HEALING THROUGH HAIKU : OBSERVING OUR WORLD IN SEVENTEEN SYLLABLES

Aloha, fellow Starlings from sunny Kaua’i island! Remembering that we are all made of starstuff and therefore the Light of The Universe inherently resides inside of each and every one of us!

Please read on for the full transcript from my
Dharma Lesson during Saturday Sangha
on 19 December 2020 with
The Present Center of Mindfulness & Healing.

Thank you, Heather Klemanski for leading another beautiful meditation practice and for sharing your support, Love and wisdom with all of us on this journey.  It is an awesome honor to co-host with Heather today for my very first time as I welcome you to our special Solstice Sangha.  I am also in deep gratitude for all of today’s teachers, notably Dr. Jenna Tedesco, who have provided their wisdom, encouragement, support and Love.

And mahalo, thank you, to everyone for showing up for yourselves and our blessed Sangha, and for sharing your Light with us today while holding space for others to share theirs and for me to shine mine.  May we all continue reflecting this Light back within and without, sharing it with ourselves and the world as we approach our longest night on the Winter Solstice—perhaps closely followed by the sacred celebrations of this holiday season be it Chrismukkwanza, Festivus, or otherwise!

I would like to begin by humbly requesting your patience and openness with today’s offering as I intend to do my best to adhere to the familiar structure we have become acclimated to, all while introducing a new practice.  That being said, this is also structured to be a Dharma talk between our more typical practice and sharing format.  

We would Love for EVERYONE be able to participate and share today as part of this practice, so we request that everyone attempt to please keep our shares short, saving any questions for the end of the lesson.  There will be time to share at the end and your answer might just appear as we move along!

So to continue, I would like to invite everyone in for a swift little Check-in with a quick description of your feelings in this very moment while reflecting on personal experience with today’s meditation in, let’s say, five to seven words…

I’ll begin as an example:

I feel…Grateful, Curious, Excited, Nervous, Brave…

And next I will call on our next Starling to share their in 5 to 7 words…

Mahalo, thank you, for sharing your beautiful feelings with me.  I realize it can be challenging to compact our experiences into just a few words, so I appreciate your openness and willingness as we embark on this endeavor together—all while noticing without judgement whatever comes up for us and honoring all that arises in this moment.

So again I welcome you to our very special Solstice Sangha!   All during possibly a very different December than you may be accustomed to!  

Yet I invite you to imagine all the possibilities that remain within these limitations we are all being faced with—possibilities that may simply be awaiting our permission to be seen and heard, felt and smelled, tasted and touched.

Observed.  Sans judgement—and perhaps even releasing the need to strive for non-striving!  Simply creating the space and inviting the mind, body and spirit to coexist as one without attachment to the other, being present with all that is…moment to moment as it unfolds into infinity, letting each experience pass into the ether while allowing the next to arrive in divine time.

And so for today’s practice, I invite you to begin exploring the experience of trying something different on for size, just to see how it fits, just to see how it feels, just to observe our worlds and our feelings through them,  using our I as an eye.  Which I realize, isn’t always just a “just” for most of us.

Yet just for today, in this ever-unfolding moment, I am holding space as I invite you to visit and explore a place full of curiosity, creativity, wonder, presence—and of course, Mindfulness in a practice I’d like to introduce called:

Healing Through Haiku:
Observing Our World

in Seventeen Syllables

You may have heard this word Haiku somewhere before.  Hmm, could it have been just last week that Dr. Jenna—without any prior knowledge to our planned practice—just happened to mention and recommend Haiku as a mindfulness poetry practice???  Major Synchronization of the Collective Unconscious on 12/12!  Which I will take as a sign of divine timing, even if that meant having to wait a couple of weeks to present this to you!  Now THAT was a lesson in non-attachment, with a reward for it just around the corner proving that practice makes perfect—with all its juicy imperfections and impermanence of course!

And so today we arrive at the opportunity to sync up all this serendipity through the healing power of Haiku, where we will be using the mind for Mindfulness.

To review, we’ll begin with the dharma talk then dip in to our practice before taking a break and returning for some share time.  Please feel free to make a note of any thoughts or questions to share at the end, unless something feels über pressing e.g. if I make a glaring mistake in pronunciation, which is highly possible!
 
On another note, Heather is kindly typing the title in the chat for everyone to refer back to should they wish, and she will add any pertinent information and details in the chat as we continue.  Thank you, Heather.

