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Seeds From a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and The Spiritual Journey
A Zen Buddhist monk explains the value of haiku, a three-line, seventeen-syllable poem, as a writing meditation and spiritual guide and provides exercises to help readers compose their own haiku.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 5, 2017
Lovely writing, lots of examples of haiku, and suggestions for practicing the Way of Haiku.
Clark Strand's beautifully-written book on haiku is meditative and spare. It's for beginners, for sure, but I suspect it would be helpful for long-time writers of haiku.
Strand provides several "definitions" of haiku and what he calls "the Way of Haiku":
In terms of practice suggestions, there are three chapters, each entitled *Try This*, at various points in the book. Each is a helpful exercise that involves readying yourself for writing a haiku. In the first exercise, oddly, Strand suggests carrying a notebook, but never doing any writing -- just notice, offering "no resistance to what is happening inside you." Then, after the walk, you may find yourself "able to write a haiku that surpasses anything you are normally able to achieve" (152-153). In the second exercise, Strand also suggests walking without writing -- for that matter, he says to "make sure that your purpose is only to walk, to be outside in nature, and not to get somewhere. Not even to write haiku" (41-42). But in that exercise, you even more intentionally "create in your life . . . the space to write a poem," and it is inferred that you might write it at the end of that walk, or shortly thereafter. The third exercise involves writing 20-30 poems in quick succession, not thinking about whether they are good, not revising, just churning them out (98-99).
I found some significant shortcomings in Seeds from a Birch Tree, however. Clark Strand is a long-time practitioner of Zen. He lived in a Zen monastery for 12 years; it took him all 12 years to finally "pass" his first koan (a Zen test involving a sort of riddle), and then he no longer cared so he left the monastery. "I knew nothing," he says, "And so I left." (15)
Well and good. But then he discusses his own haiku writing practice:
In one of the more obnoxious parts of Seeds, Strand makes the blanket statement about those who revise their haiku:
And as far as I'm concerned, the worst offense was Strand's comparison of William Carlos Williams' most famous poem ("so much depends / upon // a red wheel / barrow // glazed with rain / water // beside the white / chickens"). His commentary: "We still notice the form too much," and
All that said, Strand has written a beautiful volume; yes, his ego shines through frequently, but that can ultimately be overlooked. For that matter, one entire (and endearing) chapter, "Snow," is a long laugh at himself and his own high-falutin' tendencies, which ends with a "joke's on me" sort of conclusion and haiku.
Clark Strand's beautifully-written book on haiku is meditative and spare. It's for beginners, for sure, but I suspect it would be helpful for long-time writers of haiku.
Strand provides several "definitions" of haiku and what he calls "the Way of Haiku":
The Way of Haiku is to return to nature. We accomplish this by letting nature back into our lives. As haiku poets, we begin simply, by carrying a notebook and walking in nature every day. Then, gradually, we learn to sketch from life. At the end of each notebook I fill with haiku, I am always struck by how much more of the world I have seen, and how much more in love with life I have become. 11And this:
A haiku is a seventeen-syllable poem about the season. Arranged in three lines of five, seven, and give syllables, and balanced on a pause, a haiku presents one event from life happening now. However much we may say about haiku, its history or its various schools, it is difficult to go beyond these three simple rules: form, season, and present mind. 18Later, he refines the first sentence:
A haiku is a seventeen-syllable poem on a subject drawn from nature. This is both the simplest explanation and the secret of the art. 87As other reviewers have noted, Strand is very traditional -- I could say rigid -- in his approach: he's quite dismissive of "haiku" that doesn't stick to the 5-7-5 syllable form or to the other rules of traditional haiku.
In terms of practice suggestions, there are three chapters, each entitled *Try This*, at various points in the book. Each is a helpful exercise that involves readying yourself for writing a haiku. In the first exercise, oddly, Strand suggests carrying a notebook, but never doing any writing -- just notice, offering "no resistance to what is happening inside you." Then, after the walk, you may find yourself "able to write a haiku that surpasses anything you are normally able to achieve" (152-153). In the second exercise, Strand also suggests walking without writing -- for that matter, he says to "make sure that your purpose is only to walk, to be outside in nature, and not to get somewhere. Not even to write haiku" (41-42). But in that exercise, you even more intentionally "create in your life . . . the space to write a poem," and it is inferred that you might write it at the end of that walk, or shortly thereafter. The third exercise involves writing 20-30 poems in quick succession, not thinking about whether they are good, not revising, just churning them out (98-99).
