In other Haiku, Basho’s meaning is hidden in rich symbolism and must be interpreted in order to get to its ‘Zen essence’. It also brings the Buddha down to our level, and shows that anyone, no matter your income, social class or anything else can practice and follow his teachings.īasho, who lived a life of poverty, still found time to set up an altar and this should reinforce in us the Buddha’s effort to include and treat all people as equals and encourage us to do the same.
Though it needs no real interpretation, I liked it because it shows how much he admired the Buddha, putting the sacred image on on the grass. Love many subjects, bilingual third year uni student.” On Twitter>Īs Reichfold’s commentary states, since Basho travelled all around Japan and spent a lot of time outside with nature, he could only use grass as an altar for the picture of the Buddha (an image his friend had sent him). Contributing writer Lee Clark: “I’m a Buddhist, Quaker, Humanist, existentialist and pacifist. In some Haiku, Basho bluntly writes about Buddhism or the Buddha such as this one: “Glory to Buddha, On a pedestal of grass Such coolness”. Still, because he had assimilated the precepts and teachings of Buddhism, his poetry is infused with Buddhist ideas and ideals to a degree not found in the works of most other writers. At one point he seriously considered taking vows but that would have meant giving up poetry, which was something he simply could not do. Basho never actually became a Monk, though he studied Zen for many years and when he travelled, he shaved his head and wore the robes of the order. As with my last article on the subject of Zen Koans on Buddha Weekly, these are my interpretations alone, poetry means different things to different people and there are no ‘wrong’ interpretations of the poems below.Īs Jane Reichhold, translator of all of Basho’s Haiku into English, and an accomplished Haiku poet herself states about Basho’s religious beliefs: …haiku and Zen are often closely linked. This article then will be about a number of Basho’s Haiku that I feel have a particular Zen flavour or that have inspired me as a Buddhist myself. Even though Haiku are normally associated with Zen Buddhism in popular culture, it should be noted that they aren’t specifically a ‘Buddhist form of poetry’ and anyone can write a Haiku, whether they are Buddhist or not as a great post here that states, poetry and Haiku are universal.īasho though, was a Zen Buddhist and a lay monk, and did incorporate many Buddhist themes into his poetry and some can be read as inspiring through a Buddhist lens, whether they were meant to be read that way or not. Haikus are short Japanese poems, traditionally composed of three lines in a 5-7-5 seventeen syllable format. He is the undisputed master of the now world-famous Haiku form of poetry.
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is regarded as among the greatest poets - not only in Japanese literature, but worldwide. Matsuo Basho, 1644-1694, painted by Kamimura Hakuo.
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