I watch people in the world
Throw away their lives lusting after things,
Never able to satisfy their desires,
Falling into deeper despair
And torturing themselves.
Even if they get what they want
How long will they be able to enjoy it?
For one heavenly pleasure
They suffer ten torments of hell,
Binding themselves more firmly to the grindstone.
Such people are like monkeys
Frantically grasping for the moon in the water
And then falling into a whirlpool.
How endlessly those caught up in the floating world suffer.
Despite myself, I fret over them all night
And cannot staunch my flow of tears.
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Comments
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The battle is endless. Be satisfied with what you have and good will come to you. Nothing has changed in hundreds of years. What a pity. Well written and still relevant.
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I love Ryokan's poems because they seem so much like diary entries. He records what he knows and feels, and it's that honesty which makes him so great.
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This is nice. When engaged in the act of just getting or in the hopes of "keeping up with the Jones'", the stress of vain actions lead to nothingness. I think most people are finally figuring this out, and I base this on the increased sales of magazines, self-help books, etc., that have simplicity as a theme. This poem serves two purposes--to show the foolishness of vain goals and to show compassion towards those that are caught up. Ryokan was in the "floating world" before he was able to retire to a life of meditation. Balance and knowing our real needs are two important factors in leading true-quality life.
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200 hundred years ago or today, the feelings are the same of so many people, grasping for what we think we need, trampling over what we actually need.
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