Sublime
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An owner and his home vie in their impermanence, as the vanishing dew upon the morning glory.
Chomei • Essays in Idleness: and Hojoki (Penguin Classics)
TRULY, I love this life of seclusion. Carrying my staff, I walk toward a friend’s cottage. The trees in his garden, soaked by the evening rain, Reflect the cool, clear autumnal sky. The owner’s dog comes to greet me; Chrysanthemums bloom along the fence. These people have the same spirit as the ancients; An earthen wall marks their separation from
... See moreJohn Stevens • One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan
Soon this short verse sprang free from renga and began to articulate aesthetic qualities, such as a sense of beautiful aloneness (sabishisa) and restrained elegance (furyu).
Sam Hamill • The Pocket Haiku (Shambhala Pocket Library)
the aesthetics of deep responsiveness to the world typified in literary writing.
Chomei • Essays in Idleness: and Hojoki (Penguin Classics)
How Do You Live?: The uplifting Japanese classic that has enchanted millions
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John Tarrant quote (found this from Rob Tourtelot)
... See moreThe Temple of Engakuji was destroyed by fire in 1374. The entire library was consumed and the rare books which the founder, Bukko, had brought from China were reduced to ashes. Priests of the Hachiman shrine came to Enkakuji, concerned about the tragic loss of these ancient texts.
Fumon, the master,
I had never had wife and children, so there were no close ties that were difficult to break. I had no rank and salary to forgo. What was there to hold me to the world? I made my bed among the clouds of Ōhara’s mountains,35 and there I passed five fruitless years.