ARTS: Temple Dusk: Zen Haiku

Dear all

I have recently acquired a copy of Temple Dusk, a book of haiku from 1992 by Mitsu Suzuki.

Mitsu Suzuki was a notable haiku poet and tea teacher. Her husband was the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki, founder of San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Center. After Suzuki Roshi died in 1971, Mitsu continued to live at SFZC before returning to Japan in 1993 and leaving the visible world in January 2015 at the age of 101: http://blogs.sfzc.org/blog/2016/01/0...away-aged-101/

Reading her work, it has a beautiful simplicity that I would like to achieve myself.


Too small
to call it a Zen garden
moss blossoms


Journey at dusk
yellow bamboo
the entire mountain


Intently sewing patched robes
an old nun
fringed iris


Dialogue of bells
entering into winter
dokusan


On my husband's ash urn
I hang his rakusu
winter's first rain

(this one gets me every time)


In addition to Temple Dusk, another book of her poetry was released to mark her one hundredth birthday, A White Tea Bowl.

One of my haiku teachers gave Temple Dusk two stars on Goodreads. Maybe there was too much Zen for him as the poems are undoubtedly beautiful and go beyond mere words.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

Interesting! Thanks for sharing Kokuu

Gassho
Ishin
Sat/lah

Beautiful...
I really like the last one, too.
Thank you.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

Beautiful.
Gassho
Anna
st

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Thanks for this. I might try to find a copy.

Gassho

Nenka

ST

Kokku those are lovely. I'm going to pick up a copy of A White Tea Bowl. It looks like it will be easier to find than Temple Dusk.

Gassho
Hoseki
Sattoday

Hi Hoseki

Having recently scouted around for additional copies (I found mine in a online thrift store), I think you are correct. It seems to go for $25+ in most places where it is available.

If I see any reasonably priced ones, I will post here.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kokuu

Hi Hoseki

Having recently scouted around for additional copies (I found mine in a online thrift store), I think you are correct. It seems to go for $25+ in most places where it is available.

If I see any reasonably priced ones, I will post here.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

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Thanks!

Gassho
Hoseki
Sattoday


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So beautiful, these poems. Thank you!

Gassho
Ben


Stlah

Gesendet von meinem PLK-L01 mit Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hoseki

Kokku those are lovely. I'm going to pick up a copy of A White Tea Bowl. It looks like it will be easier to find than Temple Dusk.

Gassho
Hoseki
Sattoday

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Yes, me too.

Mitsu Suzuki's haiku are exquisite ..

Intently sewing patched robes
an old nun
fringed iris

I can visualise this, there's an entire story right here; it will never cease to amaze me how evocative three lines of words can be.
Thank you for posting, and the recommendation of course !
Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Meitou

Yes, me too.

Mitsu Suzuki's haiku are exquisite ..

Intently sewing patched robes
an old nun
fringed iris

I can visualise this, there's an entire story right here; it will never cease to amaze me how evocative three lines of words can be.
Thank you for posting, and the recommendation of course !
Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

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That's genuinely breathtaking!
Can anyone lead me to where such magnificent simplicity is captured? Especially books please.
Gassho
Anna
st

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anna

That's genuinely breathtaking!
Can anyone lead me to where such magnificent simplicity is captured? Especially books please.
Gassho
Anna
st

Sent from my Lenovo TB-8304F1 using Tapatalk

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Anna, Kokuu is our resident Haiku poet, and also our Haiku Wiki. I'm sure he can point you to the moon regarding resources, courses and the best books. I wouldn't mind revisiting these myself because when my last computer up and died suddenly, I lost all of the resource material Kokuu had so kindly pointed me toward.
A White Tea Bowl mentioned above, is readily available and I'll be buying it within the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, check this out https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/foru...138-Haiku-Club

Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Meitou

Anna, Kokuu is our resident Haiku poet, and also our Haiku Wiki. I'm sure he can point you to the moon regarding resources, courses and the best books. I wouldn't mind revisiting these myself because when my last computer up and died suddenly, I lost all of the resource material Kokuu had so kindly pointed me toward.
A White Tea Bowl mentioned above, is readily available and I'll be buying it within the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, check this out https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/foru...138-Haiku-Club

Gassho
Meitou
sattodaylah

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Thank you Meitou
Gassho
Anna
st

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Hi Anna

These are some of my favourite haiku books: https://yearinhaiku.wordpress.com/books-and-weblinks/

