I also saw the moon
and so I say goodbye
to this world
In Japanese poetry the moon is often a reference to enlightenment. In this death poem by Buddhist nun Chiyo-ni, she expresses her final words to the world and her experience of awakening. Is it a glimpse? A continuous state of mind?
As one of the great haiku poets of her time, Chiyo-ni expresses a sense of wakefulness in all her poems with sublime beauty and metaphor.
Thanks for the reblog!!!
The photo is taken of a carving in Sanyi, Taiwan. The town is dedicated to sculpture and has thousands of Guanyin carvings!
Oh – it is beautiful – I have never seen one linked with the moon before – a rare treat