Exploring the Zen Tradition of Haiku
Through the Work of Eric Amann
"The haiku is a point of intersection between man and
nature," comments Eric Amann in his essay entitled The
Wordless Poem. The Wordless Poem
is an extensive essay outlining the role of Zen practices
in haiku poetry. Amann’s obsession with the Zen philosophy
has spilled into his haiku work time and again. Previously
an editor of two haiku periodicals, Haiku and Cicada, Amann
only supported and selected those haiku with characteristically
Zen attributes for final publication. The intent of this essay
is to explore the work of Eric Amann in depth seeking to further
understand the important role of Zen principles in haiku poetry.
In order to examine the work of Eric Amann it is first important
to understand the principles behind the Zen/haiku connection.
Second, it is important to understand the author’s interest
and development of haiku writing. Finally, the exploration
of Amann’s haiku will provide a first hand look at Zen
in haiku.
The Zen and Now of Haiku
Haiku "deals entirely with the here-and-now, with nature,
with intuition arising from immediate sense-experience, with
the ordinary sights and sounds of this world." Within
The Wordless Poem Eric Amann
examines the interwoven relationship of Zen and haiku. With
terms such as wordless, suchness, nothing special, season
word, selfless, and oneness Amann describes the characteristics
of haiku as they apply to basic Zen principles. Throughout
his examination he relates differences between the ego-less
poetry of the Far East compared with the egocentric poetry
seen in the western tradition.
Wordless—Haiku poetry, like Zen, transcends words.
Haiku focuses not on what the words mean in an abstract sense
but rather the image the words are able to create. Haiku is
a poetry consisting of nouns rather than being filled with
fluffy adjectives that cloud the purity of the image itself.
Zen practices hold that words are limiting and can be a distraction
from which one should detach oneself.
Suchness—Haiku poetry strives to create an image
for what it really is leaving the interpretation and further
association to the reader. However, in the western tradition
poets insist on composing egocentric works. Rather than seeing
a flower for its own beauty western poets generally use objects
as a mode to express their own intellectual sentiments using
a variety of poetic devices such as similies, metaphors, personification,
and symbolism. This is in opposition to the Zen principal
that objects should be objects and not distorted for our own
exploitation as also seen in haiku poetry.
Nothing special—A haiku can be about "wu-shi."
From a beautiful rose bush to the clumps of mud on a tennis
shoe, all of these things affect our daily lives and all things
are worth writing about. This goes along with the Zen principal
of mindfulness. One should be mindful of everything around
him/her. Good and evil are inseparable and both should be
taken into account. Everything in life is worth taking a look
at and one should be aware of everything happening around
him/her. As a haiku poet/poetess one tries to capture just
such ordinary and everyday moments.
Season word—Many haiku rely on season words to
create the setting in their haiku. Haiku is very connected
with nature and the natural order of things such as the seasons.
Zen too is highly nature oriented in contrast with the technological
man of the west. In the high speed global society of today
technology has misplaced the true nature of life. Eric Amann
notices that, "For the technological man the occurrence
of an April shower, a November snow flurry or autumn haze,
far from being poetic or bearing any relationship to his inner
life, are merely hindrances to the smooth performance of his
daily routine."
Selfless—Unlike western poets, haiku poets generally
omit themselves from their writings. Instead they remain a
bystander who observes from afar the beauty of a blossoming
pear tree or the ripples in a moonlit pond. Haiku poetry is
selfless in that it is not egocentric and becomes, as mentioned
previously "a point of intersection between man and nature."
As Basho said, "learn from the pine about the pine, from
the bamboo the bamboo. But always leave your old Self behind…"
Zen principles teach man to be selfless and to not disrupt
the natural order of things with his/her own self-interests
as does true haiku poetry.
Oneness—The core element of a haiku is the identification
of man and nature, which play an interwoven role in the cosmos
and the order of everyday life. Man and nature are one just
as all things in life can be related to a higher order of
being. Haiku often creates a sense of oneness or unity between
objects that seem on the surface unrelated or in a state of
"unresolved tension." Eric Amann relates this state
of unresolved tension to the "koan" used by Zen
masters when mentoring young students. The students are given
a statement to meditate on that may not have a logical explanation
or answer. In haiku the reader must meditate on the haiku
to discover why the seemingly unrelated objects have been
juxtaposed.
