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4.0 

Three Simple Lines

By Natalie Goldberg
Three Simple Lines by Natalie Goldberg digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

One of the world’s foremost writing teachers invites readers on a joyful journey into the reading and origins of haiku

A haiku is three simple lines. But it is also, as Allen Ginsberg put it, three lines that “make the mind leap.” A good one, he said, lets the mind experience “a small sensation of space which is nothing less than God.” As many spiritual practices seek to do, the haiku’s spare yet acute noticing of the immediate and often ordinary grounds the reader in the pure awareness of now.

Natalie Goldberg is a delightfully companionable tour guide into this world. She highlights the history of the form, dating back to the seventeenth century; shows why masters such as Basho and Issa are so revered; discovers Chiyo-ni, an important woman haiku master; and provides insight into writing and reading haiku. A fellow seeker who travels to Japan to explore the birthplace of haiku, Goldberg revels in everything she encounters, including food and family, painting and fashion, frogs and ponds. She also experiences and allows readers to share in the spontaneous and profound moments of enlightenment and awakening that haiku promises.

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13 Reviews

4.0
“Through the pages, I sensed this book unraveling the secrets of the Japanese language, revealing how Haiku, in its simplest form, serves as the foundation of Japanese culture. I think, now, I grasp the essence of the Japanese perspective, the rhythm of their writing, and the pure essence of haiku as an art uniquely Japanese. There's a chapter discussing Basho's iconic pond haiku, Natalie illuminates its uniqueness. Basho diverged by capturing the sound of the frog's leap, standing apart from others who focused on the pond or the frog itself. A moment purely Japanese, authentically original, breaking the mold of tradition.”

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