Ryokan Zen Monk of Japan, translated by Burton Watson

Ryokan (1758-1831), a Buddhist monk in the Zen sect, was a major figure in Tokugawa poetry. Although a Zen master, he never headed a temple but chose to live alone in simple huts and to support himself by begging. His poems are mainly a record of his daily activities - of chores and outings to gather firewood and edible plants, lonely snow-bound winters, begging expeditions to town, meetings with friends, romps with the village children. At the same time they show us how contented, even joyous, a man could be with a minimum of material possessions, and how rich a spiritual and intellectual life he could enjoy in the midst of poverty.