[ Art by Edward ]

 
HAIKU

There are no capitals in Japanese; few pronouns; few distinctions between singular and plural. Prepositions follow the object hence more aptly should be called, "post-positions". There is no punctuation in Haiku, and instead, kireiji ("cut words") are used, such as yam, kana, peri etc. Henderson uses punctuation marks to indicate kireiji. There is no rhyme in Haiku. The form is:

  1. 5--7--5 syllables (17 syllables per poem)
  2. The poem is set in a season of the year, ki

Originally one haiku was used as the introduction to a series of tanka (5--7--5 / 7--7). The tanka part of entertaining contests of link successive verses into renga: (5--7--5 / 7--7 / 5--7--5, 7--7, etc.). The starting verse of the renga is called the hokka. It is from hokka that we get Haiku . The first Haiku were written somewhere in the 10th C. The Haiku was perfected and brought to its golden age in the 17th century. During this time many Haiku's were written by Moritake (a Shinto priest) and Sökan. The most popular Haiku writer, however, was Bashö.

I am attempting to transform this style into American English and usage. I am following Henderson in rhyming the first and third lines. I will use the 5--7--5 syllable scheme with trochic meter. This meter has two syllables in each foot, and the stress is on the first syllable. I am choosing troche because this pushes me to omit articles and pronouns. This style is in keeping with Japanese writing. I am not always successful in maintaining this Spartan use of words. Following Henderson, I am capitalizing only the first letter of the first line. Having begun to do this, I am reminded of the elegant initial capitalization of the Western luminists. So the scheme will be:

[ Haiku ]

1.SEEKING THE TAO

Where does truth reside?
    spotted cats bring down their prey-
        roses cut and dried

2.BODHIDHARMA 1

Staring down the wall
    eyelids sliced and thrown away--
        Summer follows Fall

3.COMPASSION

Endless falling sand
    spreads beneath the bodhi tree,
        Buddha takes her hand

4.MEDITATION

Heavy are my eyes;
    drifting to the other side-
        cotton candy skies

6.UPON AWAKENING

Crocus petals spread,
    singing tunes of early Spring-
        rising from my bed

7.WALKING MEDITATION

Walk on bony toes
    down a path of sand and stone--
        pungent climbing rose

8.BEING MINDFUL 2 (Fourth Noble Truth)

Dreams of what might be!
    carry water; chopping wood--
        hot winds blowing free

9.ON LOVING LATTE

Pigeons flying home;
    toes and fingers frozen white
        chocolate sprinkled foam

10.THE IDES OF MARCH

Fleecy clouds for miles;
    chilling wind blows through the leaves--
        sitting Buddha smiles;

11.THE GREAT COSMIC QUESTION

When will God be known?
    slowly growing midget tree-
        apple blossoms blown

12.THE WELL (I have lost the context!!!)

Lumps of polished coal
    start the search for winter fire-
        peering down a hole

15.A PEACEFUL NIGHT

Nighttime fog is cool;
    smell of jasmine in the air-
        floating in the pool

16.BUDDHA'S GRIN

Dogwood thick and iris thin;
    swallows swarming everywhere--
        laughing Buddha's grin

17.THE BEASTIAL SIDE OF MAN

Man can maim and kill;
    "Sad it is," the seer has said;
        "Yellow daffodil."

18.TAMING THE OX 4 (The Third Noble Truth)

Moss between the rocks;
    evening breezes cool the skin,
        bringing home the ox

23.THE FIRST NOBLE TRUTH 7

Cringing from the pain,
    Lovers sigh and creatures cry;
        Pansies wet from rain

24.SATORI

Lily ponds in bloom;
    resting by the murky pool-
        silent sonic boom!

27.SECOND NOBLE TRUTH

Shadows on the trail;
    fingers numb and cheeks afire-
        pansies, cabbage, kale

28.SHAREMAS

Naked branches wait;
    bulbs asleep in frozen ground-
        families celebrate

30.SHIMMER

Blue jays squawk and sass;
    smell of cloudless summer day--
        fresh mowed grass

  1. The legend has it that the twelfth patriarch after Buddha, called Bodhidharma (Baruna, in Japanese), became blocked in his quest for Satori. He was devoted to sitting meditation (zazen) but kept falling asleep. Nothing he did was able to keep him awake, and enlightenment eluded him. Finally in utter desperation he cut off his own eyelids. This way he was able to stay awake. He did achieve enlightenment. Bodhidharma is credited with founding the cha'n (or Zen) form of Buddhism. [ [ go back ] ]

  1. There is a famous anecdote in Zen folklore about the student who asked his master, "What is one's life like after one has achieved Satori?" The master answered, "Before Satori you chop wood and carry water. After Satori you chop wood and carry water." [ [ go back ] ]

  1. Periodically there occurs in the Buddhist literature reference to the herding of a wild ox. In fact, there have been numerous eight-part illustrations of this metaphor of seeking and attaining enlightenment. The ox represent the Tao, and the herder is the disciple who is seeking enlightenment. The metaphor shows the successive stages that occur along the path, from the oxherd going out to find the ox, to the domestication of the ox and its final disappearance. [ [ go back ] ]

  1. The Four Noble Truths are the Buddha's pronouncement of the steps that one must take in order to achieve enlightenment. I my own words, these are as follows:

    1. The great human problem is suffering (dukkha)
    2. The cause of suffering is ignorance (avidya), or the belief in permanence and duality
    3. There is a way of ending the suffering, that is, to let go of these delusions
    4. The way (marga) is shown by the Buddha (e.g., through meditation). [ [ go back ] ]

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