EASTERN PHILOSOPHY - Matsuo Basho

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  • čas přidán 27. 08. 2015
  • Matsuo Basho was one of the most famous Zen poets of Japan, who alerts us to the neglected beauty and interest of everyday life, and thereby reconciles us with our own circumstances.
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Komentáře • 494

  • @Smoker2777
    @Smoker2777 Před 7 lety +146

    Done watching..
    Reads comments
    laughs outloud

  • @MrMalibujunkies
    @MrMalibujunkies Před 6 lety +31

    I am here because I just read the best quote I have ever read and it belonged to this man. "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

  • @gavloft
    @gavloft Před 9 lety +261

    Wise video
    sitting with tea
    very happy

  • @zmoon9764
    @zmoon9764 Před 7 lety +351

    What to write
    Oh no I am already
    on the last line

    • @RoyChayanne4658
      @RoyChayanne4658 Před 6 lety +7

      This would be
      Perfect for
      Twitter.

    • @luismotta5463
      @luismotta5463 Před 4 lety +2

      Life in a nutshell

    • @sangaygembo5247
      @sangaygembo5247 Před 3 lety

      I usually dont get poetry and haikus even less so, but I was only listening to this without watching, and when i heard the haikus here - and this may sound conceited or fabricated- I felt like I got a glimpse of the the scene in my mind. It was surreal. You should try it.

    • @HillVillageDragon
      @HillVillageDragon Před 3 lety +1

      Oh, that reference!
      Like Captain America
      I understood that.

  • @MuneebSid
    @MuneebSid Před 7 lety +212

    If only he had twitter account!

  • @nebojsagalic4246
    @nebojsagalic4246 Před 9 lety +148

    When reading Basho, knowing nothing about Japanese poetry at the time, I felt a as though the man didn`t want so ``say`` anything.
    More like he wanted to perfectly capture an instant of pure experience.
    When you read the guy`s poetry you sort of get back into the mindset of a child which is still just perceiving the world and is just getting around to connecting empirical input with abstract concepts.
    Having seen this video I can tell you, it really does its job...

    • @tishbouvier
      @tishbouvier Před 4 lety +4

      Well said!

    • @kayahaus5651
      @kayahaus5651 Před 3 lety +2

      I agree with your opinion, in it’s entirety. Thank you for Posting it. 🍺

  • @k_bbibi8716
    @k_bbibi8716 Před 9 lety +47

    Wow. I really enjoyed this. I love Basho's idea of simplicity and being able to escape the "tyranny of being ourselves".

  • @ancbi
    @ancbi Před 7 lety +26

    In my garage,
    Lamborghini here,
    knowledge.

    • @slulshie4851
      @slulshie4851 Před 7 lety +1

      Apiwat Chantawibul I appreciate this comment

  • @danbondarenko7894
    @danbondarenko7894 Před 9 lety +57

    This video was very enjoyable, as well as enlightening. These kinds of truths need constant reminding - that's why these videos are so very important and dear to me. Thank you, The School of Life.

  • @davistran4086
    @davistran4086 Před 9 lety +386

    Must leave
    A Witty Comment
    I Failed

    • @charlesjoseph7505
      @charlesjoseph7505 Před 9 lety +12

      +Davis Tran did leave
      witty comment
      didn't fail

    • @soggybottomboidenis
      @soggybottomboidenis Před 6 lety +1

      It's okay though
      there will always be a pound
      with a frog
      and water sound.

    • @mnc1126
      @mnc1126 Před 5 lety +3

      three years later
      the last small ripple
      straining at the shoreline

    • @amanwithsocks.5797
      @amanwithsocks.5797 Před 5 lety +1

      残したい
      面白いコメ
      ダメだなぁ

    • @kyrlics6515
      @kyrlics6515 Před 4 lety

      Cum buckets are chum wukeh wukets

  • @2808879
    @2808879 Před 8 lety +25

    A silent sigh
    On my lips---
    Lost in wilderness

  • @AnotherGradus
    @AnotherGradus Před 9 lety +166

    Life School...
    Watch preroll ad
    Leave a 'Like'

  • @siddharthbatra91
    @siddharthbatra91 Před 9 lety +3

    At first I didn't get the poetry. Then I closed my eyes and imagined and I really liked the glimpses that I saw. I get it now.

  • @marianushn
    @marianushn Před 9 lety +6

    Basho is one of my favorite Eastern poets. His haikus are beautiful.

