I came across this tonight, which a friend of mine sent me some time ago. I thank him for it, and hope that i do not forget it again.
Hokusai Says…
Hokusai says look carefully.
He says pay attention, notice.
He says keep looking, stay curious.
He says there is no end to seeing.
He says look forward to getting old.
He says keep changing,
you just get more who you really are.
He says get stuck, accept it, repeat
yourself as long as it’s interesting.
He says keep doing what you love.
He says keep praying.
He says everyone of us is a child,
every one of us is ancient,
every one of us has a body.
He says every one of us is frightened.
He says everyone of us has to find
a way to live with fear.
He says everything is alive-
shells, buildings, people, fish,
mountains, trees. Wood is alive.
Water is alive
Everything has its own life.
Everything lives inside us
He says live with the world inside you.
He says it doesn’t matter if you draw,
or write books. It doesn’t matter
if you saw wood, or catch fish.
It doesn’t matter if you sit at home
and stare at the ants on the veranda
or the shadows of the trees
and the grasses in the garden.
It matters that you care.
It matters that you feel.
It matters that you notice.
It matters that life lives
through you.
Contentment is life living through you.
Joy is life living through you.
Satisfaction and strength
is life living through you.
Peace is life living through you.
He says don’t be afraid.
Don’t be afraid
Look,feel, let life take you
by the hand
Let life live through you.
Roger Keyes, Providence Zen Centre
I don’t know about you, but for some reason I kept expecting some horribly cynical ending to this poem like, “And remember, Hokusai say we are hypocrites all!”
Hokusai says dive into a pool of Coca-Cola. Things go better with Coke! (nothing like some product placement to make this more relevant to modern audiences).
You know, I dont think the public hears enough of that at all. It seems like what the media percieves as being interesting is just scandal, death, and destruction. I really wish there was some way to educate the public on its meaning and how to incorporate it into everyday life. Maybe then people will start to realize how many things are truly sacred.
does anyone know the source of this “Hokusai Says” quoatation?