Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Don Baird's Book

Dalvir Gill
Excerpt from:
"Haiku Wisdom :Living the Principles and Philosophiesof Kung Fu, Haiku and Nature"

by Don Baird ( Modern English Tanka Press; Baltimore, Maryland, 2011; ISBN 978-1-935398-25-7 )

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Beginner's Mind

teetering …
a toddler balances
ice cream

We all have to start somewhere. And for a new endeavor, that means at the beginning. “Teetering” … yes, that will be part of it. Learning, forgetting and studying again and again to finally “get it,” to finally “own it,” will be part of it too. I look at all Martial Art beginners as toddlers, in a way. They wobble: they bobble. They forget: they lose their balance. And though they might not drop the ice cream, they drop techniques and concepts and probably will for years down the line.

The art of learning requires a Beginner’s Mind. A Beginner’s Mind is an open and receptive mind. It has been said for centuries that a cup already full is a cup that has lost its usefulness. When students reach a place where they believe they “already know it,” they have become that full cup, without potential, and in serious danger of limiting their talent’s possibilities forever.

Being a constant beginner. That’s the attitude! Don’t expect anything. That’s the attitude! Simply embark on the humble path of learning. Follow the words of your instructor. Practice at home. Ask few questions but search for many answers. Stay anchored and don’t miss participating. Continue to realize that most of your questions and all of your doubts will be satisfied over the next 100 years! … I’m long range minded.



About the time you think you know something, that is also about the time you should emerge, yet again, with the Beginner’s Mind. Forget about what you know or don’t know. Forget about knowing or not. Keep the beginner’s mind: remain empty. The techniques you’ve studied properly will continue to develop and enlighten you for years to come. Take a look around. Notice how many of them apply to your everyday life. I’d say, “All of them!” Whether you take up golf, piano, photography or any other discipline, you are best off if you hold on to the principle of being the perpetual beginner and don’t stray from it—not even an inch.

Possibly, one day in the future, you might take a moment and look at yourself as advanced! But then, in a split second or less, empty your cup once more and continue on your journey of training, learning and practicing.

Keep the cup empty—always. Keep the ego checked at the door. One of my teachers used to remark, “If it isn’t good for you, just cut it off!” I always hope he wasn’t speaking literally! In regards to ego, however, he was!

Stay focused. Remember, the beginner’s teetering will eventually leave on its own. With proper instruction and a diligent attitude, you will stop the wobbles and bobbles and become solid. You will find your center, your balance, and eventually your advanced self … without even knowing it.

It takes time: it takes you.
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Truth

amidst
a thousand clouds …
autumn smile

It’s wonderful to look to the earth and sky for advice. It’s even more wonderful when you look and see the moon smiling at you in the midst of the Autumn clouds of life. The moon knows that above every cloud is blue sky and, so, it smiles to remind us of that truth.
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Foreword

The title of this book is Haiku Wisdom. Its secondary title is Living the Principles and Philosophies of Kung Fu, Haiku and Nature. While much of the book is drawn on the philosophies of martial arts and its centuries of wisdom, it isn’t limited to that. Haiku, themselves, are often written as clear witnesses of nature and her ways. When observed well and written objectively, the messages of nature readily reveal themselves to the reader. Philosophical surprises are around every corner. It simply takes the poet and reader to connect the dots; aha! … the reader walks away with new and wonderful insights of life and its mysterious ways and workings.

I vividly remember my experience in writing:

oh snail …
you were there
yesterday!

It became a well respected haiku, winning first place in the Sokan Tadashi Kondo Award, NKC Radio haiku contest. The resonance was readily picked up by Master Kondo and also, he enjoyed the brevity. When he spoke about it, the poem became bigger than life. Today, it continues to resonate throughout the world. A few pages into the book, you will have another moment to ponder it a bit more. I’ll leave the rest to you.

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Gabi Greve in her review said that when someone asked her to write the names of ten best american haizens, she could write only,"Don Baird".
here are three of his haiku, not haiku according to her own philosophy of Haiku. Baird is a Kung-Fu Master, and has written several essays and a book on that Martial Art form. Please give it your generous glance Jagjit Sandhu, Ranjit Singh Sra, Swaran Singh, Kuljeet Mann......
Like · · Unfollow Post · November 2, 2012 at 4:22am near Brampton

  • Dalvir Gill Some Reviews

    "A book that embraces the spirit of martial arts through the avenue of haiku. I constantly pick this book up to remind myself of the quaint philosophies that imbue Master Baird's art and to bring those ideas into my everyday life."

