From Basho: “When composing a verse let there not be a hair’s breath separating your mind from what you write; composition of a poem must be done in an instant, like a woodcutter felling a huge tree or a swordsman leaping at a dangerous enemy.”
Tag Archives: Zen Buddhism
Quote of the day 07/12/25
From Basho: “Sitting quietly, doing nothing;Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”
Quote of the day 07/11/25
From Basho: “Real poetry is to lead a beautiful life. To live poetry is better than to write it.”
Quote of the day 06/10/25
From R.H. Blyth: “In conclusion, let us say that Shakespeare had a religion, a religion which could ask and answer the question which Macduff asked, when his wife and children were all murdered at one fell swoop: ‘Did heaven look on, And would not take their part?’ What is the answer to the question? ItContinue reading “Quote of the day 06/10/25”
Quote of the day 06/09/25
From R.H. Blyth: “It is only the simple but far-reaching fact that Goodness is on the side of goodness rather than badness, that is to say, the fact that evil in its own nature destroys itself, that makes Iago a failure.”
Quote of the day 06/08/25
From R.H. Blyth: “In both good and evil there is Goodness, if only men can forget their praising and blaming and see it as it flows, in its activity.”
Quote of the day 06/07/25
From R.H. Blyth: “The scales are weighted, though ever so lightly, on the side of goodness and truth. Were this not so, how could we say, ‘Follow nature,’ ‘Know thyself’? Zen would become simply a participation in the Universal Suicide.”
Quote of the day 06/06/25
From R.H. Blyth: “The absolute value of things is infinite; our minds, which change according to our circumstances, that is, our necessities, decide that things are vile or precious.”
Quote of the day 06/05/25
From R.H. Blyth: “…when we think about ourselves, we are deeply conscious of our physical pains and pleasure, but if we forget ourselves, the body too, becoming one with the mind, is hardly aware of its pain and pleasure, cold and heat. How much our happiness depends upon the condition of our minds, is shownContinue reading “Quote of the day 06/05/25”
Quote of the day 06/04/25
From R.H. Blyth: “If only we can realise that we are born fools, if only we can attain to this state of absolute foolishness, where everything is good, we shall be like Sôshi’s drunkard, who when he falls out of a cart, though he injures himself, is not killed, because he is not thinking ofContinue reading “Quote of the day 06/04/25”
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