English Original
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
禪宗花園
沒有什麼花草石塊
是脫穎而出
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
禅宗花园
没有什么花草石块
是脱颖而出
Bio Sketch
Robert Epstein, a psychologist and haiku poet/anthologist, lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has edited four anthologies: The Breath of Surrender; Dreams Wander On; The Temple Bell Stops; and Now This. He has written two books of haiku: A Walk Around Spring Lake; and Checkout Time is Noon, as well as a chapbook titled, What My Niece Said in His Head: Haiku and Senryu
Juxtaposed with religiously rich and visually and emotionally evocative scene-cum-theme setting L1, "zen" "garden," the observation/remark of Ls 2&3 is layered with multiple meanings, such as ...
ReplyDeleteI secular/amateur viewpoint: nothing beautiful or attractive
2 Zen/connoisseur viewpoint: everything in harmony/balance
And it might be interesting to do a thematic comparison reading of the following haiku:
zen garden
a thought circulates
around the stone
cattails, January 2015
Maria Tomczak
FYI: A "Zen garden is intended for relaxation, meditation and contemplation. A special place is given to every plant, rock and the sand in an effort to create harmony, tranquility and balance. Nature is represented from a minimalistic point of view."