The flower invites the butterfly with no-mind; The butterfl… - Ryōkan

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The flower invites the butterfly with no-mind;
The butterfly visits the flower with no-mind.
The flower opens, the butterfly comes;
The butterfly comes, the flower opens.
I don't know others,
Others don't know me.
By not-knowing we follow nature's course

Ryōkan

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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

All quotes from Ryōkan Similar Quotes by other Originators

Originators like Ryōkan:

Mary Oliver Robert Frost Rabindranath Tagore William Butler Yeats William Stafford

Additional quotes by Ryōkan

How can we ever lose interest in life? Spring has come again
And cherry trees bloom in the mountains.

This world A fading Mountain echo Void and Unreal

Who says my poems are poems? My poems are not poems. When you know that my poems are not poems, Then we can speak of poetry.

The flower invites the butterfly with no-mind; The butterfly visits the flower with no-mind. The flower opens, the butterfly comes; The butterfly com… - Ryōkan

About Ryōkan

Also Known As

Additional quotes by Ryōkan