One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan

by John Stevens

The hermit-monk Ryokan, long beloved in Japan both for his poetry and for his character, belongs in the tradition of the great Zen eccentrics of China and Japan. His reclusive life and celebration of nature and the natural life also bring to mind his younger American contemporary, Thoreau. Ryokan's poetry is that of the mature Zen master, its deceptive simplicity revealing an art that surpasses artifice. Although Ryokan was born in eighteenth-century Japan, his extraordinary poems, capturing in a few luminous phrases both the beauty and the pathos of human life, reach far beyond time and place to touch the springs of humanity.

Genres: Poetry, Buddhism, Zen, Japan, Japanese Literature, Spirituality, Religion

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Stevens (1947- ) is a Buddhist priest and Aikido teacher.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry... Since last year I’ve read poems from Asia and have grown fond of these beautiful writings. This is a collection poems of Ryokan, a famous 18th century hermit-monk and Zen-buddhist, living in poverty and simplity in a hut in the Japanese mountains. His poety is charming and simple, wonderfully beautiful I find... He wrote many styles –classical Chinese, haiku, waka, folk songs and Man’yo style poems. Most of the poems are concerned with Ryokan’s daily life – begging for his food, playing with the children, visiting local farmers, walking through the fields and hills, drinking sake ;-) and describing the seasons and his moods, often melancholy. I especially liked the Waka and Haiku poems.

‘Twilight – the only conversation
on this hill
Is the wind blowing through the pines’…

‘As I watch the children happily playing,
Without realizing it,
My eyes fill with tears.'

He must have been a special person and his poems beautiful. This booklet gave me some wonderful peace of mind in busy turbulent life…Truly recommended, close to five stars.

[Peycho Kanev · Rating 5 out of 5]

IF THERE is beauty, there must be ugliness;
If there is right, there must be wrong.
Wisdom and ignorance are complementary,
And illusion and enlightenment cannot be separated.
This is an old truth, don’t think it was discovered recently.
“I want this, I want that”
Is nothing but foolishness.
I’ll tell you a secret—
“All things are impermanent!”

ALONE, wandering through the mountains,
I come across an abandoned hermitage.
The walls have crumbled, and there is only a path for foxes and rabbits.
The well, next to an ancient bamboo grove, is dry.
Spider webs cover a forgotten book of poems that lies beneath a window.
Dust is piled on the floor,
The stairway is completely hidden by the wild fall grasses.
Crickets, disturbed by my unexpected visit, shriek.
Looking up, I see the setting sun—unbearable loneliness.

WHO SAYS my poems are poems?
My poems are not poems.
After you know my poems are not poems,
Then we can begin to discuss poetry!

MY HUT lies in the middle of a dense forest;
Every year the green ivy grows longer.
No news of the affairs of men,
Only the occasional song of a woodcutter.
The sun shines and I mend my robe;
When the moon comes out I read Buddhist poems.
I have nothing to report, my friends.
If you want to find the meaning, stop chasing after so many things.

EARLY summer—floating down a clear running river in a wooden boat,
A lovely girl gently plays with a crimson lotus flower held in her white hands.
The day becomes more and more brilliant.
Young men play along the shore
And a horse runs by the willows.
Watching quietly, speaking to no one,
The beautiful girl does not show that her heart is broken.

THE THIEF left it behind—
the moon
At the window.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

IF THERE is beauty, there must be ugliness;
If there is right, there must be wrong.
Wisdom and ignorance are complementary,
And illusion and enlightenment cannot be separated.
This is an old truth, don’t think it was discovered recently.
“I want this, I want that”
Is nothing but foolishness.
I’ll tell you a secret—
“All things are impermanent!”

July 31, 2021

[Irene Jurna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryokan’s zen is doordrenkt van no-mind (mushin) en vergankelijkheid (mujo); vaak besprenkeld met maanlicht, stilte of sake.

Zijn gedichten zijn doorleefd en voelen daardoor dichtbij. Ik zie Ryokan alleen in zijn besneeuwde berghut, luisterend naar het geluid van de waterval.

Toen ik een van zijn gedichtjes deelde met een vriendin, reageerde zij enkel met: ‘Life is that simple’. De perfecte samenvatting van deze pure en vreugdevolle dichtbundel.

-

“If your hermitage is deep in the mountains
surely the moon, flowers and momiji*
Will become your friends.”

*Japanse esdoorn

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some that I especially loved:

"How can we ever lose interest in life?
Spring has come again
And cherry trees bloom in the mountains.

I came to this village to see the peach blossoms
but spent the day instead
Looking at the flowers along the river bank.

