I was reading a back issue of New Scientist magazine and was struck by an article written on the 20th century Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa. A Nichiren Buddhist and science teacher, he was enamored with science, nature and the observation of phenomena. From the article, it stated that “… his world view is that one’s faith and one’s essential goodness are enriched by the methods and discoveries of science.”
This particular poem caught my attention:
The phenomenon called I
Is a single blue illumination
Of a presupposed organic alternating current lamp
(a composite body of each and every transparent spectre)
The single illumination
Of karma’s alternating current lamp
Remains alight without fail
Flickering unceasingly restlessly
Together with the sights of the land and all else
(the light is preserved… the lamp itself is lost)
Your Turn