similar with that other favorite of mine Karunesh Karunesh was by the way the one who brought me the music of Guy Sweens, but that you can read in that mentioned episode of CDHK.

Here is the music video of Siddharta's Journey by Guy Sweens (video made by Nick of London)

I hope this composition will inspire you to create haiku or tanka. I love to share a re-done cascading haiku, I turned it into a set of tanka:

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

walking the path
from richness to poverty
enlightened Buddha
reaching for the deep truth of life -
walk his path

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 1st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Mists of Avalon by Adrian Von Ziegler, later on.

Carpe Diem #394 Horinji (temple 9)

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

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

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

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

the scent of spring
overwhelms my senses
I thank Buddha

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

The Gate (Shokakuzan) to Horinji

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

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

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

The Mantra which must be used here is:

Nômaku Sammanda bodanan baku 

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

Parinirvana of the Buddha

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

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

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

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

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

Carpe Diem #390, Konsenji (Temple 3)

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

What a joy to host this month our Carpe Diem Haiku Kai Pilgrimages along the 88 temples on Shikoku Island and The Way of St. James (Santiago De Compostela). This month(s) we will wander through two countries, Japan and Spain, and maybe we will grow spiritual.
As you will understand ... it's not possible to visit all the 88 temples, but we will visit the most during this pilgrimage.

Today we arrive at temple 3 Konsenji also known as The Temple of Golden Spring.The temple was founded by Gyōgi in the 8th century and originally called Konkōmyōji. It was renamed Konsenji (Golden Well Temple) by Kōbō Daishi when a golden stream of water sprang out of a well he dug by thrusting his staff into the ground. (This particular legend — of Kōbō Daishi digging wells — is found throughout both Shikoku and Japan) The hondō was burnt to the ground by Chōsokabe and his armies in 1582 and rebuilt during the Tokugawa Period. Gyōgi is also credited with carving the honzon. 
In the temple yard is a large (4 ft by 2 ft) stone called the Benkei Stone and the tomb of Emperor Chōkei, a 14th century emperor of the southern court. Legend states that Benkei (a legendary 12th century warrior priest and bodyguard for Yoritomo Yoshitsune) lifted the stone to demonstrate his strength when he and Yoshitsune stopped here in on their way to a battle on Yashima Island. 

Every temple has his own mantra which refers to an act of the Buddha. At Konsenji Temple the mantra is:

Nômaku Sammanda bodanan baku

Konsenji Temple

Over 2500 years ago, a young prince was born in north India and his name was Gautama, Siddhartha (completed goal). His family belonged to the Sakya clan and when after his years of religious quest, he became Enlightened, he then came to be called the Sage (Muni) of the Sakya clan, or Sakyamuni. This is the title of the historic Buddha Sâkyamuni who was the founder of Buddhism.

Shakyamuni Buddha

Early in life Siddhartha was impressed with the suffering of this world and with the suffering that we experience because of old age, sickness, and death. He left the householder’s life and searched out religious teachers who could teach him the meaning of life. For six years, Siddhartha practiced painful austerities but with no religious result. He discovered that self torture and total self-denial were useless in the search for understanding. Instead of attempting to totally control his body, he then began to control his mind. One morning while seated under a large Bodhi Tree, he attained supreme wisdom and understanding and became an awakened being, or Buddha. After his enlightenment experience, he devoted the rest of his life to wandering from place to place, preaching to all who would listen to him. The Buddha died at age eighty.

This is how it will look the nextdays too, because I love to tell you more about Buddhism and the role of it in haiku. I hope you all will enjoy this pilgrimage and I hope to read wonderful haiku.

a prince suffers
his richness is just a burden -
a new path is dawning

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Now it's up to you my dear O-henro ... Haijin, visitors and travelers. Enjoy the read, be inspired and share your haiku with us all.

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 4th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, Dainichji, later on today.