Haiku Discussion: spring 2000

The following postings are a transcript of students' responses to our unit on Art and the Ordered Cosmos: Japanese views of nature. Before completing this assignment, students examined Zen Buddhism and its notion of the transience of the world, Shinto, and their expression in the samurai code of Bushido, "The Peach Orchard" from Dreams by Akira Kurosawa which exemplifies the Shinto notion of nature as alive and as an expression of the Kami while also demonstrating the Zen notion of the transience of beauty and the world, and the Japanese Way of Tea (tea ceremony). Students also studied Zen gardens and created one in class. Students were required to write a Haiku poem, an art form which attempts to capture some essential aspect of eternity through a single moment in nature. Student postings have not been edited in any way.

The assignment:

Article No. 165: posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 00:55 Subject: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Post your Haiku poem in this forum. Be sure your poem has 5 sylables in line one, 7 syllables in line 2, and 5 syllables in line 3. Focus on some aspect of nature -- paint the picture with broad brush strokes in line one, then focus on a single instant in line 2, and then conclude your poem in line 3. Finally, add a paragraph summing up how the poem and your zen garden reflect Japanese views of nature, and also yourself! Have fun!

Student postings:

Article No. 174: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 34 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 09:05 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The sun starts to rise

arooster begins to crow

time for you to rise.

My haiku is explaining nature as the aspects of its new day. I am reflecting on the thought that the early bird catches the worm kind of thing. This is a decription of realism to me because as I read this haiku I can actually visualize the sun rising and hear the rooster crowing. The zen garden also depicted nature, which the Japanese hold sacred. My garden made me feel like if I was to stroll through I could forget about any problems. I had large rocks and small ones, I placed the large ones behind the smaller ones, because I feel like any big problem I come across can be made a smaller one. Nature has a way of making you forget about things and focussing on it, only if for an instint.

Article No. 179: [Branch from no. 174] posted by student 2 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 12:57 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Daisy growing high

Dew drop falling from petal

Early morning life.

This haiku and the Zen garden we made in class reflects upon the Japanese thought of nature. The haiku is about a flower's life flourishing in the midst of the early morning. This haiku captures a moment in time that is looked at highly with respect from the Japenese. The haiku portrays the aspect of nature. The Zen garden also reflects nature and the Japenese's self expression. There were many different size rocks in my Zen garden representing the many different obstacles in my life. My life tends to be very spontaneous which would also explain the many different size rocks in my Zen garden. The Japenese would often meditate upon the Zen gardens to celebrate nature and reflect upon the simplicities in everyday life.

Article No. 192: [Branch from no. 174] posted by student 33 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 20:20 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The waves hit the shore,

My feet sink into the sand,

Waves are gone again.

This haiku poem illustrates the stillness and beauty of the ocean. Often people go to meditate at the ocean or to reflect on their day. The waves from the ocean often seem to go in a pattern helping lead a person towards focusing on their day or whatnot. Well, this is also the same as with a zen garden. The Japanese use the zen garden as a tool for focusing on the simplier things in life. They often do this by the patterns drawn in their gardens.

Article No. 175: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 10 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 10:27 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The lake, calm, smooth, still

A fish jumps, flips and returns

Ripples fill the lake.

This Haiku poetry captures an instant in nature and time. Reading this poem, I can see a glassy lake being disrupted by a fish jumping out of the water and filling the lake with ripples. Haikus are very simple, but paint a great picture in our minds. The Zin Garden is a very simple way to relate yourself to nature. For me it was a good way to try to learn about myself through something as simple as rocks and sand. The Zin Garden and Haiku poetry seem very simple or basic, but are taken very seriously by the Japanese. After reading some Haiku poetry and learning about the Zin Garden it is clear that the Japanese relationship with nature is very important to them.

Article No. 176: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 23 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 10:51 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The blackness so bright

A star screams across the sky

The blackness remains

This Haiku poem is about a moment in the night sky. The darkness is everywhere and then a shooting star comes streaming across the sky, then everything returns back to the way it was; dark. This reminds me of life. The blackness represents life. The shooting star represents the burning out of someones life. Then life still goes on. The Haiku poem uses nature to reveal something about life. The Japanese revere nature and so the Haiku is a way of showing their reverence. The Zen Garden is another way they do this. When the Japanese build something they build it around nature. In the garding the sand flows around the rocks. I feel the garden shows many truths about life. How one needs to just go with the flow of life and move around obsticles, instead of quitting. Nature has a truth about it that show many truths about life.