Summer evening - the voice of a hototogisu
rises from the mountains
As I dream of the ancient poets.

The willows are in full bloom!
I want to pile up the blossoms
Like mountain snow.

When it is evening, please come to my hut
to listen to the insects sing;
I will also introduce you to the autumn fields.

From today the nights turn colder -
I sew my tattered robe,
The autumn insects cry.

Midautumn - the mountains are crimson
and the sake and ink are ready,
But still no visitors.

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

Thinking about the people in this floating world
far into the night -
My sleeve is wet with tears.

The thief left it behind -
the moon
At the window.

O, that my priest's robe were wide enough
to gather all the suffering people
In this floating world.

Months pass, days pile up,
like one intoxicated dream -
An old man sighs."

[Jessaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful poet by a man who lived a very humble life. Ryokan was an 18th century hermit-monk who came from the village of Izumozaki in Echigo province of Japan. While his youth was serene, when he was 18, he succeeded his father as the village headman. This job was filled with many conflicts, something that Ryokan disliked immensely for he hated contention. At some point during this time he reached a spiritual crisis and withdrew into silence. It was then that he decided to become a Buddhist monk and entered Kosho-ji monastery.

Four years later a Zen priest known as Kokusen visited the monastery, and Ryokan decided become his student and so left the monastery with him. A few years later Kokusen died, and so Ryokan left the monastery and went on pilgrimages. After a time he decided to go back to his former monastery but on the way there he found an empty hermitage where he took up residence.

Ryokan often went to a neighboring village where he played with the children, picked flowers, drank sake and visited with friends. He preached though his own actions and not through words. When his health began to fail he went to live with his disciple Kimur Motoemon, and it was there that he met a nun name Teishin, whom he fell in love with and who he wrote about in some of his poems. To her he wrote:

Have you forgotten the
way to my hut?
Every evening I wait
for the sound of your
footsteps,
But you do not appear."

Here are some various poems that I loved:

"I came to the village to
see the peach blossoms
but spent the day
instead
Looking at the flowers
along the river bank."

"In my bowl
violets and
dandelions are mixed
Together with the
Buddhas of the three
worlds."

"Light rain--the mountain
forest is wrapped in mist.
Slowly the fog changes to
clouds and haze.
Along the boundless river
bank, many crows.
I walk to a hill overlooking
the valley to sit in zazen."



Statue of Ryokan at the Ryūsen-ji temple in Nagaoka, Niigata Japan

[Thaisa Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thief left it behind--
the mon
At the window.

This is Ryokan's most famous haiku. Perhaps because he is the true thief,the secret thief. He has literally stolen the moon, given it to us outside the window so we see it as direct experience. However, Rokan's ability to create direct experience and to use language transparently to give us *the thing itself* is apparent in all these poems. They are precise descriptions of moments and emotions that always give the reader room to experience the event as though they are right in the midst of 18th century Japan. And becuse Ryokan is always personal and direct--without ever being confessional--they give us a clear sense of a particular man, as well as a door into universal experience. We experience his life in his hermitage, his being drnk on sake, his loss of a friend, and his bouts of inebriation (supposedly reserved for his trips to the villages--although it's hard to imagine Ryokan alone in his winter hermitage without sake.)

Postmdoernist thought never eluded Ryokan.

"Who says my poems are poems?
My poems are not poems.
After you now my poems are not poems,
Then we can begin to discuss poetry!:

For people who love poetry, haiku, language as a door to direct experience, as well as people who are interested in Japan and in Zen. Few people I can think of will not find something of value in this collection of poems by John Stevens.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Not much to offer you
Just a lotus flower, floating
In a small jar of water.” p. 65

This is the last book that I have to read for my Book Riot challenge. I haven’t done a challenge in years and when I discovered this one in May, I thought I could manage it. There were twenty-four categories and I read many of them regularly. It was no hardship for me to read a romance, a guilty pleasure, an audiobook, short stories or a YA novel. It turned out that reading poetry was a no brainer also. I used three books of poetry for the challenge.

One Robe, One Bowl has been sitting on my TBA shelf for a long time. I don’t remember how I encountered it, but I am very glad that I took the time to read it. Most of the poems are short, many are haiku. Almost all of them are thought-provoking and worth several rereads. I will be revisiting this small volume on a regular basis.

I know that lots of people think they don’t like poetry. I know that school almost completely drummed any interest out of me. However, as an adult, I have found many poems that speak to me. This collection includes some of those. Even if you don’t read Ryokan, try to find a poem or two that says something to you about life, love or nature.