I found some significant shortcomings in Seeds from a Birch Tree, however. Clark Strand is a long-time practitioner of Zen. He lived in a Zen monastery for 12 years; it took him all 12 years to finally "pass" his first koan (a Zen test involving a sort of riddle), and then he no longer cared so he left the monastery. "I knew nothing," he says, "And so I left." (15)
Well and good. But then he discusses his own haiku writing practice:
For seventeen years I kept a notebook in which I recorded my best poems from each haiku diary. Every few months, I would transfer them into the book and throw the diary away. Then, one day I came home from a walk having written my first real haiku. So that night I took my precious notebook out on the back porch and burned it, without even looking at any of the poems. I simply knew that no amount or ingenuity or craft alone can make a haiku. 47Hello!?! You're so proud of yourself for seeing the absurdity and elitism of Zen practice -- 12 years to solve the first koan! -- but then you impose on yourself an even more stringent standard with haiku. Strand takes exception with the idea that haiku is an "elitist practice" (161), but he has already reinforced it with his thoroughly repeated and restated assertion that a "real" haiku is very rare and can only be accomplished by an absolute beginner or a master.
In one of the more obnoxious parts of Seeds, Strand makes the blanket statement about those who revise their haiku:
I said originally that poets who revise too much have not yet realized the unrepeatable quality of life, but they also suffer a deficiency in the quality of their relationship to the world, for that relationship loses its flexibility and vigor in the course of reworking a poem. 104Ugh. "They suffer a deficiency." Not "some of them". Not "some of the time". Not "possibly". Blanket statement: if you revise too much, you suffer a deficiency in the quality of your relationship to the world. Ugh. Double ugh (actually, that was a triple ugh, wasn't it?)
And as far as I'm concerned, the worst offense was Strand's comparison of William Carlos Williams' most famous poem ("so much depends / upon // a red wheel / barrow // glazed with rain / water // beside the white / chickens"). His commentary: "We still notice the form too much," and
Moreover, there is a certain self-consciousness to the placement of the words upon the page. Unsurprisingly, the poet also feels the need to tell us how to respond to the image. Williams didn’t do this in all of his poems . . . But on this occasion . . . he felt the need to say “so much depends upon.” 106In other words, he seems to be saying, if it ain't haiku it ain't right. What was that you were saying about elitism? I want to ask him. His ego and rigidity tired me out at times.
All that said, Strand has written a beautiful volume; yes, his ego shines through frequently, but that can ultimately be overlooked. For that matter, one entire (and endearing) chapter, "Snow," is a long laugh at himself and his own high-falutin' tendencies, which ends with a "joke's on me" sort of conclusion and haiku.
June 9, 2023
Wonderful.
June 13, 2018
Just ordered this book! My library copy is due back, and I realize I want my own copy to highlight and jot notes in.
September 9, 2021
This book, published in 1997, provides an interesting insight into Clark Strand's journey in haiku and Zen practice as he experienced and understood it back then. He believes, at least at the time of writing, that the 5-7-5 format is essential even though some of the haiku offered to illustrate this contain, in my view, too many adjectives and unnecessary words.
Those familiar with the author's work will be aware that he has since published 'Meditation without Gurus' and 'The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary' and is continuing his own journey of discovery whilst sharing what he has learned.
This book may be of interest to those who are beginning their haiku journey as well as those who are studying how the teaching of haiku outside of Japan has evolved.
Those familiar with the author's work will be aware that he has since published 'Meditation without Gurus' and 'The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary' and is continuing his own journey of discovery whilst sharing what he has learned.
This book may be of interest to those who are beginning their haiku journey as well as those who are studying how the teaching of haiku outside of Japan has evolved.
September 23, 2024
My neighbor lent this to me even though her book mark was still on page 30. There’s a lot to learn from the art of haikus. I’ve adopted it as a practice during moments when I’m waiting (for a bus or a person or event). Counting syllables is comforting in a way and you realize the world is full of things waiting to be noticed. I like the simplicity of it.