Many contemporary haiku journals can be read online e.g. Otata 46

Classical haiku from 'the big four'
Matsuo Basho: http://oaks.nvg.org/basho.html
Yosa Buson: https://kyotojournal.org/fiction-poe...-haiku-master/
Kobayashi Issa: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...-haiku-by-issa
Masaoka Shiki: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...-haiku-by-issa

My short piece on Zen and haiku: https://yearinhaiku.wordpress.com/zen-and-haiku/

As Meitou says, don't get me started! (although really, feel free to ask for more!)

begging bowl
a crack in the pavement
grows dandelions

(by me and published in Otata, April 2019)

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kokuu

Hi Anna

These are some of my favourite haiku books: https://yearinhaiku.wordpress.com/books-and-weblinks/

Many contemporary haiku journals can be read online e.g. Otata 46

Classical haiku from 'the big four'
Matsuo Basho: http://oaks.nvg.org/basho.html
Yosa Buson: https://kyotojournal.org/fiction-poe...-haiku-master/
Kobayashi Issa: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...-haiku-by-issa
Masaoka Shiki: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...-haiku-by-issa

My short piece on Zen and haiku: https://yearinhaiku.wordpress.com/zen-and-haiku/

As Meitou says, don't get me started! (although really, feel free to ask for more!)

begging bowl
a crack in the pavement
grows dandelions

(by me and published in Otata, April 2019)

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

---

Dynamite! Thanks Kokuu.
Gassho
Anna
stlah

Sent from my Lenovo TB-8304F1 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kokuu

Hi Anna

These are some of my favourite haiku books: https://yearinhaiku.wordpress.com/books-and-weblinks/

Many contemporary haiku journals can be read online e.g. Otata 46

Classical haiku from 'the big four'
Matsuo Basho: http://oaks.nvg.org/basho.html
Yosa Buson: https://kyotojournal.org/fiction-poe...-haiku-master/
Kobayashi Issa: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...-haiku-by-issa
Masaoka Shiki: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poe...-haiku-by-issa

My short piece on Zen and haiku: https://yearinhaiku.wordpress.com/zen-and-haiku/

As Meitou says, don't get me started! (although really, feel free to ask for more!)

begging bowl
a crack in the pavement
grows dandelions

(by me and published in Otata, April 2019)

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

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Thank you again Kokuu.
I cannot recommend A White Tea Bowl enough, Mitsu Suzuki's poems are so simple and spare, but so powerful and moving. They let me cry. This was so appropriate this morning..

autumn's chill -
tea bowl's roundness
wrapped in my hands

Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kokuu

On my husband's ash urn
I hang his rakusu
winter's first rain

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[gassholook]

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

Seeing the appreciation here, may I suggest that we have a prompt named Autumn, in which we could post our own attempts as well as our favourite Autumn haiku from other poets? Just a thought Kokuu because I don't want to burden you with more work.
Gassho
Meitou sattoday

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Meitou

Seeing the appreciation here, may I suggest that we have a prompt named Autumn, in which we could post our own attempts as well as our favourite Autumn haiku from other poets? Just a thought Kokuu because I don't want to burden you with more work.
Gassho
Meitou sattoday

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It's Spring here ;-P

Gassho
Anna

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anna

It's Spring here ;-P

Gassho
Anna

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Yes that occurred to me while ago as I sat zazenkai with you. That makes it even more fun as we could always have two seasons on the go.
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday

Quote:

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On my husband's ash urn
I hang his rakusu
winter's first rain

(this one gets me every time)

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That is beautiful. Thank you gassho2

Gassho
Washin
sat today

Quote:

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On my husband's ash urn
I hang his rakusu
winter's first rain

---

Oh wow, that is very powerful. Thank you, and thanks for the reminder of your recommend reading list, Kokuu!

Gassho,

Neil

StLah

Thank you Kokuu.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

Just a quick note to say that I downloaded and started Betty Drevniok's book 'aware - a haiku primer' as recommended by Kokuu

- http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/om...808f89a94d.pdf

I'm finding her guide to writing really useful, especially the idea of a haiku log book which we use to record the moment and return to when we start writing.

Gassho,

Neil

StLah

I've just received my copy of A White Tea Bowl. Love it already!

Gassho,

Neil

StLah

Quote:

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I've just received my copy of A White Tea Bowl. Love it already!

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Wonderful!

Gassho
Kokuu