Haiku

You must have heard about the haikus of the Zen masters of Japan. They are examples of objective art. One of the famous haikus of Basho...and Basho is a genius, but he is not writing through the mind. Whatever he is writing is growing within him in his silence like a flower, and he gives it as a gift to the world.

Listen deeply to this haiku. You have to visualize it; then only will you be able to feel its freshness, its beauty, and its penetration into your own being. Just visualize:

An ancient pond.

A frog jumps in.

This sound.

Just these three lines...not even lines.

If you visualize it, you will find yourself sitting by the side of an ancient pond...a frog jumps in. You will hear the sound of the frog jumping in, and after the sound, an immense silence. That silence is the message. Basho is trying to give you the message which he has lived, felt, and he feels a responsibility that it should reach to anybody who is in search of it.

Osho: The Razor's Edge, Chapter 22