Sky Above, Great Wind Quotes

“See and realize that this world is not permanent. Neither late nor early flowers will remain.”
― Ryokan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“I don't tell the murky world
to turn pure.
I purify myself
and check my reflection
in the water of the valley brook.”
― Ryōkan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“How could we discuss
this and that
without knowing
the whole world is
reflected in a single pearl?”
― Ryokan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“In my hometown, there are two brothers
with contrary characters.
One is clever and eloquent,
the other is foolish and silent.
The foolish one
seems to have all the time in the world.
The clever one
is always busy depleting his life.”
― Ryōkan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“If someone asks
about the mind of this monk,
say it is no more than
a passage of wind
in the vast sky.”
― Ryōkan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“I don't regard my life
as insufficient.
Inside the brushwood gate
there is a moon;
there are flowers.”
― Ryōkan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“Although from the beginning I knew the world is impermanent, not a moment passes when my sleeves are dry.”
― Ryōkan, Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

“When a great house is about to crumble, a stick cannot keep it from falling.”
― Kazuaki Tanahashi, Sky Above, Great Wind