Basho, Robert Aitken and Haiku 9

In chapter 24, Robert Aitken catches my attention with two requirements in one modest sentence;

“When we have no reminders of our timeless nature, and (emphasis mine, BS) and when we lack punctuation in our everyday… there is no possibility of finding our way.”

Aitken further declares the imperative of nonattachment as nonsense.

And: Just the sense, just the act….

or – less cryptic: Truly to touch the mind, we need a life designed to touch it.

Familiar pointers, yes – a canon not so much.

And Aitken, again, explains Basho’s role in this; His way of design was the humble pilgrimage.

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~ by Barbara S on June 12, 2022.