Ikkyu Quotes & Sayings

Break open
A cherry tree
And there are no flowers;
But the spring breeze
Brings forth myriad blossoms. — Ikkyu

this boat is and is not
when it sinks both disappear — Ikkyu

We must become what we were
Before we were born — Ikkyu

I and other humans no difference. — Ikkyu

I've burnt all the holy pages I used to carry
but poems flare in my heart — Ikkyu

It isn't that we're alone or not alone
whose voice do you want mine? yours? — Ikkyu

That stone Buddha deserves all the
birdshit it gets
I wave my skinny arms like a tall
flower in the wind — Ikkyu

pleasure pain are equal in a clear heart
no mountain hides the moon — Ikkyu

ten dumb years I wanted things to be different furious proud I still feel it — Ikkyu

I was like an old leafless tree until we met green buds burst and blossom

now that I have you I'll never forget what I owe you — Ikkyu

The tree is stripped,
All color, fragrance gone,
Yet already on the bough,
Uncaring spring! — Ikkyu

We're lost where the mind can't find us
utterly lost — Ikkyu

I'd love to give you something
but what would help? — Ikkyu

Like vanishing dew,
a passing apparition
or the sudden flash
of lightning
already gone
thus should one regard one's self. — Ikkyu

Studying texts and stiff meditation can make you lose your Original Mind.
A solitary tune by a fisherman, though, can be an invaluable treasure.
Dusk rain on the river, the moon peeking in and out of the clouds;
Elegant beyond words, he chants his songs night after night. — Ikkyu

Sick of it whatever it's called sick of the names
I dedicate every pore to what's here — Ikkyu

here I am simply trying to get into your head
you think you were born you die what a pity — Ikkyu

You do this, you do that You argue left, you argue right You come down, you go up This person says no, you say yes Back and forth You are happy You are really happy — Ikkyu

Become a Buddha? The mind can't do it. The body can't do it. Only what can't become a Buddha becomes a Buddha. — Ikkyu

Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon. — Ikkyu

even before trees rocks I was nothing
when I'm dead nowhere I'll be nothing — Ikkyu

I can see clouds a thousand miles away, hear ancient music in the pines. — Ikkyu

Hearing a crow with no mouth
Cry in the deep
Darkness of the night,
I feel a longing for
My father before he was born. — Ikkyu

Born born everything is always born
thinking about it try not to — Ikkyu

Don't wait for the man standing in the
snow
to cut off his arm help him now — Ikkyu

Having no destination,
I am never lost. — Ikkyu

the wise know nothing at all
well maybe one song — Ikkyu

Look at the cherry blossoms!
Their color and scent fall with them,
Are gone forever,
Yet mindless
The spring comes again. — Ikkyu

father when I was a boy you left us now I forgive you — Ikkyu

From the world of passions returning to the world of passions:
There is a moment's pause.
If it rains, let it rain, if the wind blows, let it blow. — Ikkyu

Fucking flattery, success, money.
I just sit back and suck my thumb. — Ikkyu

Break open the cherry tree: where are the blossoms? Just wait for spring time to see how they bloom. — Ikkyu

My real dwelling
Has no pillars
And no roof either
So rain cannot soak it
And wind cannot blow
it down. — Ikkyu

Clouds very high look
not one word helped them get up there — Ikkyu

Watching my four year old daughter dance
I cannot break free of her. — Ikkyu

Eight inches strong, it is my favourite thing;
If I'm alone at night, I embrace it fully -
A beautiful woman hasn't touched it for ages.
Within my fundoshi there is an entire universe! — Ikkyu

Learn how to read the love letters sent by the wind and rain, the snow and moon. — Ikkyu

Don't read the sutras - practice meditation. Don't take up the broom - practice meditation. Don't plant tea seeds - practice meditation. — Ikkyu

don't worry please please how many times do I have to say it
there's no way not to be who you are and where. — Ikkyu

Don't hesitate get laid that's wisdom
sitting around chanting what crap — Ikkyu