Now being that brevity is one of the hallmarks of Haiku (and a nutritious part of my complete practice), I will attempt to keep its rich and interesting history—along with any necessary instructions—as brief as possible.  All while continuing to approach with A Beginner’s Mind as I am uncertain of everyone’s experience or comfort level with Haiku or poetry in general.  And of course teaching this practice is also completely new to me!

So as Dr. Jenna reminded us, we must learn the rules so we can know which ones we wish to break!

—inspired by Jenna Tedesco, Psy.D.

So for those brand spanking new, Haiku is a form of short poetry originating in Japanese literature during the 17th century—when it was known as hokku, or opening verse of classical renga poetry.  Something I will not elucidate on here, yet you are welcome to explore on your own.

Used for studying Zen Buddhism, Haiku is also widely considered the most simplified form of poetry and often the first taught to young children—after Dr. Suess of course!  (But don’t quote me on that—artistic license!).  That doesn’t mean you’re on par with a four year old if you’re challenged by the practice; simple isn’t always synonymous with easy!

In fact, Haiku is quite a revered art form as many seemingly simple Zen practices are.  You may know Matsuo Bashō, who is one of the most famous of the poets who helped hone the form we use today, the 5-7-5 verse format (or morae) for a total of 17 syllables.
 
You may recall our 5-7-5 breathwork or 5 to 7 word check in as an introduction to this format.
Haiku also traditionally involves a seasonal or nature reference know as kiru, as well as a kireji or “cutting word,” which I will describe more in a moment.

First, here is one of Bashō’s famous Haiku poems to ponder as we move along:

From time to time
The clouds give rest
To the moon-beholders

—Matsuo Bashō

Obviously, this Haiku poem (and many others) were originally scribed in Japanese and then translated, losing its 17-syllable morae, so if you go digging, don’t be confused, just return to the breath of the form, 5-7-5 if you so wish.

On a side note, if you would like to read more about Bashō and Haiku, may I suggest A Zen Wave by Robert Aitken—which by complete coincidence is my name—and was published in my birth year 1978, so naturally I had to get a first edition (jus’ sayin’).  The Morning Star (also by Aitken and by coincidence) includes selections from other poets if you feel interested in learning a more in-depth history about the Zen Buddhist practice of Haiku.

Yet for the purpose of today’s practice, I will guide you through the basics as I have interpreted, understood, and applied them in my own personal practice—while perhaps also providing some examples of the alternative structures I’ve been playing with over the past several years if there’s time, should you feel more daring.  Or perhaps your dare is to stick to a strict structure!  For some of us, it may be practicing restraint, for others it may be practicing expansion.  All is an evolution! 

With that, the only true rule I do not ever deviate from is the 5-7-5 verse format (or morae) where the first and third lines contain five syllables and the second line contains seven for a total of seventeen.  In my personal practice, I use my fingers to count as I whisper the words aloud, then write them down as I see fit.  You may stumble at first and then perhaps, as I found with my practice, words will simply start stringing together your head in ready-made 5-7-5 syllable patterns!

Creating your own method may also assist you in feeling more empowered and confident in approaching this practice, which I personally believe to be key.  I feel that giving ourselves permission to be creative and exploratory and curious while allowing for any missteps to naturally occur as an integral part of the process is truly an act of radical Self Love!
You never know what interesting things might develop on this adventure! 

And here’s a Haiku that conjure that concept:

Learning while turning
Mistakes to Masterpieces
Creating our Change

—Stär Zen Wave

They need not rhyme, in fact, they rarely do.  I happen to like rhyming along with other literary styles like the unifying sounds of assonance (no, not a term for people who irritate us) and alliteration where the words flow into one another like cascading waves and bounce off the mind’s tongue!  Personifying nature is also great fun!

Here’s an example of all those things put together:

Ulu undulates
Branches breach the skyline’s skin
Reaching for Heaven

—Stär Zen Wave

That’s a poem about our beautiful Ulu tree.

Now to return to one of the traditional elements, which is often seen as an absolute requirement in creating Haiku, is what is known as a kireji or “cutting word”.  This can provide an emotional emphasis, jarring juxtaposition or even a heightened sense of closure to the verse.

I find that creating Haiku with a strong or even subtle juxtaposition—these two things placed closed together for a contrasting effect (perhaps availing oxymoronic phrases like “the sound of bright emptiness”)—can give the poem a more mindful quality.
 