“My heart beats faster and faster
and I cannot sleep.
Tomorrow will be the first day of spring!” p. 73

[Jan van Leent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This translation and introduction by John Stevens is highly recommended for its beauty. It is also a marvellous introduction to the way of living of the Japanese hermit-monk Ryokan

One example: after returning to his small hut - metaphor for clinging to his earthly ego? - Ryokan noticed that all was gone, he composed the haiku:

The thief left behind
the moon
At the window.

Another translation of this haiku:

The thief leaves behind,
the ever changeful Moon
at the firmament

Moon is often used to refer to Tao; it also indicates the firm belief of Ryokan.

[Raven]

"How can we ever lose interest in life?/
Spring has come again/
And cherry trees bloom in the mountains."

"The willows are in full bloom!/
I want to pile up the blossoms/
Like mountain snow."

"The thief left it behind -/
the moon/
At the window."

[Samuel Bigglesworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My hut lies in the middle of a dense forest
Every year, the green ivy grows longer
No news of the affairs of men,
Only the occasional song of a woodcutter
The sun shines and I mend my robe;
When the moon comes out I read Buddhist poems
I have nothing to report, my friends
If you want to find meaning, stop chasing after so many things

- One robe, one bowl, Ryokan

[Mark Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a simple Ryokan book that puts the emphasis on the poetry with simple language (as in the original) and minimal annotation, this is probably your best bet. I like the translation a tad better in "Great Fool: Zen Master Ryōkan; Poems, Letters, and Other Writings" but it's excellent here, too, and this book is easier to read.

I prefer Zen poetry over most other styles because each poem captures a moment in time like a photograph. It makes me slow down and notice things in my own life. Ryokan is a joy. Sure, he is often lonely and sometimes drinks to excess, but he loves playing ball with the village children, his heart aches at the world's suffering, and he has no patience for organized religion. And nature, he loves being in nature.

Here are two of his poems that give a good feel for the book and translation:

Fresh morning snow in front of the shrine.
The trees! Are they white with peach blossoms
Or white with snow?
The children and I joyfully throw snowballs.

And:
The thief left it behind --
the moon
at the window

[Eduard Barbu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Zen monk Ryokan (the good and the generous one) wrote one of the most beautiful poems I've ever read. Deceptively simple, yet profound, Ryokan's poems are the fruit of contemplative experience. Here is one: "What will remain as my legacy? Flowers in the spring. The hototogisu in summer, and the crimson leaves of autumn. ". And here is another one: "No answer I give, only a deep bow; Even if I replied, they would not understand. Look around! There is nothing besides this. "
Most of the poems are about nature, which reflects the monk's state of mind. Elements of the Buddhist doctrine (Soto Zen flavor), in particular, the impermanence also features prominently. There are often, even in the wisest souls, pockets of human desolation, loneliness, and despair: "Traveling to a distant country accompanied by a hototogisu, and thoughts of sadness of this world."
Great book!

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, Ryokan's work is the pinnacle of Japanese poetry. The simplicity of his writing is masterful, completely free from artifice or pretension.

Here Ryokan pieces together fragments of his life and daily experience into a set of deeply moving poems. Ryokan describes the deprivation and loneliness he endures as a buddhist hermit-monk living in a hut on a mountain side. He goes hungry and watches his store of firewood run out as he longs for visitors in the freezing winter months.

Does Ryokan wish for an easier life, perhaps running a temple like Basho and other famous Zen monks? Not at all. This book serves as a beautiful affirmation of Ryokan's deep conviction that no other path in life would be for him.

[Mmars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryokan honestly expresses the feelings of hermitage. The satisfaction of solace in nature but also the loneliness. The harshness of winter and the joys of summer. The sadness of a friend not visiting and unexpected moments of enlightenment.

This is a contemplative collection that extols both wisdom and humility and explores a broad spectrum of emotion and wonder.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always reading this wonderful one!

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most soothing things I've ever read.

[Ryan Acosta-Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryōkan is a gift.

[Anu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryokan is a Zen master that is beloved, controversial and a maverick, all at the same time. The book has some commentary on his life in the first section but most of the book is populated with his poems - Chinese poems, waka, haiku, tanka and some free verse.

Each form is written simply, clearly and elicits a pang of sorrow or a rapture of delight or sometimes both. As a Zen practitioner, Ryokan rejected the artifice and hypocrisy of Zen monks that led lives of excess while preaching Zen. I get it - even as a child, I often wondered after reading the scriptures why Hindu priests claimed any form of moral or spiritual high ground when their lives were often even more steeped in banalities and luxuries of the common day, causing them to employ ridiculous excuses for their hypocrisy (do as I say, not as I do) Ryokan also preferred the company of children and books over those of adults, often spending his time playing with kids or reading and writing. I also get this - I’m often the person at parties hanging out with kids and pets, or digging for any sort of book the host might have left outside.

