“Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo. And in doing so, you must leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself... However well phrased your poetry may be, if your feeling is not natural – if the object and yourself are separate – then your poetry is not true poetry but your subjective counterfeit.”
~Basho
This lovely Basho quote comes in the book pay attention: a river of stones edited by Fiona Robyn & Kaspalita. Their effort began on the internet, on the site a river of stones.
The book is now available in paperback and hard cover, and is a delight to read. Many people across the globe contributed their 'small stone' writing pieces, yours truly included. It is a marvel to see how people observe the world when they are paying attention. It reminds me of the wooden bell at Tassajara Zen Retreat that says, "Wake Up!" When I first laid eyes upon that sign I thought, "Whoa. That's a mouthful. A mindful." And then, "Are you talkin' to me?" in my most uncanny imitation of Travis Bickle.
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| Wake up? Me? |
