I cannot say
which is which:
the glowing plum blossom is
the spring night’s moon.

*

Watching the moon
at midnight,
solitary, mid-sky,
I knew myself completely,
no part left out.

*

Although I try to
hold the single thought
of Buddha’s teaching in my heart,
I cannot help but hear
the many crickets’ voices calling as well.

Translated by Jane Hirshfield & Mariko Aratani

Izumi Shikibu (974 – 1034) is one of the greatest women poets of Japanese literature and part of the only Golden Age in world literature that was created by women writers. During her life she took many lovers and was committed to Buddhist teachings and practices. She is an example of a person whose Buddhism was fully realized in everyday life and emotions.

The moon is often a symbol of the enlightened mind in Buddhism. In the first poem enlightenment (the moon) exists in the things of the earth when they are understood in their true nature. In the second poem the moon mirrors the wholeness of the Self. In the third poem, the crickets’ voices are the voices of the world. Compassion for others is the true mark of the Bodhisattva. Izumi says here that being enlightened does not remove one from the cares of the world but asks for deep engagement.

One of the aspects of the Japanese aesthetic that I really like is their sensitivity to and appreciation of the natural world. So many times in western spirituality there is an emphasis on the intellectual – but that pristine diamond awareness is too monastic for me. I don’t think we have been given the gift of life to ignore its joys – or avoid its pathos.