Ryokan never took on an Abbott role anywhere and lived almost all of his life in a derelict cabin at the foot of a mountain or close to a monastery, begging for his daily food. The poems capture the essence of his monastic life in simple elegance and profundity. Fantastic introduction to Ryokan.

[Joseph Knecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

W HO SAYS my poems are poems? My poems are not poems. After you know my poems are not poems, Then we can begin to discuss poetry!

IF THERE is beauty, there must be ugliness; If there is right, there must be wrong. Wisdom and ignorance are complementary, And illusion and enlightenment cannot be separated. This is an old truth, don’t think it was discovered recently. “I want this, I want that” Is nothing but foolishness. I’ll tell you a secret— “All things are impermanent!”

I N THE entire ten quarters of the Buddha land There is only one vehicle. When we see clearly, there is no difference in all the teachings. What is there to lose? What is there to gain? If we gain something, it was there from the beginning. If we lose anything, it is hidden nearby.

I F YOU speak delusions, everything becomes a delusion; If you speak the truth, everything becomes the truth. Outside the truth there is no delusion, But outside delusion there is no special truth.

[Sophie Jin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Fool has my whole heart.

Something special about Ryōkan (beyond the fact he's quite modern for zen poetry) is that he speaks prolifically of the isolation associated with detachment of the physical world. I do wonder if this is more a function of his native Prefecture (being one of the most cold and harsh places in Japan) or even ways of living (around the 1800s). But he speaks frequently of poor health, loneliness, ("I long to walk with another who has left the world far behind but no one comes") the ailments he has due to the environment.

Lovingly, he embodies the nature of a fool, someone that values as predecessor Tao Yuanming says, "nothing is more that simple hearted contentment."

[J. Wootton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great delight to read these meditations and step through them into a life so completely different from my own. Ryōkan's long-practiced discipline of inner calm and attentive openness to the peaceful notes in the outer world get through, even in translation, which often has to choose between retaining rhythm or preserving shades of meaning.

I will enjoy revisiting this collection, and with it, the woodsy hermitage and ascetic life Ryōkan put before my mind's eye.

[Rosa Frei · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book ‘One Robe, One Bowl’ contains a beautiful collection of poems by Ryokan, one of the most famous Japanese poets and Soto Zen buddhist monk. The poems give insight into the simple life of this hermit monk. The simplicity of his poems of nature in conjunction of human nature touches the reader in the very heart of his being. A jewel in the world of poetry.

[Fran Spellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryokan was a zen hermit monk in Japan who lived in the mid 1700-1800's and was/is a beloved monk known for his lovely poetry/haikus. Few words w/deep meaning in each of his poems this is a book that will remain at bedside to read each evening. Each word restores the soul: O, that my priest's robe were wide enough to gather up all the suffering people In this floating world. Ryokan.

[J D · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there is beauty, there must be ugliness;
If there is right, there must be wrong.
Wisdom and ignorance are complementary,
And illusion and enlightenment cannot be separated.

This is an old truth, don't think it was discovered recently.
I want this, I want that
Is nothing but foolishness.
I'll tell you a secret -
All things are impermanent!

[Aaron Erhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryokan's translated poetry was like flipping through a thoughtful postcard book. Cute & lovely musings on solitude, nature, entertaining children & people, and drinking.
Unlike Charles Bukowski's selected dreck in "Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame," this collection of Ryokan's work was welcome & friendly. The repetition barely annoying.

[Lee Millard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can read this book again and again and the enjoyment never fades

I love the humanity and emotions of this collection. It is so well translated and interpreted. I feel as the ugh I am there with Ryokan. As if we are friends.

[Gonpo Dorje · Rating 1 out of 5]

One one

To give no stars is the impossible ultimate rate.
To read this from cover to cover in one sitting, the story of a life unfolds.
One aging hermit sitting in his hut reading one old hermits rantings brings all to be one

[Senthil Ganesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main takeaway from this little poetry collection is that by living close to nature with minimal needs /material desires, one could find a transformative path to salvation.

I found some of the poems to be repetitive in their underlying theme though.

[monk · Rating 4 out of 5]

It definitely talks about both the essence and anguish and solitude. I think it also shows a great perspective on somebody who doesn’t have industrial spirits. Although by the metrics of the world, he is losing, for him, he is living.