Article No. 177: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 9 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 12:34 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The sky turns bright pink,

Clouds become streaks in the sky,

The sun is setting.

This poem is describing a day's end with the setting of the sun. The colors of the sky and the shapes of the clouds are changing as the sun hides itself behind the horizon. It takes awhile for the sun to set, but sometimes you miss all of the beauty in a sunset and it becomes dark before you know it. This Haiku is describing one aspect of nature, and how it takes its course. The Zen Garden also reflects nature and one's self expression. My garden was full of mostly large rocks. The pattern of the sand around the rocks was consistant to the rock's shape. I tend to be very consistant. Some rocks were smooth and round, reflecting when my days are smooth and easy going; and some rocks were rough and jagged, reflecting my stressful times. They were arranged in a very organized way and distributed equally. The Japanese tend to use their gardens to celebrate nature and the truths and simplicities of life.

Article No. 178: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 7 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 12:53 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Deep in the forest

The trees blowing in the wind

All of life goes on.

This haiku poem reflects upon the Japanese thought of nature. It catches a split moment in time and illustrates it as a picture. The Japanese like to meditate on one object or a second in time that they feel comfortable with. It can be an ordinary object or something of great value to them. The Japanese also value life very highly. They believe that a person should live their life to the fullest every day and second. We could all learn a lot from the thoughts of the Japanese. My zen garden also represents the thoughts of the Japanese. My garden shows the obstacles of life and the paths that I take to overcome these obstacles. My haiku poem interacts with the thoughts of my zen garden because although there may be something happening at one moment, life still goes on. Although I may have obstacles in my own life I must overcome them and move on. My haiku poem shows the trees blowing in the wind but life still goes on after being captured in that moment in time.

Article No. 184: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 28 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 16:57 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Pine tree reaches sky

needle falls from high

above simple thing in life

This poem as well as my zen garden represent my life very well. I try to keep life simple and organized. My garden showed both of these charactaristics because i had only three rocks and the lines in the sand were very organized by them all going the same direction and equadistant apart. I found this project as a whole to be very interesting because it enables you to realize some things about yourself that you may not have even meant to show while making the garden or writing the poem.

Article No. 187: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 1 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 19:00 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Constant endless scene-

A shooting star flashes by-

Common scene returns.

My haiki is about a shooting star piercing a clear night sky. It only lasts a minute, but the wishes you make can last a lifetime. My haiku is based on the idea that just when you think you have a good view on something, a change occurs. Your life is not as predictable as you think it is. When something comes along that is unexpected, you can either wish on it and work with it, or let is pass by without noticing, or putting much thought into it. My zen garden and haiku goes along with the idea of not taking nature for granted and, if you let it, nature can make something beautiful out of the ordinary. My zen garden was pretty much organizd around one rock except for just a few differences towards the outer edges. I guess that's the way I think my life is, organized and predictable close up, but needing some thought and work around the edges.

Article No. 194: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 3 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 21:33 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The quiet forrest-

The mighty wind rushes by-

Nature is calling.

The poem teaches that sometimes it is good to stop and listen to the sounds of nature. Nature is quiet one minute and loud the next. The way the poem and my Zen garden show something about me is that sometimes I just need to stop and listen to nature even with big obstacles in my life. The poem and my Zen garden show how Japanese view nature as slow-moving.

Article No. 196: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 6 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 21:58 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The trees are blowing

With the long branches swaying

And birds sit chirping.

My poem represents the way nature is constant. The wind will always blow and the birds have become so adapted to the wind blowing that they will always remain. The poem also represents how I enjoy escaping to nature. Especially venturing into the forrest for long, peaceful walks on my spare time. I enjoy to just sit watch all the natural things amongst all the trees. This can be related to my Zen garden because of the use of an orderly arrangement of my rocks to show my calm side. Also, this represents my everyday life because I am a laid back and relaxed individual. It can be related to the Japanese because the way the enjoy to observe and worship the beauty of nature as I do.

Article No. 197: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 15 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 21:58 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

The cold ground warming--

a hyacinth sprouts upward.

Color through the snow!

This haiku expresses Nature's ability to surprise us with it's momentary beauty. Through a blanket of white, a spring flower is able to come up and amaze us with color and life that may only last a week! The Zen Garden also shows us that through concentrating on the simple things in nature we are able to see a whole world of new things that we have never seen before and would not have seen otherwise.