November 12, 2020
A master class in haiku. I worked through the book a chapter at a time,using it to practice writing and reading haiku. This book is going to guide and inspire me for a long time.
March 11, 2019
What a gem! I was drawn to this book after writing my memoir, Under the Birch Tree, to see, if any, parallels could be drawn. Nature, seasons, prayer, contemplation, connecting. What a perfect title to complement the Haiku Mind. This book is meant to be read over, and over again.
July 1, 2020
A Zen, philosophical take on haiku. Talks about the beauty of nature, avoiding intellectualism, warns of forcing art, and so on. Probably not for one who is just beginning to learn about haiku and want a more technical guide.
March 1, 2021
Although this book is presently out of print, watch for an updated version sometime in 2021. This is a great read for individuals interested in haiku. Haiku stories, lessons and examples, interwoven with Clark Strands personal journey with haiku.
August 18, 2019
A meditative look at haiku with many examples.
June 1, 2021
I read this at the urging of a friend. I know more about haiku and the author than I care to. It was somewhat helpful. The author offered some helpful advice and included haiku other than his own.
March 25, 2022
If you want to understand haiku mind read this wonderful book!
December 2, 2025
I am not convinced by the necessity of “spirituality” in haiku. Frankly I’m not convinced I even really know what “spirituality” means. I don’t particularly buy Strand’s insistence upon Zen and spirituality in life and in poetry, and while these things certainly have l places in writing I don’t think the two are as inseparable as he makes them out to be. Clearly here is a man who has led a tumultuous life and has found solace in this approach to the craft of writing and of poetry and of haiku, but it doesn't hold ups well in my eyes. But that's just my taste! Maybe English haiku have changed a lot over the past 25 years. But then, has writing?
February 28, 2015
More of an opinion piece mixed with memoir than anything else, Seeds From A Birch Tree offers unique insight into the practice of writing haiku. The idea of the Haiku Mind is throughly explored through experiences of the author, Zen philosophy, and examples of modern haiku. It's a rather interesting read that gets to the heart of the haiku form, but it often wanders a little too much into a critical assessment of the continuing evolution of haiku. The author is a hardcore traditionalist that strongly advocates the 5-7-5 form as means of retaining the original intent of the haiku form and for Zen meditative practices. As English language haiku continues to experiment with syllable count, line breaks, and subject matter, it's worth seeing things from the traditionalist perspective. A haiku writer, myself, I am torn between the 5-7-5 tradition and the modern notion of writing a haiku with as few syllables as possible. Seeds From A Birch Tree simply gave me something new to ponder.
May 17, 2015
There is much in this little book about haiku, and yet, it never really seems to go much beyond the tedious reminder that sticking to form is everything. It contains a handful of exercises which sound useful, although I question the necessity to shlep a notebook around if one's express purpose is not to write. Overall, I enjoyed this as a quick read and for some of the excellent haiku, but I've gotten more of the haiku class I'm taking, which emphasizes principles far beyond mere counting of syllables.
March 30, 2020
This book is a breath of fresh air.
More often than not, if you look for any information about Haiku, you will find a technical description of the form of a Haiku poem. This book, however, brings about something much larger than that, without losing track of that important element, and still maintaining the simplicity that it must. Reading it is sort of a short and simple walk outside.
More often than not, if you look for any information about Haiku, you will find a technical description of the form of a Haiku poem. This book, however, brings about something much larger than that, without losing track of that important element, and still maintaining the simplicity that it must. Reading it is sort of a short and simple walk outside.
April 26, 2012
An enjoyable read, this is the book that introduced me to haiku.
It even inspired me to write a few of my own haikus.
It taught me how to slow down, watch and listen.
It helped me to enter that sacred place that's reserved only for me.
It even inspired me to write a few of my own haikus.
It taught me how to slow down, watch and listen.
It helped me to enter that sacred place that's reserved only for me.
March 30, 2018
In giving clear, concrete guidelines on appreciating and writing haiku, this gem gives us a path to connect with the world, with nature, with ourselves... I’d write more, but I must go out for a hike in the park and see if I can open enough for a haiku to enter.
July 9, 2013
Poetry? Philosophy? YES!
January 17, 2016
Not only has this book provided the true spirit of haiku, to me it felt like being wrapped in a soft, warm blanket. I got this at my local library but after reading 50 pages I purchased my own copy!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews