Too lazy to be ambitious, I let the world take care of itse… - Ryōkan

" "
Too lazy to be ambitious,
I let the world take care of itself.
Ten days' worth of rice in my bag;
a bundle of twigs by the fireplace.
Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment?
Listening to the night rain on my roof,
I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out.

Ryōkan

poetry poems buddhism buddhist hermit philosophy japan monk ryokan seers zen zen-monk poem philosophers japanese

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About Ryōkan

Ryōkan (1758–1831) was an eccentric Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived in Echigo, Japan, as a hermit, most famous for his poetry and calligraphy.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Alternative Names: Ryokan • Ryoukan

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Mary Oliver Robert Frost Rabindranath Tagore William Butler Yeats William Stafford

Additional quotes by Ryōkan

How could we discuss
this and that
without knowing
the whole world is
reflected in a single pearl?

Cling to truth and it turns into falsehood. Understand falsehood and it turns into truth. Truth and falsehood are two sides of the same coin. Neither accept one nor reject the other.

Pourquoi me sentirais-je
Dans le besoin ?
Devant ma porte de broussailles,
La lune est là,
Les fleurs sont là.

Too lazy to be ambitious, I let the world take care of itself. Ten days' worth of rice in my bag; a bundle of twigs by the fireplace. Why chatter abo… - Ryōkan

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