"Stars and Dandelions"

Stars and Dandelions　( 星とたんぽぽ )

Misuzu Kaneko (1903-1930)

Deep down in the blue sky

Like pebbles on the ocean floor

They lie submerged till dark comes...

Stars unseen in the light of day.

You can't see them, still they're there.

Even things not seen are there.

Petals drop and withered dandelions

Hidden in cracks between roof tiles

Wait silently for spring to come...

Their strong roots unseen.

You can't see them, still they're there.

Even things not seen are there.

(translated by D.P.Dutcher)

Image via wikimedia

                                                                         

What we can see with our eyes is not everything that exists. The invisible things do exist sustaining the lives of all the living things.  They can be love, thoughtfulness, gratitude, attention, prayers, .......,  people we don't know directly, or earth's atmosphere, soil, sunlight and other cosmic power which embraces all the things on the Earth.  We tend to fail to appreciate or even notice why we are here and are able to live.

Kaneko chose dandelions along with stars.  Is it because dandelion flowers look like stars in the fields?  Stars in the heaven and stars in the daytime on the Earth.

 

About the importance of the invisible things, some people would quote from Saint-Exupery's:  "What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well."  or "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eyes."   I introduce "Hoshi to Tannpopo" as a Japanese example.

Misuzu Kaneko (1903-1930) is a female poet for children.  I like it when she touches the truth of existence both animate and inanimate, gazing at them gently and compassionately.  Her profound thoughts reach straight my heart because of  her simple and plain words.  I wonder if her soft spoken-Japanese like a gentle child is conveyed by translation to non-native speakers of Japanese.   

I got to know her poems in 2003 when the centenary of her birth was commemorated.  She passed away young at the age of 26.

 

Misuzu Kaneko's room

"Hoshi to Tannpopo" as well as "Suzume no Kasan" (Sparoow's Mother) is currently recited on TV advertisement of Hihakai Kensa (Nondestructive Testing) Ltd. in Japan. 

One of a kind

Todai-ji Buddha Hall

I went to Todaiji Otobutai, an evening concert featuring Sarah Brightman, Sirque du Soleil Zed, and HY, last Saturday. It was held in front of the Buddha Hall of Todai-ji, the largest wooden structure in the world. Although I have been there many times, it was my first music experience at Todai-ji.  Sara Brightman's performance was great, but I'm not going into the details about the concert.  Instead, I'll write something I remember about the message of Todai-ji.  (You'll be able to see its broadcast on MBS or TBS, 9:55-10.50 a.m. on Nov.3 if you're in Japan. )

In the 8th century, Todai-ji was built as a headquarter of all Japanese temples. It was not only a center for rituals of the nation but also a center for scholar monks to learn Buddhism beyond different schools. After Meiji Restoration, temples had to choose one school and Todai-ji chose Kegon.

Pictorical representation of the world of enlightenment

According to the Kegon text, "Each individual is not an isolated existence, but all phenomena have limitless connections and dimensions and the entire universe is enveloped in the light of Vairocana's (Buddha's proper name) wisdom."   I'm interested that this can be explained by modern physics theoretically, but for now I'll stay away from it.  In my daily life, I take the notion like this; all living beings are connected by our consideration for one another.

When I'm asked about Kegon Buddhism, I introduce what I was once told by one of the monks regarding "ke" (which means flower) of "ke-gon" : "Each of human beings has a seed within us. Buddha is the one who has grown the seed to flower beautifully. What we are supposed to do is to do our best to make a seed grow into a flower. " He added, "It's just like the message of a song 'Sekai ni Hitotudake no Hana.'"

"Sekai ni Hitotudake no Hana"  or "The Only Flower in the World" is a J-pop song by Smap, written by Noriyuki Makihara. The following is a summary of lyrics:

Look at the flowers at the flower shop
Each is so beautiful that makes your heart stop                     

Flowers stand tall and proud blooming
without competing which one is the best                       
Why can't we people live like flowers?
Why do people always want to compare and compete?
Each of us hold different seed within us
We are all unique, we are all different
You don't have to be number one cause you're already only one
You should do your best to make a seed grow into a flower

Further by assoiation, I remember a poem titled "Watashi to Kotori to Suzu to," or "Me, a Songbird, and a Bell" by Kaneko Misuzu, my favorite Japanese writer of poetry for children.

Spread my arms though I may
I'll never fly up in the sky.
Songbirds fly but they can't run
Fast on the ground like I do.

Shake myself though I may
No pretty sound comes out.
Bells jingle but they don't know
Lots of songs like I do.

         Bell, songbird, and me
        All different, all just right.         (translated by D.P.Dutcher)

This is original Japanese.

Strolling around Asuka

Asuka is a cradle of Japanese culture.  Buddhism first flourished here right after its entry from India via China and Korea.  The imperial capital of Japan in its heyday (538-710) is now underground, while some ruins and relics have been excavated.

Asuka is well known for the terraced rice paddies.  The scenery of paddies is beautiful especially in summer when it is lush green filled with water and in autumn when it is yellow ready for reaping. 

Red cluster amaryllis, or spider lilies, make a spectacular borders between the paddies and the footpaths.  They started blooming two weeks later than usual due to intense summer heat of this year. 

They are called "higanbana" in Japanese, for they are the flowers (hana) which usually bloom around the autumn equinox day (higan).  It is a custom for the Japanese to pay a visit to ancestors' grave during spring and autumn equinoctial week.  In autumn, they bloom at the gate or in the precinct of temples as if welcoming visitors.

Why are they often at the graveyard or on the narrow paths between the paddies in Japan?   Because the bulbs contain a toxic agent against the pest and the stem contains edible proteins useful in case of poor harvest.  They are also called "manjushage" which is named after a red flower in the Buddha's Pure Land.  In spite of the naming from the Buddhism sutra,  I feel more passionate beauty than soothing beauty in this flower when the flowers are red.  There are also white ones.

You can't see flowers and leaves at the same time.  After flowering ends, green leaves appear and last till next spring.

Tachibana-dera is one of seven temples established by Prince Shotoku and is regarded as his birth place.  At its foundation in the 8th century, it had 66 halls in its precinct.  Now all that remains is the foundation stones of the pagoda and a couple of buildings.

Pink and white fuyo, or cotton roses, were still blooming. 

( DigiBook about Tachibana-dera)
   

There are many mysterious stone objects in Asuka.  This is one of such stone objects made in Asuka period.  The stone is carved with two human faces expressing good and evil   existing inside human nature. 

evil (left side)
good (right side)

Scarecrow contest was held there.  They are more like lifesize dolls than scarecrows.  I wonder how this couple could scare crows?  They looked more　tender and affectionate under the rosy hue of evening sky.   It will be fine tomorrow.