I am no Buddhist but I know a bit,
That loss of self is something to be sought,
That meditation is one way to it,
And that such things cannot be sold or bought.
Consider then the man who made this shrine:
Inamura Yoneiji, just for love
Collected o'er six years for his design
All manner of insects, all kinds thereof
(But mostly beetles, like in Haldane's quote).
Collecting does mean killing, as he knows,
But hopes to bring them peace as they promote
Deep thoughts on life and time, death and repose.
Their beauty in themselves, there for us, too:
Admire their intricacy, shape and hue.
Posts
a loss for words when such beauty is already spun upon the page
ReplyDeleteThank you, duckdaotsu. I truly think I love this man. I couldn't fit it into the sonnet but clearly he was a kid at the end of WWII; he says that during the occupation there was nothing for children to do but collect insects. That he took that lifelong hobby and made something so amazing is truly an act of devotion.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity the website and TV show that brought this to the world did so in such a sensational manner, though. I could certainly have done with out all the screaming sound effects. Sigh.