Saturday, January 16, 2021

Butterfly Dream: Bodhi Tree Haiku by Salil Chaturvedi

English Original

bodhi tree
not a single leaf
is still ...

The Heron’s Nest, 18:3, September 2016

Salil Chaturvedi 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

菩提樹
沒有一片葉子
是靜止不動 ...

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

菩提树
没有一片叶子
是静止不动 ...


Bio Sketch

Salil Chaturvedi lives on an island along the Mandovi River in Goa, India. He writes short fiction and poetry, and loves spending long hours in the mangroves or in the valleys of the Western Ghats. His debut collection of poetry, In the sanctuary of a poem, was released in 2017.

1 comment:

  1. At the literal level, this poem is a a "little dry shasei (sketch from life) haiku," ending with a punctuation mark (...) that provides a longer pause to ponder the meaning(s) of the haiku.

    Evaluated in the context of Buddhist literature, L1 sets the thematic context while koan-evoking/thought-provoking Ls 2&3 are effectively layered with multiple meanings, emotional, visual, and religious/spiritual... reminding me of one of my haibun about a zen story based on koan 29:

    "Whispers in the Wind"

    budding lotus
    in dappled sunlight
    her laughter

    We meet on a campus footpath after class. I’m eager to share today’s lesson with her.

    A Zen master and his disciple walk by a maple tree. The disciple notices its branches swaying gracefully in the wind, and asks, "Master, is it the branches that are moving, or the wind?" The master replies, "What is moving is neither the branches nor the wind, it is your heart and mind."

    She turns toward me, her lips curved into a soft smile.

    Philosopher's Walk
    a squirrel in the path
    looking to and fro

    Haibun Today, 6:1 March 2012.

    Notes:

    1 "The Bodhi Tree is the enormous, sacred fig tree in Bodh Gaya under which the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is said to have attained enlightenment. It often symbolizes wisdom, compassion and awareness in the Buddhist faith."

    2 The Zen story above originated from koan 29 -- Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving -- in The Gateless Gate, a collection of 48 Zen koans complied by the Chinese Zen master Wumen Hui-kai. The book was published in 1228. Various story versions of koan 29 have been widely popularized.

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