Ryōkan Taigu (良寛大愚) (1758 – 18 February 1831) [1] was a quiet and unconventional Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He is …

Taigu Ryokan was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet of the Edo period, known for his unconventional lifestyle and unadorned, deeply personal poetry. He lived as a hermit for much of his life, residing in a small hut near a mountain temple and relying on the generosity of others.

Feb 14, 2025 · Ryōkan (born 1758, Izumozaki, Japan—died Feb. 18, 1831, Echigo province) was a Zen Buddhist priest of the late Tokugawa period (1603–1867) who was renowned as a poet and calligrapher.

From Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf: Zen Poems of Ryokan, translated by John Stevens. Published by Shambala in Boston, 1996.

Nov 14, 2014 · Ryōkan, 良寛 (1758-1831) was a Japanese Sōtō Zen Master. He is best known for his poetry. But as he says, his poetry is not the type of poetry we are accustomed to. His words in their unadornment and direct simplicity are not poems, but are poetry itself – the living poetry of existence. Who says my poems are poems? These poems are not ...

1758-1831 / Japanese Ryōkan was born in the village of Izumozaki in Echigo Province (now Niigata Prefecture) in Japan to the village headman. He renounced the world at an early age to train at nearby Sōtō Zen temple Kōshōji, refusing to meet with or accept charity from his fa. I let the world take care of itself. a bundle of twigs by the fireplace.

Taigu Ryokan lives on as one of Japan’s best-loved poets, the wise fool who wrote of his humble life with directness. Born in 1758, he is part of a tradition of radical Zen poets, or 'great fools,' that includes China’s Han-shan and P’ang Yun (Layman P’ang) and …

The selection of poems presented here reflects the range and depth of Ryōkan’s Zen vision. He focused on “things deep inside the heart,” and his poems cover the spectrum of human experience: joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, enlightenment and illusion, love and loneliness, man and nature.

Ryokan (1758–1831) was a quiet and eccentric Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. He wrote poetry presenting the essence of Zen life, but refused any titles, such as teacher. His poems are characterised by his playfulness, directness and questioning nature.

Ryokan lived the hermit’s life from the age of forty to his death thirty-four years later in 1831. He became a masterful poet whose work has been translated into many languages and a master calligrapher whose work is now considered priceless.