DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45392#0339
Ch’an, or Zen Buddhism
moment forgets herself, or shows herself to be envious of
others. Every morning her flowers unfold, magically fair,
they yield the natural virtue that has been granted to
them, then they wither. And thus they perform their
duty faithfully. Why condemn that faithfulness as vain
and profitless ?
“ It is the same with the pine as with the morning
glory, but as the life of the latter is the shorter, it illustrates
the principle in a more striking way. The giant pine
does not ponder on its thousand years, nor the morning
glory on its life of a single day. Each does simply what
it must. Certainly, the fate of the morning glory is other
than that of the pine, yet their destiny is alike in this, that
they fulfil the will of Providence, and are content. Mat-
sunaga thought his heart was like their heart, and that is
why he made that poem on the morning glory.”1
Closely consonant with Matsunaga’s poem is Henry
King’s Contemplation upon Flowers. The student will,
indeed, find that nearly every thought expressed in Budd-
hist and Hindu literature finds expression in the Western
world also; and it could not be otherwise, for the value
of these thoughts is universal, and therefore they could not
be more Oriental than Western; the East has advanced
beyond the West only in their wider and fuller acceptance.
Brave flowers that I could gallant it like you,
A nd be as little vain !
You come abroad, and make a harmless show.
And to your beds of earth again.
You are not proud: you know your birth :
For your embroider'd garments are from earth.
1 R. Petrucci, La Philosophic de la Nature dans I'Art d'Extreme-
Orient.
R
257
moment forgets herself, or shows herself to be envious of
others. Every morning her flowers unfold, magically fair,
they yield the natural virtue that has been granted to
them, then they wither. And thus they perform their
duty faithfully. Why condemn that faithfulness as vain
and profitless ?
“ It is the same with the pine as with the morning
glory, but as the life of the latter is the shorter, it illustrates
the principle in a more striking way. The giant pine
does not ponder on its thousand years, nor the morning
glory on its life of a single day. Each does simply what
it must. Certainly, the fate of the morning glory is other
than that of the pine, yet their destiny is alike in this, that
they fulfil the will of Providence, and are content. Mat-
sunaga thought his heart was like their heart, and that is
why he made that poem on the morning glory.”1
Closely consonant with Matsunaga’s poem is Henry
King’s Contemplation upon Flowers. The student will,
indeed, find that nearly every thought expressed in Budd-
hist and Hindu literature finds expression in the Western
world also; and it could not be otherwise, for the value
of these thoughts is universal, and therefore they could not
be more Oriental than Western; the East has advanced
beyond the West only in their wider and fuller acceptance.
Brave flowers that I could gallant it like you,
A nd be as little vain !
You come abroad, and make a harmless show.
And to your beds of earth again.
You are not proud: you know your birth :
For your embroider'd garments are from earth.
1 R. Petrucci, La Philosophic de la Nature dans I'Art d'Extreme-
Orient.
R
257