"Chori's humility is evident through his identification with such an anonymous form of nature as the leaves of unnamed plants. Like them, his body will be recycled. Perhaps actual noises are heard at the time of his death in the autumn of the year that can be interpreted as consoling. But the word "bell" is really a metaphor. There is no deliberate, personal or human commemoration of his life."

"Kono ikku / shūgihan nashi / kogarashi no."

"The drone of the mosquitoes / round the netting, too, / is sad."

"The printmakers made an economical use of the medium in producing Deer in the Snow, and the low-key palette and the bold outline led to a curiously affecting picture, the contrast of the timid animal and the stark drift of snow suggesting a suggesting a sentimentality not normally found in Toyo's work... It is one of those limited-edition books called kubari-hon, private publications, compiled in this case by a coterie of haiku poets to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the death of Doppo-an Choha (1703-1740), whom they revered as their teacher."

"And then there are those poems so absorbed in the great unknown that death becomes nearly indistinguishable from life. The jisei of Rankei Doryu, who died in 1278, reads:"

"This is one poem / people won't dispute / the winds of winter."

"Ka no koe mo / kanashiki kaya no / atari kana."

"The cuckoo sings at right angle to the lark"

"'Yes, yes!' I answered, But someone still knocked At the snow-mantled gate"

"The late master said: "What will 'a monkey' do here? Tell me how you have come up with the conception of the poem." Kyorai replied: "I was thinking that the speaker, enjoying the bright moonlight, wanders in mountains and fields while reciting poems. At that moment he saw another poet under the cliff." The late master said: "It would add more furyu if you make here comes another companion of the moon' the poet's self-portrait, though this will make it a first-person poem."

"Sadly I see the light fade on my palm: a firefly."

"A raging sea thrown from the deck a block of ice."

"... "Hototogisu!" I waited and repeated, — And day dawned. This is said to have been composed in the early morning after having vainly attempted all night long to write a haiku on this subject, set by her teacher, Rogembo. It seems to me a very fine verse. She has at last identified herself with the hototogisu, and begins to sing like one. A similar verse, in which the bird can be heard, is Hie famous 13th century Cuckoo Song: Summer is icumen in Lhude sing cucu! But the verse attributed to Chiyo-jo seems to derive from one by Chowa, who died in 1715 aged 78."

"I look now at the very moment Even the Buddha is dumbfounded. All turns with a swing. I land on the plain of nothingness."

"The truth is never taken From another. One carries it always By oneself. Katsu!"

"Empty-handed I entered the world Barefoot I leave it. My coming, my going - Two simple happenings That got entangled."

"Although [Tetsugen] was already married, he was dissatisfied that in the [True Pure Land] sect, people without talent or merit held high rank in the temple hierarchy. Therefore, he went up to Mount Ōbaku and followed [the instruction] of Muan."

"The dying master left in the hands of Tetto Giko, his disciple during the years of obscurity at Ungo-an and the head monk of Daitokuji since its inauguration. Tetto, an able and energetic administrator, served as abbot for thirty-one years. He persuaded several well-known nobles and warriors to become personal disciples and temple patrons, stabilizing Daitokuji during a period of political and economic adversity. Tetto was so fervent in the guidance of his monks that he once threatened to cut off his own tongue unless someone attained kensho during a ninety-day training session. Midway through the term Gongai Sochu (1315-1390) came to enlightenment, and Gongai later became Tetto’s principal successor."

"Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) was an artistic Zen monk of importance, who took "a transcendental view of things that are relative and limited. One eye was turned deeply inward, while the other looked out with concern to catch the fleeting shadows of our earthly life.""

"In 1837, when Sengai Gibon was asked by one of his students if he had anything to say before passing away, he replied, “I don't want to die.""

"Tetto Giko (1295-1369) [was a] Japanese Rinzai monk of the late Kamakura (1185-1333) and early Ashikaga (1392-1568) periods. Tetto was born in Izumo and became a Buddhist monk at age six. He began his practice of Zen at Kennin-ji, where he took the precepts at age nineteen."

"The Japanese Zen master Kozan Ichikyo wrote the [above dead] poem in the year 1360 before he laid down his calligraphy brush and left the world while sitting upright... We not only come into this world and leave this world alone, we also cannot take anything along with us into the other world — in case there is one. If there is no permanence, it is also nonsense to tie our boat to our possessions and dreams. Consequently, it is also senseless to cling to certain philosophies, thoughts, feelings, and values, which we take along to the grave when all is said and done. But instead of taking them to the grave with us, it is possible to already learn to let go of them during our lifetime. 1 think that this is a task in life!"

"Suzuki often cited the work of Japanese Zen monk Sengai Gibon (1750–1837), whose painting Circle, Triangle, and Square he saw as the embodiment of the universe. Suzuki interpreted Sengai’s three fundamental forms as geometries of formlessness and infinity, which underscored his own view of emptiness as the essence of Zen enlightenment. This scroll has fascinated people ever since. Rather than a single level of black or gray, the ink tones keep changing. The forms overlap just a bit, suggesting interconnections between these fundamental shapes."

"Whenever Chan Master Seisetsu Shucho gave Dharma talks at Engaku Temple many, many people would come. Whenever there was a talk the crowd would be so tightly packed into the hall that you could barely move. Finally, someone suggested that a new wing be added to the temple to allow for a more spacious lecture hall."

"He who comes knows only his coming, He who goes knows only his end. To be saved from the chasm, Why cling to the cliff? Clouds floating low Never know where the breezes will blow them."

"My hour draws near and I am still alive. Drawn by the chains of death I take my leave. The King of Hades has decreed Tomorrow I shall be his slave."

"Young bride Be alive till they say to you Die! Die!"

"On a winter morning in 1360, Zen master Kozan Ichikyo (sic) gathered together his pupils. Kozan, 77, told them that, upon his death, they should bury his body, perform no ceremony and hold no services in his memory. Sitting in the traditional Zen posture, he then wrote [his dead poem]... After he finished, Kozan gently put down his brush, and then died. He was still sitting upright."

"Zen Master Seigan Soi (1588-1661) was born in Omi province. He was also known as Jisho, Koro, and Bodo, and was the Dharma-heir of (1556-1621, 159th abbot of Daitokuji)."

"If you say, 'Come back later', He will speedily come to snatch you away. Say rather, 'I shall not be in till I'm ninety-nine'"."

"Words of Tetto Osho (ja: 『徹翁和尚語録』), 2Vols., 応永32 年(1435)"

"Seigan Sōi was the 170th abbot of Daitokuji in Kyoto. Also known as Jishōshi or Korō, he founded Zen temples throughout Japan and was invited by the shogun (1604–1651) to assume the abbacy of Tōkaiji in Shinagawa, Edo (Tokyo) in 1649, after the death of the eminent monk (1573–1645)."