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Seeds From A Birch Tree
 
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Seeds From A Birch Tree [Paperback]

Clark Strand (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Infused with hearty Zen wisdom and proceeding at a deliberately unhurried pace, Seeds from a Birch Tree attempts to make the poetry of nature into an easily accessible refuge from the fast pace of the technological world. Clark Strand, an English teacher who has lived as a Zen Buddhist monk, has written an engaging book that weaves personal memoir with poetry instruction. The book is well written if unusual, a happily meandering series of lessons that encourage the reader to appreciate how the writing and reading of haiku can become a very practical meditative process. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The subtle simplicity of haiku depends on the complex balance of structure, object, image, and impression. The 17-syllable poem combines two phrases, arranged in three lines; balanced by a pause that presents the picture of a seasonal object as it exists for the poet, the poem demands freshness and a total lack of pretension. To achieve such a response is an ongoing process, suggests Strand, a Zen Buddhist monk, senior editor of Tricycle, and founder of New York Haikukai. Writing haiku is a meditation for this process, a spiritual journey toward an understanding of the world and the poet's place in it. Strand maintains that progressing toward spirituality and writing haiku are interdependent and mutually beneficial. Libraries that need a basic introduction to haiku should turn to The Essential Haiku (LJ 6/1/94). Strand's slim volume focuses more on the struggle to maintain spiritual discipline.?Denise S. Sticha, Seton Hill Coll. Lib., Greensburg, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting take on spiritual journey and haiku, Jun 23 2001
By 
M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Seeds From A Birch Tree (Paperback)
This is a book I wished I liked better than I do. The concept - a nurturing, gentle introduction to the writing of haiku for spiritual seekers rather than poets - is an excellent concept. The author feeds the formal and historical information required to read or write haiku in small, friendly doses. He uses primarily examples from his students or himself rather than "the masters". He has the pleasant ability to laugh at himself and, thus, make the reader confortable with stumbling/bumbling along the way themselves. And some of his students have written excellent haiku.

The problem? the subtitle promises more than it gives "writing haiku and the spiritual journey" for spiritual journey is limited to the author's own Zen journey, the description of which, gives the reader little confidence in the author's qualifications. From the poems of Sister Benedicta he includes, I'd rather read the same material as written by her. I say that in the context of being a Westerner and a Catholic who is also both a haiku poet and a Buddhist scholar.

From the other reviews of this book, I observe that several individuals highly recommend this book - if their reviews entice you to read this, don't let my lack of enthusiasm disuade you.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A haiku a day helps you work, rest and play..., Mar 14 2001
This review is from: Seeds From A Birch Tree (Paperback)
This is an excellent book - much more accessible than some other introductions to haiku. Perhaps this is because it is fairly short, but I think more due to the author's writing style. Strand weaves his way between pearls of wisdom about writing, autobiographical snippets and pointers to haiku practice with fluidity and ease. I read half of this book in the bookstore where I found it - I just couldn't put it down. In fact one of the many factors that kept me reading was the author's self-revelation. With remarkable concision he tells us a great deal about his own spiritual journey, in and out of Zen monasticism, in and out of depression, without a single word of self-indulgence. If you want to know everything there is to know about haiku, this book is only the start. But if you want to know how to merge haiku with your everyday life in a meaningful way, this book is the *best* place to start.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful piece of writing, Sep 26 2000
This review is from: Seeds From A Birch Tree (Paperback)
As I sit here browsing through Seeds from a Birch Tree for this review, I realize that I want to re-read it now, so this review will be shorter than I originally planned. It is somewhat hard to define what kind of a book Seeds from a Birch Tree really is. It mixes haiku and regular text elegantly to make up very attractive chapters where haiku and text take turns illustrating each other. Reading it gave me a great feeling of serenity. It was like drinking crystal clear water for the soul. I hope it has changed my way of thinking in some respects - I think I see new things now. Reading Seeds from a Birch Tree is a comfortable opportunity to take "the road less travelled by" for a short while and shift one's focus a little. I heartily recommend it to any lovers of poetry and life, and I pity anyone who doesn't read it.
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