  • @peters4167
    @peters4167 Před 9 lety +79

    This channel is simply excellent. If you're planning on covering more eastern philosophy, might I suggest Zhuangzi? One of my favs. Either way, well done.

  • @kissmeinass1071
    @kissmeinass1071 Před 6 lety +5

    I think Robert Frost has the same approach to poetry. His poems are simple and homely but extraordinarily beautiful

  • @asdmla8777
    @asdmla8777 Před 9 lety +29

    I love this channel, and I want to give a shout out to the editor's which make these videos even more fun. Thank you school of life for letting me feel as a part of the people who would like to learn more and find knowledge intersting.

  • @Dantick09
    @Dantick09 Před 9 lety +8

    I feel relieved, I really needed this commentary right now. I am once again at peace :3

  • @willieluncheonette5843
    @willieluncheonette5843 Před 2 lety +2

    "Basho has tremendous respect in my heart. He is not only a mystic, a master, he is also a poet, a painter, a sculptor; he is a creative phenomenon. Nobody can compare with him as far as his multidimensional personality is concerned.
    He has the fragrance which only a flower can have. That fragrance is manifested in his poetry, in his small statements, in his every gesture. Even in his ordinary talks with people he cannot be other than Basho.
    Basho is far more refined, perhaps the most refined Zen master up to now. His refinement is in his cultured, meditative spaciousness. Out of that spaciousness many flowers have showered on the world. It does not matter wherever he is and whatever is going on, Basho is going to make it a Zen state of affairs. That uniqueness will not be found again.
    Basho is one of the greatest poets of the world, but he has written only haikus - very symbolic but very miraculous, very simple but very mysterious. They are all to be understood through visualization, because Zen does not believe in words. Visualize and perhaps you may have some understanding.
    A meditator, according to Basho, will go on searching deep within himself, but that does not mean that he should lose contact with the outside world. Once in a while he should open his eyes. With all his emptiness he should mirror the outside world. Those reflections are collected in these haikus. They don’t mean anything, they simply depict a picture.
    Basho is the greatest haiku poet of Japan, the Master haiku poet. But he was not just a poet. Before becoming a poet he was a mystic; before he starting pouring out with beautiful poetry, he poured deep into his own center. He was a meditator.
    It happened when Basho’s master died - Basho is a buddha, a buddha who writes poetry, a buddha who paints beautiful pictures, a very aesthetic buddha. His master died, thousands of people gathered. His master was very famous; more famous because of Basho, because Basho was a famous poet and painter and he was Basho’s master. Thousands of people gathered and they were very much surprised when they saw Basho crying, big tears rolling down his cheeks.
    A few close disciples of his master came to Basho and said, “It does not look right. Thousands of people are coming and they are getting confused. They don’t think a buddha should be crying and weeping, and you are the man who has been saying to them again and again: There is no death and the innermost core lives forever. Then why are you weeping? Your master is not dead, he has only moved from the small body to the universal body of God. So why are you weeping?”
    Basho wiped his tears and he said, “Listen! This is nobody’s business. I live according to my inner feelings, I cannot pretend. When my innermost core has disappeared into the universal. don’t care whether people think it right or not. If they don’t think that I am enlightened it’s okay, but I cannot pretend. I cannot do something which is not really there. And yes, I have said that the soul is immortal and my master has not died, he has disappeared into the universal. That’s why I am crying, not crying that he is dead but crying that now I will never be able to see his form. Now he has become formless - and his body was beautiful. I will never be able to look again into those deep eyes, I will never be able to hold his hand and touch his feet. I have lost his form - I am crying for his body, for his form; I am not crying for the formless soul. And I am not concerned whether people think me enlightened or unenlightened, that is their business. Who cares?”

  • @AveryMorrow
    @AveryMorrow Před 9 lety +45

    My personal take on this video -- although this is a nice introduction to the deeper meanings of haiku, it's strongly colored by the speaker's modern-day existentialism. 17th century Japanese would not have considered the immediacy of haiku as an "escape" from personally imposed "tyranny," because they did not have that specific conception of the individual's use of his mind and his place in the universe. What Basho was aiming for is similar in effect, but conceptually different: like most Buddhist thinkers, he would have imagined the mind as a perfect mirror covered in dust, and poetry as a way to clean off the dust of ideology and biases and see what's in front of your own eyes. This is also how haiku came into being as its own genre of poetry -- despite what this video says, it was yet not known as "haiku" when Basho wrote his poems.
    Also, it's important to know that Basho's poetry was not confined to the seriousness of Zen, although Zen and Confucianism were well known as serious pursuits in his day. In fact, he was extremely playful and it seems he felt that humor was as effective a weapon to disarm the ego as striking imagery. The famous "old frog" poem that this video opens up with is not only aesthetically pleasing but also has a twist on the way Japanese poetry had traditionally employed frogs which would have been found amusing at the time. Instead of going "ribbit ribbit", the frog maintains a solemn silence and lets the water speak instead. If people really want to get into haiku I recommend reading ancient Japanese poetry and literature (like the Tale of Genji) in order to get a feel for how it developed a certain aesthetic to its height.

