The fact that Saigyo composed a poem that begins, “I shall be unhappy without loneliness,” shows that he made loneliness his master. MATSUO BASHO BeginningLonelyMasterPoem
Sadly, I part from you; Like a clam torn from its shell, I go, and autumn too. MATSUO BASHO AutumnBreakEndLeavingRelationship
The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers. MATSUO BASHO FlowerSoundStopTemple
When your consciousness has become ripe in true zazen-pure like clear water, like a serene mountain lake, not moved by any wind-then anything may serve as a medium for realization. MATSUO BASHO ClearConsciousPurityRealizeServiceWater
Fresh spring! / The world is only Nine days old – / These fields and mountains! MATSUO BASHO AgeFreshMountainNatureSpringTimeWorld
