Zen in Ten: Sipping Tea, Embodying Peace
Bashō's Haiku & Zen Practice
“The Priest and Chrysanthemum Flowers”1
Drinking his morning tea
The priest is peaceful—
Chrysanthemum Flowers.
“The first two segments of this poem are in apposition to the third. The peace of the priest drinking his morning tea is the peace of the chrysanthemums.”
Although there are many words that Bashō could have used to mean ‘priest,’ he uses sō, which translates as “‘sangha, the third of the Three Treasures of Buddhism, and its usage to mean ‘priest’ echoes the old interpretation of the sangha as the community of ordained disciples who gathered about the Buddha. Bashō presents the person with black robes and shaved head as a treasure of Buddha nature.”
“Tea drinking is traditionally an act of peace, and I think Bashō is saying the priest settles into his original place of peace as he drinks his tea. The priest truly manifests as priest as he drinks his tea.”
“The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the imperial house of Japan and is idealized as the symbol of purity. The presence of chrysanthemums in apposition to the priest reinforces the quality of aesthetic purity in his act of drinking tea.”
“Here’s another haiku by Bashō on chrysanthemums:”
White chrysanthemums;
Not a speck of dust
To meet the eye.
“For Zen students, this [poem above] is reminiscent of the expression often used by their teachers: ‘Not a bit of cloud in the empty sky meets my eye.’ It is shunyata, the void, experienced at the deepest human level.”
“Purity should be understood as an attitude that rises from realization of that which is neither stained nor pure. It is an attitude and not a fixation. . . Purity and serenity in the environment inspire the realization of essential purity and serenity within. The Buddha on the altar, the neatness and cleanness of the dojo, flowers, pictures, incense, and other adjuncts of our practice all contribute to this realization.”
“The priest endeavors to express inner realization and serenity in the context of temple life. The lay person endeavors to express inner realization and serenity in the context of the home and job—as homemaker, schoolteacher, attorney, or whatever. Sometimes there are in-between categories, like haiku poets of Bashō's day who wore Zen Buddhist robes but entered temples only as visitors.”
“Beyond purity, serenity, and a dignified demeanor, the aesthetic dimension is essential to true practice:”
The fragrance of chrysanthemums
At Nara:
Many ancient Buddhas.
“Drinking tea or coffee, standing up or sitting down, there is not a speck of dust to be seen.”
Aitken, Robert. A Zen Wave: Bashō's Haiku & Zen. Weatherhill Inc., New York, 1996.
All quotes above are from Aitken Roshi’s book.