In conclusion Eric Amann states that, "haiku is not
to be regarded primarily as a from of poetry, as is commonly
assumed in the West, but as an expression of Zen in poetry,
a living Way…It touches above all upon life itself."
Zen in the Work of Eric Amann
Eric Amann first became intrigued with haiku in the 1960’s.
At that time he was a medical intern and much of his haiku
reflects his medical work. There are two primary periods in
which he wrote haiku. The first period spanned from 1966 to
1969 and the second period from 1976 to 1979 in which he also
wrote The Wordless Poem. Cicada Voices, edited by fellow Canadian
haiku writer George Swede, is a collection of Amann’s
work throughout both haiku writing periods.
Throughout both periods, Eric Amann’s haiku has proved
to contain a resonating theme of sadness and portrays the
"fleeting nature of life," comments George Swede.
Amann continues to capture traditional themes in rather unordinary
ways. Most of his haiku deal with objects that are very much
a part of the twentieth century technological environment.
A few significant changes occur between Amann’s first
and second period of haiku. During the second period he emphasizes
human relations and humor. Also, in the second period there
is an increased use of medical themes and settings, which
compliment his occupation as a medical intern.
Although most of his haiku consist of three lines, No More
Questions, No More Answers, published in 1980, is a small
collection of single line haiku by Eric Amann. Below are a
few one-liners by Amann from the chapbook Cicada Voices. All
of his one-liners below have a strong intimate feel to them,
capturing the sweet emotions felt between two lovers.
deep inside your mouth no
more questions no more answers
p.50
deep penetration
the bedside candle quivers lightly in the moonlit room
p.51
wild raspberry taste
on the tip of your tongue
p. 52
Amann has also dabbled with some visual haiku
art. However, most of his visuals have been a failed attempt
to portray anything close to his mastery of the textual haiku.
Also, Eric Amann has done experimentation with form using
various indentations and punctuations. Below is an example
of a visual haiku by Eric Amann.
The starlit sea
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cicada Voices
p. 37
Although the visual context is easy to see,
this visual haiku leaves almost nothing to the imagination
of the haiku reader. Most visual haiku are difficult because
in essence you are setting the image for the reader instead
of letting them imagine for themselves.
Below are a series of haiku written by Eric Amann throughout
both the first and second periods. These haiku are taken from
the book Cicada Voices. Through the following short collection
one can see first hand the elements at work in the haiku of
Eric Amann and also examine the Zen element within his poetry.
All of the haiku presented below contain a very selfless approach
to haiku. Amann is successfully able to omit himself from
his haiku images creating incredible imagery that allows every
reader to associate freely with it.
Haiku from the first period (1966-1969)
snow falling
on the empty parking-lot:
Christmas Eve…
Cicada Voices
p. 10
The light peaceful sound of snow falling is
breathtaking in this haiku. Amann’s use of punctuation
and space gives added emphasis to the natural breaks and flow
of his haiku. The parking lot of the toy store is empty after
many hours of hustle and bustle of last minute Christmas shoppers.
All the shoppers have returned home to wrap presents and sneak
them under the tree while the children are fast asleep in
their warm beds. The ellipse at the end of the haiku leads
the reader to envision all the wonderful things that happen
on Christmas day after the Christmas Eve anticipation is over.
This haiku fully displays the peace of Christmas time and
the joy of the season. Amann has managed to omit himself from
the haiku presenting a vivid image to his readers through
the selfless approach of Zen haiku. The haiku is wordless,
containing an image free from limiting adjectives.
In the quiet pond
even the touch of a moth
shatters the full moon
Cicada Voices
p. 15
It is interesting how Amann uses a capital letter
to start this haiku giving emphasis to its setting. The moth
flutters peacefully, barely skimming the top of the pond creating
ripples, which distort the moon. The moon’s reflection
on the pond creates a beautiful blue glow within the scene.
Within this haiku the moth plays an important role. Amann
appreciates every form of life by realizing its significance
in the scene presented here. The scene is quite and meditative
again omitting the author himself.
old men on park benches
looking older still
this autumn day
Cicada Voices
p. 21
By relating the autumn day to the old men the
reader gets an intense feeling of age and the passing of time.
Autumn represents the coming of winter, which is the end of
the year and used here to represent the age of the old men.
