Temple Tanjo-Ji

autumn deepens - the unfettered beauty of this Amida temple autumn deepens - the beauty of prayer in stone DRAGON BRANCHES Amida Buddha

LOOK
Temple Tanjo-Ji, ALBUM November 2007

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Temple Tanjo-Ji in my neighbourhood
Temple Tanjo-Ji in Okayama
Saint Honen was born here !


Saint Honen, born at this temple ..
by Gabi Greve


Joodo Paradise where we meet again ..


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***** pickled radish, takuanzuke 沢庵漬
kigo for all winter

..... Takuan was a famous Zen Priest, who invented this dish. It is very popular. Zen monks are supposed to eat their slices of Takuan radish without making any noise. There are usually two slices on the plate, used to carefully clear out the bolws afer eating and then munching the Takuan in silence.
If you want to know the secret of eating Takuan in silence, contact me :o) !

The Unfettered Mind. by Takuan Soho



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suspended leaf

like this leaf suspended in mid-air - namu amida butsu 一枚の落ち葉のごとし南無阿弥陀 南無阿弥陀仏

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南無阿弥陀仏
Namu Amida Butsu, the Amida Prayer



Click on the leaf !

It must have been caught in some spiders net, but as you can see, it is clearly FREE !


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Persimmon Hiroshige

persimmon tree - Hiroshige hangs in the branches

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. Hiroshige Ki 広重忌 Hiroshige Memorial Day .


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in the distance

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early winter morning
somewhere in the distance
my husband still snores ...




Translation from Sakuo Nakamura

初冬朝
どこか遠くで
背のいびき

shotoo asa
dokoka tooku de
se no ibiki


Explanation of SE as Husband
Japanese


Thank you, Sakuo san!


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River Crossing

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女一人僧一人雪の渡し哉
onna hitori soo hitori yuki no watashi kana

one woman
one monk - river crossing
in the snow

Naitoo Meisetsu 内藤鳴雪
Tr. Gabi Greve



This reminds me of the Zen story

Monk carrying Woman across the River

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out.
"Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied,
"I set her down on the other side,
while you are still carrying her."

Zen Stories


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From a discussion about haiku


a friend remarked :

..... the 'form/ technique' are the banks
that allow the river to flow.
The river could be the poem/ the creation/ the spirit.


Gabi wrote

I like the image of a river, that whirls and swirls ...
but in the end, if it looses its "banks",
ends up in the ocean of "short form poetry".



And we exchanged some quotes:



Creativity is the art of taking a fresh look at old knowledge

John E. Arnold





No man ever steps in the same river twice,
for it's not the same river
and he's not the same man.

Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535 – c. 475 BCE)


. Joys of Japan - 2012 .


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. Koan and Haiku 公案と俳句 .


Read more of my Musings about ZEN and Haiku


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Day Moon

day moon - the clock has stopped ticking day moon - he looks for satori in the "wrong" direction

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For a friend at the Zen Temple Sogen-Ji (Soogen-Ji 曹源寺) in Okayama.

Morning Dewdrops of the Mind

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satori, Japanese for what is usually translated as "enlightenment in Zen".
I find the word .. enlightenment .. too long here in the haiku, it disturbs the smooth reading for me, so I use the Japanese.


.......................... Comments

I wondered if the quotes add anything, although it's occurring to me that maybe it's a way to point out that "wrong" is sometimes a matter of perception...


Gabi

indeed, "right" and "wrong" ... they should be in quotation marks at any time ! to make us humans stop and remember who made these decisions ... grin ...


Is the sunshine right or wrong ?
Is the moonshine right or wrong ?


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My bits and pieces about
ZEN and HAIKU



More of your ECHOS are here
Nature Echoes Haiku Series
Robert Wilson and Vaughn Seward


cold winter wind
passing through
the day moon

etsuko yanagibori



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day moon --
a passing eagle blocks
my observation

Caxton Okoth, Nairobi


MORE
. Day Moon - Kenya June 2012 .


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autumn walk

大垪和や　棚田の夕日　ココにある My Home Ohaga ! sunset in the rice terraces all here

Look at my OHAGA Sunset !

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Read my Haiku Archives 2007


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spider sunbeams

aki fukashi　秋深し autumn deepens - my spider still weaves sunbeams

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I have been observing HIM for quite a few weeks now, hanging in mid-air down from the roof. It must be a HIM, withstanding some rather strong gales and the first frost this morning ...



Read my SPIDER Haiku 2007


Spiders ... (kumo, Japan) Spider web, Cob web. Spinne

Autumn deepens (aki fukashi) Japan.
Basho's famous haiku translations



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autumn clouds

Harbour Tower Harbour Tower - autumn crowds enjoying autumn clouds

© PHOTO : Junichi Kai

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Enjoy some great CLOUD photos !
雲の情景 -Cloudscape Fukuoka- by Junichi Kai


A friend wrote me she was going to enjoy the "Kyoto Crowds" in autumn now. This inspired me to the haiku about CROWDS and CLOUDS, both pronounced the same in Japanese.
Googeling for a photo, I found the beatuful one by Junichi Kai.
The tower is in Hakata Port.



Clouds (kumo) and Haiku


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winter shadows

winter shadows - my glass is still half full

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After writing this haiku I checked a bit about Issa and his "lot in life"

My Life, my fate (mi no ue)

Take your time to explore Issa !



Read my SHADOW Haiku from 2007



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Diary

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dear diary -

I write my haiku

just for YOU



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Haiku wa nikki no bungaku.
NHK Haiku, Yasuda Yoo 安原葉, November 2007

Haiku is the literature of diaries.

Haiku is a diary in literature form.




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first frost haiga

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Haiku and arrangement by Billie, Photo by Gabi.


Kiku Makura
Billie Dee



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counting shadows

clear water of autumn - counting shadows counting fish

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Join me on a slide show of Lake Okutsu .
(36 photos)
Slide Show, take your time to enjoy!



Water clears (mizu sumu) Water in Autumn (aki no mizu)


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Gabi
the first haiku in particular is just wonderful!
I couldn't resist sharing it with my esperantist friends:


aŭtuna lumo klara
nombranta ombrojn
nombranta fiŝojn

tr. Darlington

Hajko en Esperanto

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different faces

autumn walk ... each leaf shows a different face

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autumn quilt

autumn colors - I remember mother's favorite quilt ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo

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. Autumn Leaves (momiji, kooyoo 紅葉)
yellow leaves, colored leaves


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