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Ryōkan Quotes

d. 1831 Japan

Ryōkan (1758–1831) was an eccentric Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived in Echigo, Japan, as a hermit, most famous for his poetry and calligraphy.

Japan
Poets

Also known as: Ryokan

Random Ryōkan quote

17 quotes

In the scenery of spring,
nothing is better, nothing worse;
The flowering branches are
of themselves, some short, some long.

Haiku : Spring (1950)

In this dream world
We doze
And talk of dreams —
Dream, dream on,
As much as you wish

Lust for Enlightenment : Buddhism and Sex (1990)

The thief left it behind:
the moon
at my window.

The water of the valley stream
Never shouts at the tainted world: “Purify yourself!”
But naturally, as it is,
Shows how it is done.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

You must rise above
The gloomy clouds
Covering the mountaintop
Otherwise, how will you
Ever see the brightness?

Lust for Enlightenment : Buddhism and Sex (1990)

I take these words as an admonition to myself.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

I have nothing to report, my friends.
If you want to find the meaning,
Stop chasing after so many things.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

Cling to truth and it turns into falsehood. Understand falsehood and it turns into truth. Truth and falsehood are two sides of the same coin. Neither accept one nor reject the other.

Easily moved by beauty—such is my nature.
I take a few phrases
and they just turn into poems

When you encounter those who are wicked, unrighteous, foolish, dim-witted, deformed, vicious, chronically ill, lonely, unfortunate, or disabled, you should think: “How can I save them?”

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

Who says my poems are poems?
My poems are not poems.
When you know that my poems are not poems,
Then we can speak of poetry.

Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf : Zen Poems of Ryokan (1993)

Why do you so earnestly seek the truth in distant places?
Look for delusion and truth in the bottom of your own hearts.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

Late at night, listening to the winter rain
Recalling my youth —
Was it only a dream? Was I really young once?

The village has disappeared in the evening mist
And the path is hard to follow.
Walking through the pines,
I return to my lonely hut.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

The winds gives me
Enough fallen leaves
To make a fire

Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf : Zen Poems of Ryokan (1993)

The rain has stopped, the clouds have drifted away, and the weather is clear again.
If your heart is pure, then all things in your world are pure.
Abandon this fleeting world, abandon yourself,
Then the moon and flowers will guide you along the Way.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

This world
A fading
Mountain echo
Void and
Unreal

Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf : Zen Poems of Ryokan (1993)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Ryōkan (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.