Chapter 38: #
A haiku by Basho:
MOOR:
POINT MY HORSE WHERE BIRDS SING.
Basho lived a very natural life by the side of a pond, under an ancient tree where he had a small hut.
He was a prince and when his father died, he renounced it. The family was very much in despair and they said, "This is not the point. Your father is dead and you have to take care of his kingdom."
Basho said, "I was waiting for him to die. I wanted to see that everyone dies. Even my father has died. One day I will die and who will take care of this castle and the kingdom? Somebody will take care. Now I cannot remain here, because there is danger of dying any moment. Before I die, I have to know some undying principle as my foundation."
He was a very loving, joyous and a dancing mystic. He is saying, "Moor: point my horse where birds sing."
Let us go to the birds because they are the only people left in the world who are still singing. Man has dropped singing far away. Now only professionals sing. Have you seen in birds any professional singers... professional musicians...? Birds simply sing just out of sheer joy. It does not matter whether it means anything or not. Meaning is not the point; expressing the joy is the point. "Point my horse where birds sing."
He always wanted his haikus to be just spontaneous singing like birds - and he succeeded in it.
There is no parallel to the haikus of Basho in the whole history of mankind.
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