    Maste    r Adam Marshall

    "Haiku Wisdom is a book unlike any I have read before. It's a poetry book, a philosophy book, and a self-help book all in one. Reading each individual chapter, the reader will be tempted to think Baird is speaking directly to them... and they will be correct. He has a skillful way of addressing topics that are pertinent to all of us... in a way that makes us want to explore his meanings and our experiences at the same time. I keep Haiku Wisdom by my bedside where I can pick it up at any time and randomly read a page or two. No matter how many times I read it, I always get something new out of it."

    Bridget Streb

    "Don Baird is a rare English launguage haiku poet. He views haiku as a Japanese genre that is event biased versus object biased. The decades he's s taught and studied martial arts influences his mind set. Recently someone wrote me asking me to name 10 American haiku poets who I feel are topnotch. I couldn't think of ten, but Don Baird was one of the names I wrote down. His haiku breathe life and recognize the creative force of nature (zoka) as a haiku poet's master sensei."

    Robert Wilson, co-owner, co-managing editor of Simply Haiku

    "One of the few who understands the Japanese ways."

    Dr. Gabi Greve, World Kigo Database, Japan
    November 2, 2012 at 4:30am · Like · 1
  • Swaran Singh A lot to think about here. Thank you for posting this
    November 2, 2012 at 5:04am via mobile · Unlike · 1
  • Jagjit Sandhu oh snail …
    you were there
    yesterday!

    ਇਹ ਹਾਇਕੂ ਕਿੰਨੇ 'ਰੂਲ' ਤੋੜਦਾ ਹੈ? ਗਿਣੋ। ਆਓ ਵਿਗਿਆਨ ਪੜਤਾਲ਼ ਕਰਕੇ ਸਿੱਖੀਏ।
    November 5, 2012 at 7:21pm · Unlike · 1
  • Dalvir Gill yes Jagjit, the godmother of haiku, Gabi has said that when she was asked to write 10 names down which she thought are best in eng. she could only name one,"Don Baird". and in her review of this book she professed him as 'one of the a few' who know Japanese traditions, but any haiku of the kind is molested by her.
    November 5, 2012 at 7:31pm · Like
  • Jagjit Sandhu ਯਾਰ ਇਹ ਗੌਡ ਮਦਰ ਗੌਡ ਫਾਦਰ ਵਾਲ਼ੀ ਗੱਲ ਸਮਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਈ। ਐਂ ਤਾਂ ਫਿਰ ਹਾਈਕੂ ਦੇ ਗੌਡ ਹਸਬੈਂਡ/ ਵਾਈਫ ਵੀ ਹੋਣਗੇ। ਇਸਨੂੰ ਆਪਾਂ ਹਵਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਦੇਣੀ। ਮੈਂ ਤਾਂ ਧਿਆਨ ਦੁਆ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਬਿਨਾ ਫਰੈਗਮੈਂਟ/ ਫਰੇਜ਼, ਕਿਗੋ ਅਤੇ ਵਾਕੰਸ਼ ਵਾਲ਼ੇ ਹਾਇਕੂ ਇਨਾਮ ਜੇਤੂ ਹਨ।
    November 5, 2012 at 7:38pm · Unlike · 1
  • Dalvir Gill ਉਸ ਲਈ ਤਾਂ ਵੀਰ ਜੀ ਬਾਸ਼ੋ ਹੀ ਕਾਫੀ ਹੈ l ਜੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਧੱਕੇ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਆਪਨੇ ਕਿਆਸੇ ਹੋਏ ਨਿਯਮ ਉਸ ਵਿਚ ਫਿੱਟ ਹੋਏ ਲਾਭ ਲੈਣ ਦੇ ਅਭਿਆਸੀ ਨਾ ਹੋਈਏ ਤਾਂ ਯਕੀਨਨ ਅਸੀਂ ਦੇਖ ਪਾਵਾਂਗੇ ਕਿ ਨਾਂ ਸਿਰਫ ਹਾਇਕੂ ਰੂਪ/ਆਕਾਰ ( form ) ਦੇ ਕਿਸੇ ਬੰਦਿਸ਼ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਜਿਆਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਖਾਸ ਭਾਵ ਦੇ ਕਰੀਬ ਹੈ, ਸਗੋਂ ਇਸ ਕੋਲ ਇੱਕ ਏਜੇਂਡਾ ਵੀ ਹੈ l
    November 5, 2012 at 7:45pm · Like · 1
  • Dalvir Gill two more by Basho : ( Fuwa's barrier = one of the three barriers or checking stations. It went out of use in 789 AD.)

    people no longer live
    at the Fuwa Barrier
    in a house with wooden eaves    ...See More
    November 5, 2012 at 11:22pm · Like · 1
  • Dalvir Gill Jagjit, now the wind in the second one can be proved to be special wind by someone who has to have kigo in a haiku, if simple wind is not kigo then it'll be proved that it's not just ordinary wind but is from an kigo-attested wind.
    November 5, 2012 at 11:26pm · Like · 1
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