Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region

Nestled between the peace stupa and the Zen garden, you will find a beautiful Japanese water garden. If you visit at the right time of year, you may hear the delightful splash of frogs leaping into the water.

Throught history, monks have used poetry to express their spiritual experiences.

furu-ike ya An old pond

kawazu tobikomu A frog jumps in

mizu no oto Sound of water

Basho, 17th Century Japanese poet

Haiku like this were written to produce sudden insight in the reader.

Suggested Student Activities:

Writing Original Haikus

Resources:

Useful online Haiku lesson plan.

There is an excellent article titled "Transplanting the Haiku" by Donna Eisenstat found in Education About Asia, Volume 8, Number 1, Spring 2003.

SPICE Curriculum Unit: Haiku Moment: Seeing the World in a Grain of Sand, Secondary

The above two resources can be borrowed from The Teachers Center for Global Studies at Clark University, Worcester, MA. Contact Mimi Stephens