Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

In Japan, poems should not be tethered to the entanglement of a person’s ego. Humility, modesty, and a keen eye for small details in the natural environment are key attributes. As Basho said, “If you want to learn about the pine, then go to the pine, if you want to learn about the bamboo, then go to the bamboo. When you have become one with them, t

In the words of Dogen, the thirteenth-century Zen master, “when we forget the self, we can remember the 10,000 things.”