Article No. 198: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 5 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 22:25 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

A mad volcano.

Churning, brewing, erupting.

Black ash all around.

My poem is about a violent volcano ready to erupt. After building up for a long time the volcano finally explodes spraying hot ash and lava everywhere. This poem can symbolize how people can react under certain situations. Sometimes I tend to have a temper and I can let it get out of control. Just how a volcano can explode, a person can "explode" too, sometimes hurting people that are close to them. Also, even though many people find nature peaceful and quiet, nature can be cruel and loud, yet beautiful at the same time. The Japanese see nature as being completely beautiful. Although vocanos can cause destruction they are still very beautiful. By looking at nature in the simplest way can help people meditate and reflect on the important things in life. My zen garden symbolizes my life. I tend to stay busy a lot of the time, so my garden is full of rocks that are in spiral configurations. This represents my everyday on going activities. My garden also symbolizes the goals I plan on reaching in order to maintain a happy and fulfilled life. The Japanese feel that nature is very symbolic of a person's life and this can be reflected in a zen garden.

Article No. 199: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 8 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 22:26 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Colors lit the sky

It was stormy and then bright

Rainbow in the sky!

The Haiku poem and the Zen garden are reflections of nature. Reflection of nature represents the Zen Buddhists beliefs. The poem captures a moment in nature and brings it to life, so to speak. The garden is a tool used to meditate about nature and ones self. Both the poem and the Zen garden are helpful ways for a person to learn about his or her self. The Japanese highly respect nature and this is evident in their Haiku poems and Zen gardens. My Haiku poem is a reminder of a beautiful rainbow I saw once.

Article No. 201: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 18 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 23:02 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

the fish swim quickly

racing toward the coral reef

shark,do not eat them

This poem refects Japenise views of nature because this is something that happens in nature. The fish have to go through this every day. It is just part of nature. My zen garden reflected myself because the rocks symbolized obsticales in my life. I had a few rocks stacked up on top of each other because right now i have many obsticales to try and ovecome. All I have to do is keep flowing like the water and everything will be ok.

Article No. 203: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 31 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 23:36 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

Rain falls off the leaf.

The ground catches the droplets.

The sun dries the rain.

Rain is an ordinary occurrence, but a single drop falling from a leaf happens so quickly that you really have to look to notice it. This represents life. It happens so quickly, but you have to stop and notice everything and everyone. The ground is the stability and the place where most of life is spent. The sun drying the rain represents the end of life. My zen garden represents the fact that I put all my problems in a small place and I keep them all together, bunched up. When I have one problem, I can't just focus on one. I think about all of them and everything that i need to do. There is only so much space in life to be consumed with problems.

Article No. 205: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 26 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 23:45 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

I sit on the grass

The birds sing their song above

I reflect today In the first line of my Haiku poem, I am talking about reflecting on the aspects of nature. In the second line, I am talking about how close you can be to nature, and in the third line, I feel at peace and reflect what happen in my life that day. My zen garden also showed the way of reflection in nature and also in my life. I have problems in my life that I reflect on daily, but I can also put myself at peace and be happy with things when I am surrounded by nature.

Article No. 209: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 21 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 09:53 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

A ray of sun shines

Life glycines with fate and hope

Ending with lost gains

My haiku poem talks about a ray of sunlight shining through the trees of a forest on a gloomy morning. The ray of light symbolizes the hope that nature has to have a good day and the fate that nature has of always being trapped in a dark, sometimes gloomy world. Although nature can be very beautiful, there are times when nature is viewed as something that is horrible, and will never see the end of it. The Japanease view of nature is not like this at all. They view nature as immortal, and everything about it is beautiful. I think my haiku poem talks about the person that first discovered how beautiful nature can be for the Japanease. The Zen Garden that I made also reflects my views of life and of the way Japan views nature. I had my largest rock in the center, to represent my main goal in life, with smaller rocks surrounding it to represent the termoil, and lesser problems that I face. The hundreds of little rocks that I had symbolized that insignificant things that I tend to worry about and they represented the people that look up to me in what I do. I think my zen garden does a good job of paralleling my views and the Japanease view of nature. The do not view anything more important that something else, and I represented all fases of my life in my garden.

Article No. 211: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student 22 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 15:04 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

A vast meadow land

Watch deer and wildlife quietly

Enjoy beautiful nature

To the Japaneese nature is very sacred. In my Haiku, I talk about nature as being a place to watch living creatures play. Zen gardens aremeant to be for meditation. My garden had a lot of little rocks. In my life, I have a lot of little things that influence me. My garden helped me realize that all problems should be taken with a grain of salt rather than worry about it.

