Nibbling On Asian History & Philosophy Series

 

Source: Poem by Bukkoku Kokushi (1241-1316)

 

Though not consciously trying to guard the rice fields from intruders,

The scarecrow is not after all standing to no purpose.

 

From the book Zen and Japanese Culture by Daisetz T. Suzuki (page 100)

 

 

Hermit Poet’s comments: The past is gone. How do I know which way the future is going? Focus on the present and just go about life’s activities. I find I’m most in the now and my mind is clear while working in the garden. The repetitive tasks like weeding, digging, and planting, act as moving meditation, in which nothing but the manual labor matters.

 

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