The love of nature is religion, and that religion is poetry; these three things are one thing. This is the unspoken creed of haiku poets.

We that change, hate change. And we that pass, love what abides. Ashes, darkness, dust.

Regarding R. H. Blyth: For translations, the best books are still those by R. H. Blyth. . . .

Think of Zen, of the Void, of Good and Evil and you are bound hand and foot. Think only and entirely and completely of what you are doing at the moment and you are free as a bird.

There is no greater difference between men than between grateful and ungrateful people.

These are some of the characteristics of the state of mind which the creation and appreciation of haiku demand: Selflessness, Loneliness, Grateful Acceptance, Wordlessness, Non-intellectuality, Contradictoriness, Humor, Freedom, Non-morality, Simplicity, Materiality, Love, and Courage.

There is a Hindu myth about the Self or God of the universe who sees life as a form of play. But since the Self is what there is and all that there is and thus has no one separate to play with, he plays the cosmic game of hide-and-seek with himself. He takes on the roles and masks of individual people such as you and I and thus becomes involved in exciting and terrifying adventures, all the time forgetting who he really is.