Article No. 226: [Branch from no. 165] posted by student student 38 on Tue, Apr. 18, 2000, 00:11 Subject: re: Assignment from Dr. Vess

I lay by the lake

The flowers blow in the breeze

Peace is all around

The Japanese have a simple view on life. They have very strong views on nature and they incorporate their views into their lives. They use nature to relax. The haiku poems are very simple poems that mainly reflect nature...their views on nature. These show their beliefs very well. The Zen Gardens are also very good examples on their views on life. They are extremely simple and do not take too much thinking to do. The use materials from nature--rocks and sand. These are objects that are easily found, so it is easier for all people to do these gardens. The japanese make these all over and of all different shapes and sizes. If you look at these with a simple mind you will see how beautiful they are.

Article No. 183: posted by student 14 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 16:33 Subject: Haiku þÿ

The rain then the sun.

Then the rainbow comes out too.

Birds sing happy songs.

My haiku pome explains the incidences that occur after it rains. When I wrote this haiku, I was thing about how from some thing so measurable, some thing so nice and magical can occur. Haiku poetry captures a incident in nature at a moment in time. The zen garden is also used to reflect nature and one�s self. For example if you have big rocks the you have big obstacles in your life. I f you have little rocks then you have small obstacles. You can also have a mixture of the two. The Japanese use the zen garden for self expression. Through the garden they can fell and expresses themselves through nature

Article No. 186: posted by student 4 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 17:40 Subject: haiku

The woods are so still

A deer runs across the field T

he woods are calm now

My haiku explains the stillness of nature. The colors and sounds that are seen and heard are amazing. When a deer runs across a field an adrenaline rush is released through a hunters body. As the deer goes on, the woods become still once again. The beauty of nature is only present at select times. The breathtaking experience of a deer running in front of a hunter leaves him amazed for a short time. The hunter is calm again once the deer has fled. The zen garden reflects the troubles and beauties within us. My rocks were large in size which symbolized my hope for success later in life. My patterns around the rocks were simple explaining my simple way of expression. I also had some rocks hidden which let me know about the things I would like to forget about. The Japanese value nature to its fullest. A person should value every moment of their life. My haiku relates to my zen garden by allowing me to realize that some of the best times in life are only present for a split second. These times must be treasured and experienced to the fullest.

Article No. 189: posted by student 20 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 19:47 Subject: Haiku & Zen garden

Darkness in the night

A shooting star crosses fast

A shining instance

My Haiku poem demonstrates a star crossing the dark, night sky. This reflects nature at night, and that each moment in nature is important. The star can only be seen for an instance, but that instance is beautiful. Just like the Japanese believe that each instance can describe the secrets of the universe. The zen garden was a place to meditate and reflect upon nature. In my zen garden I had different sized rocks, which would exlain the obstacles in my life. And the path around my rocks was not straight. Even though I have obstacles in my life, I try and handle them the best I can even if the path isn't always perfect. I thought this was a fun project to learn how the Japanese look at nature, but also to learn about ourselves. Nature helps to appreciate the beauty and troubles life brings.

Article No. 193: posted by student 29 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 21:18 Subject: Haiku Poem

Not a sound is heard-

The wind rustles the dry leaves-

Life goes on and on.

The Japanese value nature and they reflect on nature by by meditating on split second occurences. My haiku poem illustrates the Japanese thought of capturing a small moment and making the best out of every second. The leaves are a metaphor for life. The wind rustles the leaves just as mishaps rustle our lives. When this happens, savor the moment. Nature is beautiful and divine to the Japanese, and I believe that we can learn from them if we would pay more attention the insignificant moments as seen in my haiku poem. Japanese's self expression was dispalyed in my Zen Garden. The Zen Gardens were meditated by the Japanese as they value the simplicity of life. It is true that there are obstacles in life, such as the rocks in the Garden, but it is shown that there is always a way around them. My rocks varied in size and placement because there are times in my life where problems are large and then there are times where they are small; ans sometimes they occur close together and sometimes they are spread out. The Zen Garden was a place to relieve stress from life's everyday routines.

