EASTERN PHILOSOPHY - Matsuo Basho

[@MrMalibujunkies]

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

[@Smoker2777]

Done watching.. Reads comments laughs outloud

[@nebojsagalic4246]

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]

Well said!

[@kayahaus5651]

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

[@k_bbibi8716]

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

[@danbondarenko7894]

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.

[@gavloft]

Wise video sitting with tea very happy

[@AECommonThread2137]

Bo oh ring You-'re Com-ment is

[@amanwithsocks.5797]

賢い絵 草いろ坐る 幸せだ

[@Alusnovalotus]

gavloft not bad

[@Dares9]

Among other attempts, this one made me chuckle. I think you captured the right spirit

[@zmoon9764]

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

[@RoyChayanne4658]

This would be Perfect for Twitter.

[@luismotta5463]

Life in a nutshell

[@sangaygembo5247]

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]

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

[@MuneebSid]

If only he had twitter account!

[@Leotique]

hahaha

[@111Benzie]

Who Basho? He's dead.

[@asdmla8777]

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.

[@siddharthbatra91]

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.

[@davistran4086]

Must leave A Witty Comment I Failed

[@charlesjoseph7505]

+Davis Tran did leave witty comment didn't fail

[@soggybottomboidenis]

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

[@mnc1126]

three years later the last small ripple straining at the shoreline

[@amanwithsocks.5797]

残したい 面白いコメ ダメだなぁ

[@kyrlics6515]

Cum buckets are chum wukeh wukets

[@Dantick09]

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

[@marianushn]

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

[@tamago2576]

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.

[@2808879]

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

[@willieluncheonette5843]

"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?”

[@buntoncnd]

Wow. Thank you for sharing this. Please, if you can, send me the source of your reference. I am very interested in where this conversation comes from

[@willieluncheonette5843]

@@buntoncnd from a talk by Osho. Thank you!

[@AnotherGradus]

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

[@psychenihil5415]

Best comment ever

[@jt.brewster]

clever

[@ChuckNorris-gw2wh]

Wrong syllables

[@AveryMorrow]

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]

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]

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.

[@peters4167]

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.

[@111usul]

Ikkyu and Ryokan are also quite intriguing...

[@mayflowers1062]

Agreed 😊

[@littnate]

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.

[@ancbi]

In my garage, Lamborghini here, knowledge.

[@slulshie4851]

Apiwat Chantawibul I appreciate this comment

[@full_regalia8649]

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

[@ickkck1100]

This channel is pure gold!

[@Willmolloy1]

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

[@nathanraymond7525]

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!!!!

[@HotShotR92J]

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

[@undead797]

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?

[@maggyfrog]

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

[@scottwilson5624]

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

[@kurohikes5857]

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

[@Neldidellavittoria]

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

[@manifold.curiosity]

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.’

[@channelx7761]

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

[@11221jomey]

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

[@josephjr]

school of life, bringing sense to our lives thank you

[@jackbuckley9195]

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!

[@blackbird5634]

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

[@BuLLa]

truly beutiful!

[@dlxinfinite7098]

Friggin hilarious

[@siddarthpayasam881]

Amazing

[@yzyzyz44]

At first I read 'cock'

[@C.muril0]

@@yzyzyz44 makes sense

[@davidsorrentino6296]

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

[@lizzish8336]

I am completely obsessed with this channel!!!

[@LionKingInHeart]

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

[@chobofo]

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

[@jameslatief1]

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

[@sabrinablom6969]

This is cool...

[@Vincemusicchannel]

Now this one's hilarious

[@Alusnovalotus]

James Latief too white. Try again.

[@7h698]

Best Comment!@

[@buntoncnd]

Hahahahaha. That was deliciously funny

[@utsavman47]

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

[@antonjohndell1519]

far lavatory the producer was unkind forget the rainfall

[@michaeldecker3739]

such a channel full of richness and vibrance

[@edcatt9196]

The tyranny of ourselves. Well put. Reminded me of Sartre's play NO EXIT, and the often quoted near the end line: "Other people are hell!" The hell of other "selves" battling other "selves." Basho is always relevant.

[@Willmolloy1]

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.

[@portraitofmadhu]

such stillness piercing a rock a cicada's voice loneliness seeping into the rock cicada's voice even in Kyoto longing for Kyoto the cuckoo These are my top 3 haikus composed by Basho.

[@squamish4244]

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

[@johnbowls6198]

An excellent overview of Basho and his Haiku.

[@alonespirit_1Q84]

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

[@gtabigfan34]

I hope the next one is Sun Tzu

[@roninjames101]

+The Napoleonist Before Thursday preferably, dissertation deadline day

[@psychenihil5415]

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

[@nhungtran-uo2ud]

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

[@Leolukpeu]

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

[@CaptainKraft]

+The School of Life Still a bit fast for me

[@funkyweezy8071]

Change the playback speed.

