Zen the mind always flows. When Basho experienced the flowing mind he experienced the non attachment of mind. The flowing mind, is the Zen itself.
6. Zen reflected through imageries and ontological
metaphor in Basho’s cherry trees poem
In this poem, the cherry trees appear as an visual imagery and as a metaphor of the constant changing. This poem conveys how Basho experienced
the changing nature, when he saw cherry blossom turns into blossom dust. He lived intimately with nature, In Japanese terminology Basho lived in the style of
Sabi or live in wild nature with simpleness even poorness Suzuki, 1988: 24. With highest sense he saw much of the changing in age 47. When he felt it
as he wrote the cherry trees Haiku, he wrote about the circle of death and life existence. In the Zen Buddhism this state is called experience of things that is
impermanent Suzuki, 1988: 6. There is nothing stand still forever. The cherry trees never exist forever as trees, the cherry trees blossom
become the blossom dust, and the blossom dust fertilizes the cherry trees, nothing stays the same, but it always changes, the mind is never be the same, and there is
the impermanent, Basho experienced the impermanent condition of things, when he experiences this, he experiences Zen, the circle of changes.
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CHAPTER V CONCLUSION
This thesis begins with assumption that Haiku of Basho, has a particular relation to Zen Buddhism. Poem and philosophy are related. They have a relation
of how they construct humankind. The Basho’s frog poem that is written in spring 1686, describes the frog
jumped into the pond as the visual imagery. and the plup sound as the auditory imagery of water sound. This poem employs ontological metaphor when frog as
metaphor for existence is moving, The existence dissapears together with the appearance of the sound. The experience of dissappearance of the existence is an
enlightenment, according to Zen. The meaning of the Haiku is the experience of satori, or Zen enlightenment. This poem conveys the Zen idea of enlightenment.
The prostitutes poem is made in spring 1689, when Basho took a rest in the north side of Japan. He took a rest, in the road of Oku. He saw the flowering
bush clover was lightened under the moon. It was the scenery of the gentle side of Japan. The prostitues, the bush clover and the moon are the visual imagery of this
poem. He felt that It was the gentle night in Japan. Close to him, there was the house of prostitutesa poem about sleeping prostitutes. The Haiku employs
ontological metaphor by viewing prostitute as metaphor of existence, and the roof as a law of nature that is changes. The meaning of the Haiku is that the existence
always changes. This poem is conveyed the Zen idea of impermanent nature of things.