Article No. 204: posted by student 19 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 23:39 Subject: Haiku poetry

Haiku:

One moment in time

calls of the seagull echo

disperse to the sea

The zen garden and haiku go hand in hand as they both focus on natural surroundings and symbolize the happenings of life. The haiku illustrates how much can happen in one single moment and how we should take just a second each day to recognize what our lives are all about. For me, the zen garden displayed my life and the many different pieces which make it exist. I had two clusters. One cluster contained a huge rock, the foundation of my life, and two little rocks on the side. One was odd in shape, and it signified the unusual happenings of my life. The other was more square in shape, signifying the more normal, everyday happenings. The other cluster contained one large rock with four smaller surrounding rocks. The large one expressed my spirit. The smaller ones, all different in shape and color, showed the different parts of my body: the social, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects. The zen garden and haiku reminded me that I should take a moment each day to reflect on the different parts of myself and how I fit together.

Article No. 239: posted by student 37 on Thu, Apr. 27, 2000, 00:56 Subject: Assignment for Dr. Vess

The peaceful river,

Fish jumping to catch a fly,

Here comes the rapids.

My Haiku poem is about the life in rivers. The river is peaceful in parts and yet other parts have rapids. Fish are always jumping out of the water to catch flies. Rivers are a very big part of nature and it also inhabits many creatures of nature.

Article No. 248: posted by student 36 on Thu, Apr. 27, 2000, 12:38 Subject: haiku

wind chimes tingle-

then they stop--

wait: there they go again

Nature is beautifully unpredicable. My haiku poem demonstrates both the quickness and stillness of the wind. A gust of wind will blow then it may takes hours or merely seconds for another. Like life, things come and go. The japanese demonstrate that we should cherish every moment. Many haiku poems, like mine, show this beleif.

Article No. 272: posted by student 39 on Mon, May. 1, 2000, 12:41 Subject: Haiku poetry

It strikes down with might

Lightning bolts shatter the air

The storm passes by

The Japanese consider nature to be very sacred. It is much more important than the individual. My haiku talks about the great power of lightning. Then it gives a sense of relief with the last line because the storm is gone. Zen gardens are for reflecting on one's self. They represent nature in that they are unpredictable and no two Zen gardens will be alike. My garden had some really large rocks and some much smaller ones. I have some big things happening in my life, but I also have some smaller things going on.

Article No. 210: posted by student 30 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 10:31 Subject: Asian Views of Nature: Taoism and Chinese Landscape Art

The rock buried

still content and quiet

surrounded by friends and light.

In the first line of my Haiku poem, I wrote about a rock because when we were doing our Zen Garden I realized that rocks are a part of nature and they aren't wrote about or described very much in literature or poems. I am like a rock; I have a tendency to be strong willed and I try not to break just like most rocks are in nature. The rock is usually buried in dirt or sand or with other rocks, still, not moving unless the rock is moved by something else. In the second line I put content and quiet because nature is content when it is left alone and quiet in a peace-like way . My third line I thought about how all the animals and all the plants and every living thing in nature relies on each other. Then how the sun makes everything bright like a light of hope for life in nature and people. My zen garden reflected my strong will also and I had big rocks and large rocks symbolizing different times of my life. I realized that I am like the sand too, because when I raked my sand around my rocks I thought about how I keep going on no matter what obstcale I come to. I try not to let anything stop me. Nature is real and is full of life just as the Japanese view it and I do believe we can learn alot from nature as well as the Japanese if we took the time.

Article No. 181: posted by student 11 on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 14:52 Subject: Haiku

The empty blue sky

a bird soars quickly across

emptiness returns

This reflects Japanese views of nature because the sky is empty and peaceful then for a moment a bird soars across the sky and then the sky returns to it's normal state. I also think that this reflects my life because for the most part my life is pretty much the same but at times something extraordinary happens and then it returns to being my same old day. In my Zen garden I had rocks lined aagainst one side representing stability. In the middle of the garden I had one large rock with liitle rocks around it this representd the little theings that go on in my life. This could also relate to nature because no matter how many stages it goes through it is always going to return to it's normal stage which shows it's stability. I used / slashes to show the different lines because it kept putting them all together.

Article No. 206: posted by student 24 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 00:44 Subject: Haiku Poem

Haiku Poem:

The ocean waves flowing

Freely in mind,

Erasing All of your worries.

