Moments

Here in the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic, it’s an exceptionally warm autumn. It hasn’t been long since I harvested the last of the vegetables from my small soothing garden.

Poem: after the whole day
in front of a screen
picking tomatoes

Poem: morning joys
this autumn season’s
first dewdrops

Clouds are often understood as a metaphor for hindrances through which we can’t experience our nature in more depth. And the moon is typically admired as a symbol of awakening.

I am enjoying Basho’s original, playful, and perhaps even surprising twist on the imagery of the moon, turning all these common metaphors on their head:

I can’t help but hear an invitation to relax all the ideas about practice and awakening as they too can become obstructions when taken extremely seriously. Or perhaps more generally getting some rest from shiny things, material and spiritual alike. Or maybe he simply had a good time observing people observing the moon and there’s nothing more to it!

Our vet says that bunny girls should rest on warm blankets to prevent even more health troubles. So, I’m placing blankets in their favorite places. Bringing me a chuckle with a slight hint of despair, it often turns out this way:

My copy of a Koshu’s sumi-e course handout