haikaiTALKS: Japanese aesthetics - ikigai - a saturday gathering_under the banyan tree
host: Kala Ramesh
8th December 2023
Japanese aesthetics: Ikigai (ee-kee-ga-ee) A Reason for Being
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Ikigai
A reason for being. A direction or purpose in life.
I was greatly excited by the aesthetic concept of ikigai (ee-kee-ga-ee). When translated literally, iki means “life; alive” and kai can be translated as “reason; worthiness; fruitful; effective.”
** But literal translation doesn’t provide sufficient insight into the broader significance of the term, which may be rendered as the purpose or meaning of life, or what makes life worth living.
Keiko Izawa has added:
Ikigai
reason for living
one's life's purpose
what makes one's life worth living
motivation for living
live for ...
Concrete examples: lifetime jobs, hobbies, child rearing, pets, etc. <>
Linda Papanicolaou says: I have noticed that some people are posting non-person (nature) haiku. If I understand the concept, though, I think it might be better expressed through a person verse because it’s about human topics.
<>
One exaomple of mine:
the breath
in the breath of a forest
i take home
LEAF: #2, November 2023
"It works for me. I certainly understand 'the breath of a forest'-- forests do breathe. The breath in the breath of forest is the one breath that is all breath--yours, mine, the breath of the forest, the breath of the Tao. If you can 'take that home' with you--make it your own, realize it--what a blessing." Jenny Ward Agyal <>
First post: You search and find a haiku that you think has Ikigai
You'll give your reason/s why you think it has this aesthetic nuance. Second post: This will be your first haiku with Ikigai.
Third post:
This will be your second haiku with Ikigai.
Please give your feedback on others' commentary and poems too. _()_
Have fun! Keep writing and commenting!
Post #1
16.12.23
I couldn’t find a worthy example . Here is my own ku:
summer dawn —
my daily tête-à-tête
with the roses
Feedback appreciated:)
Mona Bedi
India
Please allow me to clarify the definition of ikigai more accurately. The standard concept of ikigai in Japan does not include one’s temporary joy or passion in appreciation of nature or other things. Ikigai depends on the extent to which one is involved in the subject. For example, one of my friends loves the sky and clouds so she takes pictures of them every day. I can say this is definitely her ikigai; however, if one’s joy/passion doesn’t include such a continuous action, we do not call it ikigai. Ikigai is a reason to live deeply rooted in oneself.
Post 3
Christmas Eve. . .
the taste
of snowflakes
Adelaide B. Shaw
USA
Comments welcomed
ku#3
Revised based on inputs from Keiko
bare trees
I reach out
to the huddling shadows
..........................................
Original
bare trees
reaching out
to the huddled shadows
Padma Rajeswari, Mumbai
Look forward to feedback.
#3, 12/12
end of the year
I listened to her woes
for the umpteenth time
Lakshmi Iyer, India
feedback please