Zen Buddist ideals express nature as beauty. They have a very strong appreciation for nature. In my Haiku poem, I used ocean waves to show my appreciation for nature. This is the sound of nature, that makes me stop and be thankful for what I have (not what I don't have). I eliminate my worries when I hear the ocean, and focus on the more beautiful things in life. This is much like my Zen Garden, where I was fully content and appreciative of the status of my life. The large rock in my Zen Garden was like the ocean waves, content and full of life.

Article No. 207: posted by student 13 on Thu, Apr. 13, 2000, 01:01 Subject: Haiku Poem

A bright red flower.

The yellow bumblebee lands,

The bee flies away.

My Haiku poem represents spring. The flowers are blooming and the insects are pollinating the plants so new life will begin. I relate nature to my life because I love spring and all of its new beginnings. It is like a new start for everything in nature. My Zen garden which expressed many new starts is much like spring and my Haiku poem.

Article No. 240: posted by student 37 on Thu, Apr. 27, 2000, 01:07 Subject: Zen Garden

My Zen garden represents my life. The rocks in the garden were little and scatter every where. These rocks represent all the little obsticules in my life. The path made around the rocks represent my journey through life. There are many twist and turns, this is what my life is really like. I have so many small problems that I sometimes get turn around and pulled in so many directions. In the Japanese culture they use the zen garden a way of life and they meditate on it. Now, that I have had a chance to experience the art of the Japanese and the zen garden, I have grown to respect the art of life and nature.

Article No. 297: posted by student 16 on Tue, May. 2, 2000, 10:47 Subject: haiku

My poem represents the wind which is important to the taoist way of life. It also represents a ttree which is a major identification in their life. As in the Tao oof Pooh when they are discussing the meanings of life and what makes every thing happen the way it does.

The wind blows out side very slow

The tops of trees move

The world seems very peaceful

Article No. 161: posted by student 17 on Tue, Apr. 11, 2000, 20:17 Subject: Haiku Poem

The ocean is strong

a wave crashes on the shore

clean sea shells are found

My garden and Haiku poem displays Zen buddism by the fact that nothing is the same and nothing is perfect. Shinto and Zen Buddism are diplayed through the poem and garden because they are also a unique form of meditation. I think this because I had to figure how I wanted to arrange my rocks to reflect my life. My poem also required thought. I needed silence to fiqure out how I wanted to construct my poem displaying a moment in nature. I chose to capture the moment where a wave crashes on the sea shore. I felt this was a special moment that expressed an understanding of the meaning of the cosmos.

Article No. 170: [Branch from no. 161] posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:05 Subject: re: Haiku Poem

rather like the sea myself, and you definitely have captured the single moment of nature in the right number of syllables. Very nicely done!

Article No. 163: posted by student 29 on Tue, Apr. 11, 2000, 22:45 Subject: haiku poem

Standing tall and strong

The tall oak tree in the woods

Leaves blowing in the wind

This poem represents a tree, which is an important part of the nature. Nature is very important to the Japanese. This poem explains a tree in the woods with the wind blowing and the leaves in the wind. The Shinto and Zen Buddhist ideals are both represented in this poem. Nature is very important to their culture.

Article No. 169: [Branch from no. 163] posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:04 Subject: re: haiku poem

You've got the syllables down and the focus on nature. What might you learn about life from an instantaneous moment of leaves blowing in the wind?

Article No. 164: posted by student 27 on Tue, Apr. 11, 2000, 22:55 Subject: GARDEN

MY ZEN GARDEN REPRESENTS MY LIFE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE ROCKS ARE LAID OUT IN THE BOX. I LAID MY ROCKS OUT TO SHOW THAT ME LIFE HAS SOME HIGH POINTS AND SOME LOW POINTS. ONE OF MY ROCKS WAS HIGH IN THE SAND, IT SHOWED THE HIGH POINTS, AND WERE BIGGER THAN THE REST. THE SMALLER ONES ARE KIND OF COVERED UP BY THE SAND, AND THEY SHOW THE HARD TIMES IN MY LIFE. I MADE THE HARD TIMES SMALLER THAN THE GOOD TIMES TO SHOW THAT I HAVE MORE GOOD TIMES THAN BAD. I ENJOYED THIS PROJECT, IT WAS PRETTY NEAT JUST BY THROWING ROCKS IN THE BOX THAT IT CAN SHOW YOUR LIFE.

Article No. 168: [Branch from no. 164] posted by Deborah Vess on Wed, Apr. 12, 2000, 01:03 Subject: re: GARDEN

I am glad you enjoyed this, Jessica. Think about the project more over the coming months and years; it may teach you other things about life!