[@BUKCOLLECTOR]

Enjoyed your analysis of this classic haiku poem. Herewith is my haiku tribute to Bashō,s frog with commentary by the late Jane Reichold who also considered my poem among her top 10 haiku of all time. I was humbled and honored. Bashō,s frog four hundred years of ripples Commentary: “At first the idea of picking only 10 of my favorite haiku seemed a rather daunting task. How could I review all the haiku I have read in my life and decide that there were only 10 that were outstanding? Then realized I was already getting a steady stream of excellent haiku day by day through the AHA forum. The puns and write-offs based on Basho's most famous haiku are so numerous I would have said that nothing new could be said with this method, but here Al Fogel proved me wrong. Perhaps part of my delight in this haiku lies in the fact that I agree with him. Here he is saying one thing about realism-ripples are on a pond after a frog jumps in, but because it refers back to Basho and his famous haiku, he is also saying something about the haiku and authors who have followed him. We, and our work, are just ripples while Basho holds the honor of inventing the idea of "the sound of a frog leaping is the sound of water". As haiku spreads around the world, making ripples in more and larger ponds, its ripples are wider-including us all. But his last word reminds us all that we are only ripples and our lives are that ephemeral. It will be the frogs that will remain”. All love in isolation from Miami Beach, Florida -Al

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

[@niory]

I love eastern Philosophy .. thank you for the video

[@TheAnnayin]

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

[@philipb2134]

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

[@sosgrossosabelo]

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

[@LB__1]

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

[@velvia7880]

Will you do a video on Rumi?

[@kemal_punkt]

Shocking simplicity shoked.

[@wii3willRule]

I know this may sound besides the point, but that small comment made about death was pretty profound for me, I honestly do not know why I had not came to this idea yet. "This transience of life may sometimes be heartbreaking, but it's also what makes every moment valuable." I don't know why I suffer from this idea that death nullifies or somehow mitigates the value of life, when it is the very scarcity caused by death that gives life value. If we had unlimited time, our lives would be cheaper than dirt, literally, since it is scarcity and demand that gives things value. After a million years of what I could only imagine as boredom, we would neither experience scarcity of nor desire for life.

[@MjolnirMarks]

Gulp 🥹

[@jasoncromwell4206]

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.

[@ottodude555]

Content stomach, Life School channel, peaceful night alone.

[@dirtbagdeluxe]

i love basho. Great insights into his life. I wonder if the haiku have been written in japanese and then translated so as to also fit the sylabic pacing in english?

[@atsukorichards1675]

I think so.

[@smiptr]

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

[@fraidoonw]

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

[@Chatetris]

Nishida Kitaro next please

[@dlxinfinite7098]

Played at 0.75 speed makes this delightfully blissful.

[@annsan1722]

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

[@ganapati2623]

best episode

[@frncscbtncrt]

why is De Botton talking so fast in this one...

[@thisisbob1001]

Doing some speed.

[@kamiel79]

playing it at 1/2 speed now. it's fun!

[@kamiel79]

double speed is even more fun!

[@urban0443]

This story is so interesting. I thank him for being a founder of Haiku. I freaking love Haiku's.

[@helpfulcommenter]

He didn't found haiku, he was just a practitioner who elaborated on the form. This video is full of factual incorrectness.

[@ankitaniranjan7]

Glowing light Sees things In a beautiful night..

[@kvmanchow]

I love your videos. I hope to see more videos related to India in the future - there's a lot India has to offer in history, philosophy, arts, literature and politics. Please do a video on ancient rock art in Indian caves, which are arguably the best of Indian art

[@fraidoonw]

wonderful......thanks.

[@markcianciolo9384]

Yes, this presentation is a bit fast-paced in places. Nonetheless, as a 6 minute entre into Basho's greatness, it is excellent. It hits the bull's eye of Basho for those who have ears to hear. I recommend at least 2 listenings.

[@Peripatetic45]

"The tyranny of being ourselves." I wonder whether we are reminded, instead, of a more fundamental and lasting self (soul/being) that transcends the 'tyranny' of the materially-absorbed everyday? The deeper current beneath the waves and ripples of daily existence; the 'old pond' that supports the frog of our humdrum existence leaping in and causing noise?

[@orbo4438]

the ending is magical

[@m3lisha]

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

[@sargondp69]

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

[@danstarc]

What's up with the volume?

[@JohnBelchamber]

A perfect combination of subtlety and Basho ;)

[@tanvirjalilaiub]

fantastic video.thanks 4 sharing

[@thewhynaut5070]

back to school

[@cajka7803]

So much interesting.

[@ralitsa-ost]

THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@edcatt9196]

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

[@TheyCallMeNewb]

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. ?

[@themuslimatheist7578]

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.

[@ronaldoferreira594]

Soooooooo good. Because sooooooo real.

[@mohsenrafiee335]

Me and the burden of life And The School of Life Life can never be so light

[@citizenX117]

Do a review of some Schopenhauer work, it would be great. thanx

[@TheCarbunkleofTruth]

Eventually people will get here and realize that it isn't losing. You are gaining yourself. Choose a bet

[@rickk3114]

question, after hearing the haiku of the horse pis, i kinda wonderd if some twitter tweets are not very compare able to these poems? Like: just woke up this morning, will eat some breakfast, then off to my work. These things also very much remind us of daily live i gues, and they may help us to re-examine and stand still at these moments, which seem so normal, because they are so universaly human, yet therefore they are kinda special. But the intention of the message is different, for in twitter it may be more of an intention to inform others about yourself, then the intention the tell them something nice. Anyone has some thoughts on this?

[@SerAbiotico]

+Rick K Certainly, twitter'd be an excelent platform to produce and share modern haikus.

[@atsukorichards1675]

Interesting thought. By the way, the traditional haiku always has one Ki-go (季語 seasonal word) in it.

[@jmalko9152]

Thanks for making this video 🙂

[@wildone838]

Music in my ear, a new thought, where is Em?

[@arteblack13]

So true..... in the big picture, our individual issues feel quite petty. Appreciation yet non-attchment often times seem like separate keys to bliss.

[@josealejandrofernandezcami9238]

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