    • @WaiW41
      @WaiW41 Před 2 lety +2

      Other than the classical Japanese literature you mentioned, could you suggest any other books which might help in the reading, understanding, and writing of haiku specifically; books that might talk about the history, development, and philosophy of the artform?

    • @youngestpeartree7310
      @youngestpeartree7310 Před 2 lety +2

      I disagree. The 17th century Japanese would absolutely have a conception of poetry as an "escape from personally imposed tyranny" as this is one of the core concepts in Mahayana Buddhism. When you say "they did not have that specific conception of the individual's use of his mind and his place in the universe" you are in fact doing the very same thing you are accusing the video maker of doing. To suggest that Buddhists did not have a conception of the universe is patently false. It may not be "the Universe" we understand today, but Buddhists most definitely had their own cosmology and conceptions of how "they" (although in reality there is no they because there is no I or them) fit in the world around them... namely everything is one insofar as being devoid of any individuality. That said, the second part of your comment holds up.

  • @full_regalia8649
    @full_regalia8649 Před 8 lety

    Amazing! Nothing else compares on CZcams to the quality of these videos

  • @channelx7761
    @channelx7761 Před 9 lety +1

    I love how this video relates to the one that precedes it.

  • @davidsorrentino6296
    @davidsorrentino6296 Před 9 lety

    I can’t express how much I can relate to this philosophy, I need to go to the library!

  • @HotShotR92J
    @HotShotR92J Před 8 lety

    I feel a real intensity and belief in your voice whilst speaking about this man and his thoughts. That meant a lot to me.

  • @scottwilson5624
    @scottwilson5624 Před 9 lety +2

    Really good/interesting - it does what it's describing it's self doing. 'Out of ourselves' is a lovely phrase.

  • @littnate
    @littnate Před 9 lety

    How cruel
    A grasshopper trapped
    Under a warrior's helmet
    -Matsuo Basho
    This is one of my favourite pieces of poetry. Thank you for teaching me more about Basho and his legacy.

  • @chobofo
    @chobofo Před 9 lety +8

    you didn't even include his death poem?
    On a journey, ill;
    my dreams go wandering
    over withered fields

  • @LionKingInHeart
    @LionKingInHeart Před 9 lety

    I love all of your videos so much. Thank you for bringing them to us in a such beautiful and fun way!

  • @tamago2576
    @tamago2576 Před 8 lety +4

    Growing up in Japan, I knew some of Basho's haiku. But I did not know that there were drawings to go with haiku. Simplicity reminds us not to take things of granted, as I often are indifferent about things around me. I thought that being able to accept who we are and be ourselves is important and the only way to happiness. To forget and escape from our individualities, we can reach the state of 無我 and appreciate what we have. Thank you for your video, which nurtures my spirituality.

  • @blackbird5634
    @blackbird5634 Před 7 lety +210

    is it old meat,
    or new cheese,
    i smell my sock.

  • @ickkck1100
    @ickkck1100 Před 8 lety +5

    This channel is pure gold!

  • @maggyfrog
    @maggyfrog Před 8 lety +1

    gurgling crystal stream
    sky of blue and clouds of white
    scene of perfect bliss

  • @11221jomey
    @11221jomey Před 9 lety +2

    Amazing, I learn so much from you guys everyday. Thank you so much

  • @josephjr
    @josephjr Před 9 lety +1

    school of life,
    bringing sense to our lives
    thank you

  • @Neldidellavittoria
    @Neldidellavittoria Před 8 lety +1

    Brilliant channel. I've just watched a number of your vids and they're simply fabulous. Thank you very much indeed.

  • @nathanraymond7525
    @nathanraymond7525 Před 5 lety

    I lived in Ogaki. It was Basho’s final stop of his journey, yet not one could explain to me anything about him. Thanks to you I will be explaining things to them. I am infinitely more aware, thanks to you. I give thanks!!! Bravo!!!!