And with this contrast, I find (and rather ironically!) that the container of the Haiku poem structure, that limitation of sorts, is what actually allows for space to be held for the possibility of conflicting thoughts to show up and work together, to coexist in this almost forced harmony of sorts, not unlike our container of Mother Earth, asking the reader (and perhaps the creator simultaneously) to ponder on these perspectives in further meditations.

I personally feel that it is within our very limitations that we are at our most creative—and potentially even our most cooperative.  All dependent on our perspectives and willingness to alter them, of course.

Here’s a quote I’d like to share about this…

In our limited perspective, we can forget that both things—often complete opposites—can absolutely coexist in harmony and be true, even when seemingly in conflict. 

As is the essence with Haiku, life can be a cutting juxtaposition in itself, a perfect paradox signifying great change and calling for us to integrate it all into the ultimate alignment.

—Stär Zen Wave

In other words, we need not make anything wrong to make ourselves right.  Both—or all—things can exist without immediately placing our pre-conceived judgements on them as I believe all of Life possesses both a Light and shadow side with equal opportunity for expansion, growth and harmony.

Such is with Haiku—an opportunity to heal our hearts and minds and bodies through mindful reflection of Life’s ubiquitous juxtapositions and ever-present paradoxes.  I’ve shared this particular Haiku on occasion and return to it often for mindfulness in the wake of perceived conflict:

Grief and gratitude 
Aren’t mutually exclusive 
Feel it all to heal

—Stär Zen Wave

Now back real quick to kireji in the phrase “the sound of bright emptiness”.  We don’t often associate emptiness with having sound, nor emptiness as bright, both of which can provide the perfect kireji or “cutting word,” again one of the three main qualities associated with creating Haiku.
 
The other two just to review are the 5-7-5 syllabic verse format as discussed, and a seasonal reference the kiru—although all these rules are often broken, as I intend to do as well, save for that 17-syllable structure.

And for a little brief history of my time, I specifically call it Healing Through Haiku since I feel it is available to nearly everyone as an empowering Mindfulness practice, specifically for those who may be suffering, healing from trauma and/or feeling extremely limited, although it’s really for anyone who wishes to expand upon their Mindfulness practice.

Trying to fit our vast experiences into 17 syllables may seem maddening, yet at the same time it can also be incredibly liberating.

—Stär Zen Wave


To know and to truly embody the fact that we still have the ability to consciously create in nearly any circumstance, with AND without an infinite number of possibilities to choose from is truly a magical space.

You can have any color you want, as long as it fits within the phrase!  
All you need is a way to observe, and the words to form that observation into.  You don’t even need to document it!  You can create it in your head, tell it to a tree, bury it with a seed in the ground, whatever!  Oh, but it does help if you can count to both five and seven.

And that’s kind of a joke, yet party true for me as this practice began when I lost many normal abilities to function fully as a human being.

As a once prolific artist exploring many media, Haiku became truly one of the only creative experiences I could regularly practice while bed-ridden for five years.  Because of its simplicity, it came without a great deal of pain nor frustration as I had a nervous system disease that affected my cognition, decision-making (including editing haha!) and motor skills.
 
Almost like having a stroke that waved in and out, where I struggled to walk, speak and even read.  I suddenly had ALL this time and all these books yet I couldn’t read!  It was heartbreaking, yet gave me the opportunity to drastically simplify my Life.  So while inadvertently practicing another Japanese technique called tsunduko—surrounding myself with books in hopes of receiving their goodness through osmosis—I also decided to try something within the very limitations to which I was bound.

At that point it was like, well, what CAN I do???

And so Healing Through Haiku was born seven years ago. Now, in honor of my ReBirthday, I’d like to share it with you! 

And with those few simple steps and abilities hopefully we all possess, you can literally write a Haiku about your fingernail in under a minute.  In fact, here’s one now!

Tiny crescent moons
Whispers falling to the floor
With each swift clean cut

—Stär Zen Wave

And now to end with an example of a more philosophical approach as an alternative, here’s a final Haiku to possibly inspire your practice, whether it be Haiku, meditation or simply pondering the possibilities of Life, The Universe and Everything…

Through is the journey
And is the destination
Infinite as One

—Stär Zen Wave


Now for an elucidation on the process and product, in this example, we play with the multiple meanings of “through” not unlike everyday mindfulness of the mundane or the breath of meditation.
 
