"In this, his final work, American senior Zen Roshi Robert Aitken lovingly ties together two threads, Zen practice and haiku." --Spirituality & HealthKnown to many as the study of quiet stillness and introspection, Zen Buddhism distinguishes itself through brilliant flashes of insight and its terseness of expression.
It is a book where the author joyfully calls each of us as readers to share in the transcendent joys of haiku." --Juxtapositions"Aitken mines the meanings in these brief gems about nature, impermanence, travel, awareness, silence, beauty, being present, the turn of the seasons, and much more." --Spirituality & Practice.
Readers are certain to find this an invaluable and enjoyable experience for the remarkable revelation it offers."I am grateful for Robert Aitken\'s enthusiastic sharing of poems in The River of Heaven, together with his rich personal and cultural perspectives.
In presenting themes from Haiku and from Zen literature, Aitken illuminates the relationship between the two.
In Haiku as in Buddhism, the silences are as expressive as the words.
In this volume, American Senior Zen Roshi Robert Aitken gives new insight into Haiku by poetic masters Basho, Issa, Buson, and Shiki.
The Haiku verse form, with its rigid structure and organic description is a superb means of studying Zen modes of thought because its seventeen syllables impose a limitation that confines the poet to vital experience.
In River of Heaven these concepts and pillars lend themselves to an exploration of Haiku, one of the most delicate and interpretive poetic forms in the world. "In this, his final work, American senior Zen Roshi Robert Aitken lovingly ties together two threads, Zen practice and haiku." --Spirituality & HealthKnown to many as the study of quiet stillness and introspection, Zen Buddhism distinguishes itself through brilliant flashes of insight and its terseness of expression