  • @jackbuckley9195
    @jackbuckley9195 Před 4 lety

    Amen to this! Great visuals, simple but compelling and evocative. Fascinating to learn about these Eastern philosophical concepts. Basho now speaks to our modern world in ways he couldn't possibly have foreseen but hoped for!

  • @undead797
    @undead797 Před 9 lety +7

    Ah, I love this kind of poetry, i love wabi-sabi, need more muga in my life, definitely checking this guy out. I'm still hoping you guys will cover Bodhidharma, i think he's great at teaching detachment and how to live happily, and he practically led to the creation of Shaolin Kung Fu, how great is that?

  • @utsavman47
    @utsavman47 Před 7 lety +7

    It's ironic how the narrator speeds away in his talk while he talks about the appreciation of the little things in life :)

  • @jameslatief1
    @jameslatief1 Před 8 lety +157

    Wabi.Sabi.
    Green tea ice-cream
    Shit it's wasabi!

  • @kurohikes5857
    @kurohikes5857 Před 9 lety +4

    I really liked this video. Thanks for exposing me to eastern philosophy. I have not read much beyond Alan Watts.

  •  Před 9 lety

    I really want to thank you for this kind of videos.

  • @LB__1
    @LB__1 Před 2 lety +1

    He once wrote that "a flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is a danish."

  • @smiptr
    @smiptr Před 8 lety

    You have a fantastic voice and a brilliant channel, thank you for what you do.

  • @Willmolloy1
    @Willmolloy1 Před 9 lety +2

    Finally! Don't know why this was taken down two hours ago

  • @philipb2134
    @philipb2134 Před 8 lety +4

    he gazed intensely
    at a small mote in her eye
    as she beamed at him

  • @lizzish8336
    @lizzish8336 Před 6 lety

    I am completely obsessed with this channel!!!

  • @ganapati2623
    @ganapati2623 Před 9 lety +1

    best episode

  • @gtabigfan34
    @gtabigfan34 Před 9 lety +24

    I hope the next one is Sun Tzu

    • @roninjames101
      @roninjames101 Před 9 lety +1

      +The Napoleonist Before Thursday preferably, dissertation deadline day

    • @psychenihil5415
      @psychenihil5415 Před 9 lety

      Lol. Yeah, I hope so too. The dissertation deadline part is just too funny

  • @fraidoonw
    @fraidoonw Před 9 lety

    wonderful......thanks.

  • @johnbowls6198
    @johnbowls6198 Před 8 lety

    An excellent overview of Basho and his Haiku.

  • @sentiny
    @sentiny Před 4 lety

    Shocking
    simplicity
    shoked.

  • @nhungtran-uo2ud
    @nhungtran-uo2ud Před rokem

    Very beautiful analysis! “The tyranny of being ourselves” ❤️👍

  • @orbo4438
    @orbo4438 Před 4 lety

    the ending is magical

  • @Chatetris
    @Chatetris Před 9 lety +11

    Nishida Kitaro next please

  • @TheAnnayin
    @TheAnnayin Před 2 lety

    Thank you. I have used this for my haiku workshops.

  • @fraidoonw
    @fraidoonw Před 9 lety

    Basho is Basho.Unique....thanks...

  • @TheManifoldCuriosity
    @TheManifoldCuriosity Před 9 lety +21

    Beautiful video. I'm inspired to look into some more Japanese culture and art now.
    Also, I've just started to work on the poetry of Virgil at school and I see some similarities between him and Basho. Virgil doesn't write in haikus and his poems are a bit broader in scope, but in their quaintness they remind me of Basho at points.
    ‘On green leaves pillowed: apples ripe have I,
    Soft chestnuts, and of curdled milk enow.
    And, see, the farm-roof chimneys smoke afar,
    And from the hills the shadows lengthening fall.’

  • @cajka7803
    @cajka7803 Před 2 lety

    So much interesting.

  • @tanvirjalilaiub
    @tanvirjalilaiub Před 7 lety

    fantastic video.thanks 4 sharing

  • @michaeldecker3739
    @michaeldecker3739 Před 9 lety

    such a channel full of richness and vibrance

  • @eviltree6779
    @eviltree6779 Před 8 lety

    really enjoyed this one.

  • @josealejandrofernandezcami9238

    I'm a big fan of your videos. I'd love to see more on poetry.

  • @annsan1722
    @annsan1722 Před rokem

    I like this very much, thanks!
    I‘m also glad, that I can reduce the speed 😅

  • @alonespirit_1Q84
    @alonespirit_1Q84 Před 4 lety +1

    Jin, Mugen & Fuu,
    Three Traveling Companions,
    Ah, What a wonderful journey!

