A Haiku doesn’t talk about an experience;
a Haiku triggers an experience
— your own.

~ Br. David Steindl-Rast

Welcome.

We begin this practice with an invitation to give yourself over to reading haiku — discover what you are drawn to, and notice the experience that is triggered in you.

Calligraphy by Br. David Steindl-Rast

The Practice

Today we invite you to read haiku. Perhaps you have some books of haiku on hand. If not,  here is a one-page assortment of Haiku to keep things simple.

Tom Clausen encourages us to:

Read to find what moves you, what you love, what you like and what you enjoy and brings meaning to you. With whatever writing brings solace and inspiration to you, let it sink in and become part of you so that you reflect and recognize what it is that touched you… in time, the more you are in this meditative and reflective space the more likely your own writing will bring out what is meaningful to you.

Once you have had an opportunity to be with some haiku, select one from among those you have read, write it down with the author’s name, and complete the following writing prompts relative to that haiku. Feel free to write your responses in a notebook and/or in the reflection area below.

1. I am drawn to this haiku because…

2. In this haiku I notice…

3. Reading this haiku I experience…

If you would like to explore this topic further and discover more about what moves you, you might want to repeat this three-part reflection exercise with a few more haiku.

Enjoy the full eight-day Exploring Haiku practice.