Perhaps they are both retired and enjoying a lazy fall afternoon
in the park beside the pond watching the children feed the
ducks or talking about times of the past. The past resonates
through this haiku and has a strong sense of nostalgia about
it. One can only begin to imagine what has brought these old
men to the park bench and what they have experienced throughout
their lives; what wisdom they have to share. Amann presents
this theme of age in an interesting manner. By relating age
to the autumn he ties the season word to the cyclical nature
of time as seen in the Zen philosophy.
Haiku from the second period (1976-1979)
the names of the dead
sinking deeper and deeper
into the red leaves
Cicada Voices
p. 38
Red leaves look almost like a layer blood covering
the cold granite gravestones. The cemetery is empty on this
autumn day. The leaves have fallen to their own autumn death
atop the graves of those who died long ago. The image painted
here is very haunting, vivid, and full of color. Green grass
pokes through the leaves. The cemetery has been left unattended
and no one has come to grieve for the lost ones beneath the
red blanket of leaves. Even in death they are buried once
again and forgotten. It is obvious why this haiku won the
Yukuharu Grand Prize in the Haiku Journal of 1978. Amann has
managed to create such a stunning image with profound meaning.
This haiku presents the season word in conjunction with death
to represent the cyclical nature of time and the process of
death and rebirth.
Winter burial:
a stone angel points his hand
at the empty sky
Cicada Voices
p. 39
In 1978 Amann’s above haiku won the Eminent
Mention Award in the periodical Modern
Haiku. This haiku represents the view that death is
not eternal. There is life after death and the angel depicted
here was placed in the cemetery to guide the souls of the
weary back home. The day is cold covered with winter clouds
and the reader can imagine men and women dressed in black
mourning the loss of their loved ones. The colors in the haiku
are very cold containing only shades of black and white. Although
this haiku it somewhat haunting it also contains a sense of
peace and calmness; a passing from the finite to the infinite.
A night train passes:
pictures of the dead are trembling
on the mantelpiece
Cicada Voices
p. 45
This haiku is the gives the reader a very unsettling
feeling. Amann captures such an eerie feeling with his haiku.
The rumble of the train and rattle of the pictures stir the
inhabitants of the house from their peaceful dreams. The sound
of the pictures rattling on the mantelpiece eliminates the
chance for further peaceful sleeping. This haiku is incredibly
haunting and could be coined the "horror flick"
of haiku. It is amazing the associations that can be derived
from this haiku and the trip the reader’s imagination
is able to take with one such image. Amann’s use of punctuation
separates the haiku nicely hearing the rumble of the train
and then following hearing the rattle of the pictures. Remaining
selfless, Amann allows the reader to jump head first into
his haiku image.
Withered winter tree;
Its barren boughs reflected
In the sick man’s eye
Cicada Voices
p.48
Amann also won an Eminent Mention Award for
this haiku published in Modern Haiku magazine in 1979. Amann’s
choice of words such as withered, winter, and barren add emphasis
to the severity of sickness the man is facing. He sees his
own ominous death reflected in the barrenness of winter. This
haiku presents a very dramatic image. The sick man’s
eyes contain sadness and emptiness signifying defeat to the
illness that has overcome him as the trees are made barren
and lifeless by the harsh cold of winter. In this haiku Amann
connects the suffering of man to the apparent suffering of
nature. As in Zen Buddhism all life is filled with suffering
and all things must share in the suffering of life. Amann
personifies the barren tree as sharing in the dying man’s
sorrow and vice versa.
The Zen
The above work of Eric Amann is laced with themes
of death and suffering. "Yet like all good haiku, they
contain that mysterious element that send the spirit in all
directions," states George Swede.
Through the work of Eric Amann haiku readers
are able to appreciate and understand the Zen approach to
haiku writing. This approach requires the author to attain
wordlessness, suchness, selflessness, and oneness keeping
in mind that a haiku can be about nothing special and often
contains season words. Amann’s work is a genuine representation
of these principles and a brilliant contribution to the haiku
society of the world.
Finally, here is one last haiku by Eric Amann
and a personal favorite of my own for meditation from Cicada
Voices. This last haiku provides a beautiful meditative calm
to the reader and is open to much interpretation. Enjoy!
Short spring night:
the mountain river
runs through my dream
Cicada Voices
p. 61
—KathrinWalsch
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