  • @EconohmyGaming
    @EconohmyGaming Před 2 lety

    Needed this

  • @ohnofoul
    @ohnofoul Před 8 lety

    that was really beautiful

  • @ankitaniranjan7
    @ankitaniranjan7 Před 4 lety

    Glowing light
    Sees things
    In a beautiful night..

  • @sosgrossosabelo
    @sosgrossosabelo Před 8 lety

    I love your videos, they keep me company at lunch.

  • @m3lisha
    @m3lisha Před 7 lety

    I found Basho as an inspirer of Paul Kelly and Robbie Basho, both amazing musicians. What a wonder

  • @sargondp69
    @sargondp69 Před 5 lety +1

    To want not to want. Circle up, circle down. Desire unending.

  • @jmalko9152
    @jmalko9152 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for making this video 🙂

  • @jared7237
    @jared7237 Před 8 lety

    These videos are awesome

  • @JohnBelchamber
    @JohnBelchamber Před 9 lety

    A perfect combination of subtlety and Basho ;)

  • @edcatt9196
    @edcatt9196 Před 4 lety

    "The tyranny of being ourselves." I loved that line.

  • @patrickleahey4574
    @patrickleahey4574 Před 8 lety

    Very well put together.

  • @ralitsa-ost
    @ralitsa-ost Před 8 lety

    THANK YOU SO MUCH

  • @ronaldoferreira594
    @ronaldoferreira594 Před 2 lety

    Soooooooo good. Because sooooooo real.

  • @tishbouvier
    @tishbouvier Před 4 lety

    This was so beautiful ❤️

  • @swingkat1954
    @swingkat1954 Před 8 lety

    This is great!

  • @hornisan
    @hornisan Před 5 lety

    excellent, thx

  • @benwilkonski8635
    @benwilkonski8635 Před 7 lety

    my favorite philosopher

  • @Willmolloy1
    @Willmolloy1 Před 9 lety +6

    I have a book on Bashō and never got round to reading it; I made a bad decision, clearly. Thank you, TSoL, it'll be the next. Right after Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

  • @cat_astronaut_
    @cat_astronaut_ Před rokem

    i love it

  • @jasoncromwell4206
    @jasoncromwell4206 Před 5 lety +2

    The Japanese Poet Basho once wrote that "A flute with no holes isn't a flute, and a doughnut with no hole is a danish." Funny Guy.

  • @Kripa1963
    @Kripa1963 Před 8 lety

    Very nice video on Basho.

  • @biqesadilla
    @biqesadilla Před 9 lety

    Awesome.

  • @ktkungfutaichi
    @ktkungfutaichi Před 4 lety

    Excellent!

  • @squamish4244
    @squamish4244 Před 9 lety +2

    The Zen monk Ryokan composed some beautiful poetry of a different style, if you don't find Basho endearing.

  • @pammallon167
    @pammallon167 Před 7 lety

    wow just wow!!!

  • @jjer125
    @jjer125 Před 9 lety

    yay new vid!

  • @LalitKumar-cu5iu
    @LalitKumar-cu5iu Před 4 lety +1

    Blue sky, cotton cloud, sea breeze, eagle on wind

  • @ottodude555
    @ottodude555 Před 9 lety +2

    Content stomach,
    Life School channel,
    peaceful night alone.

  • @saraha2208
    @saraha2208 Před 5 lety

    nice. I like this

  • @mattnorman4292
    @mattnorman4292 Před 5 lety +5

    Couch
    I breathe in…
    My Television Shows.

  • @themuslimatheist7578
    @themuslimatheist7578 Před 9 lety

    Thank you, I suggested this and I got it. Thank you very much. I'm stuck in western philosophy and I want to learn other philosophies too. May I suggest you do middle eastern philosophy.

  • @Leolukpeu
    @Leolukpeu Před 9 lety +31

    oh wow you guys reuploaded with a slower voice? thank u very much :)

  • @TheyCallMeNewb
    @TheyCallMeNewb Před 9 lety

    Though perhaps shy of a glaring omission, I am now utterly bewildered as to how such a misanthropic could be so well documented; beyond surviving poetry. ?

  • @IamGoth26
    @IamGoth26 Před 7 lety +4

    music in the air
    people talking
    cold weather

  • @aa-vl7xc
    @aa-vl7xc Před 8 lety

    I somehow feel identified with the life of this poet