When you’re in it, you’re going through, when you’re out, you’ve been through, only to be going through to the new once again!  This cycle is as infinite as One, as the I (the true Self as I see Her) is an eye; an inner and outer one; our own personal portal to all that does and can exist—only to emerge back on the other side once again in an endless ouroboros!  I, ever loquacious, could go on into infinity elaborating on just this one poem, yet believe it is time to invite you to participate in your own creation of this practice.

Many mahalos for holding such generous space and time for today’s Dharma talk.  I am so incredibly honored, blessed and grateful.  So looking forward to the possibility of discovering different parts of ourselves today!

And if you have not yet gathered together your writing implements, please do so now.  If it feels good to you, I suggest to select your favorite writing utensil and perhaps a special journal or paper as well, although you may use the back of an envelope or napkin or a stick to scrawl something out in the dirt.  Whatever works best for you!

I often just peck them into my phone’s notes in a pinch, yet I have recently begun a daily practice of physically writing in a treasured journal with a pen that brings me joy as an act of radical self-Love!
 
Okay, everyone have their implements of construction?  Good!  Now I would like to first invite you take a deep breath into your body for five seconds before we begin, breathing it back out in seven seconds with care into the world around you, perhaps even deeper than your in breath—releasing to receive into infinity as we invite our minds to open to all the possibilities of The Universe as we intend to exhale the words of our hearts.
 
Holding space for all the things exist out there that we couldn’t possibly fathom.  Thinking of all the things that exist in here [our minds and bodies] that we still can’t fathom!  The significance and insignificance swimming simultaneously, acknowledging the vulnerability this practice may bring out of the shadows and into the Light to be Loved and honored and observed and possibly transmuted, transformed or simply allowed.

So today while sitting with the possibility of this expansion, I invite you to join me in setting the intention of containing these observations of our experiences, turning them into thoughts, forming them into words, and molding them into seventeen syllable structures of our very own creations.  Our own little Universe, building sentence sculptures, like playing with clay until we create a shape that satisfies the Soul.  This is the essence of Haiku, and of our creative Lives.

I also acknowledge that this practice may feel elating to some, daunting to others, or somewhere else entirely on the spectrum, nowhere at all or all of the above, remembering that whatever you happen to experience is always okay—and may potentially even elicit emotions that prove to be extremely fruitful when applied to the creative process!  Perhaps evoking these experiences can even be incorporated into your Haiku practice today.  There are no rules with this, only guidelines, remembering that paper does not refuse ink!

For me, this is a relatively short practice, essentially designed not to over-think, so I personally feel it’s important to allow whatever immediately comes through to be acknowledged then finessing whatever forms into the syllabic structure.  As the great da Vinci claimed, art is never truly completed, just merely abandoned!

So who among us feels like they have a pretty good grip on the format, structure and style, the perimeters, etc. before we continue on to practicing the practice?  For those who feel ready to begin, feel free to do so while I answer any specific questions in the chat for anyone feeling like they’re not quite ready to begin, which we can be written privately to me or left open to Everyone should you feel your question will help others on their journey as well.
 
Wonderful.  Now let’s take the next few moments—let’s say the next 575 seconds or about 10 minutes—to begin reflecting on and creating our Haiku with our mics on mute.  Once you feel finished or ready to gleefully abandon your creation (or perhaps beforehand if you need to), feel feel to take a quick break and please return by 12 noon EST or 7:00 am Kaua’i time for our optional share time.  Mahalo.

{ HEALING THROUGH HAIKU PRACTICE }

Aloha and welcome back!  Now to share our creations and experiences.  For those new to Haiku, how did it feel to be introduced to the practice?  For those returning, how did it feel to apply it using it as a mindfulness practice?  What about it did you enjoy?  Did you experience any challenges?  Again, it’s perfectly okay and normal to experience challenges, confusion, resistance or even discomfort!  Who would like to share first?  Feel free to jump in and try to keep your share to under two minutes so that everyone who would like to share has an opportunity to do so.

Beautiful! Thank you for your courage in creating with us today. Again Many mahalos, blessings and blissings to you and yours!

Now for a Haiku based on a quote stolen from Anaïs Nin—as I stole this saying from Dr. Jenna: “good artists borrow, GREAT artists steal!”

Must Be a Mermaid
Great fear of shallow living
And no fear of depths

—Stär Zen Wave as inspired by Anaïs Nin

And as we prepare to say Aloha, here is my holiday Haiku to all of you!

Mahalo to All
Mele Kalikimaka
May you find your Bliss

—Stär Zen Wave

Aloha.

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