Jakushitsu: Gathering Tea

<<Previous Poem | View All Poems by Jakushitsu | Next Poem >>

Gathering Tea

Jakushitsu, Jakushitsu poetry, Buddhist, Buddhist poetry, Zen / Chan poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry, poetry

by Jakushitsu
(1290 - 1367) Timeline

English version by
Arthur Braverman

Original Language
Japanese

To the branch's edge
     and the leaf's under surface
          be most attentive

Its pervasive aroma
     envelopes people far away

The realms of form and function
     can't contain it

Spring leaks profusely
     through the basket

-- from A Quiet Room: The Poetry of Zen Master Jakushitsu, Translated by Arthur Braverman

Amazon.com

Themes

Perfume

Spring Blossom

Water

Recommended Books

	A Quiet Room: The Poetry of Zen Master Jakushitsu, Translated by Arthur Braverman
	The Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader, Edited by Nelson Foster
	Zen Masterclass: A Graduated Course in Zen Wisdom from Traditional Masters, by Stephen Hodge

<<Previous Poem | More Poems by Jakushitsu | Next Poem >>

Oh, I just like this short Zen poem, don't you?

To the branch's edge
     and the leaf's under surface
          be most attentive

When gathering tea, each leaf, each branch requires patient, focused attention. Jakushitsu suggests to us the level of attention required in spiritual practice. It is the gathering of the materials from which we brew our spiritual tea.

Its pervasive aroma
     envelopes people far away

The realms of form and function
     can't contain it

The aroma of the tea, effervescent spiritual insight, is formless, pervasive... Without having any apparent substance, it somehow manages to reach people "far away," gladdening their hearts, awakening in them the craving to taste their own tea.

Tea is the distilled awakening of the life of the leaf in springtime.

Spring leaks profusely
     through the basket

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World