“Hojoki” by Kamo no Chomei (translated by Meredith McKinney)

Written at the beginning of the thirteenth century by a Buddhist monk in Japan, who had retreated to a hut on the outskirts of the capital, Kyoto, this is an extremely short treatise on the ways of life. “Death in the morning, at evening another birth—this is the way of things, no different from the bubbles on the stream.” Chomei was originally born into a family with a lineage of Shinto priests, but, through a series of misfortunes, lost most of his wealth and took the tonsure to become a Buddhist monk fairly late in life. Instead of joining a monastery, he set off into the woods to build a solitary hut and live a life alone, reciting sutras, playing musical instruments, and writing. “All human undertaking is folly, but it is most particularly futile to spend your wealth and trouble your peace of mind by building a house in the perilous capital.”

One of Chomei’s major themes is the Buddhist concept of impermanence, “Indeed there are not a few aids to my meditations. In spring I gaze upon swathes of wisteria, which hang shining in the west like the purple clouds that bear the soul to heaven. In summer I hear the song of the hototogisu, and at each call he affirms his promise to lead me over the mountain path of death. In autumn the voice of the cricket fills my ears, a sound that seems to sorrow over a fleeting life so soon cast off. In winter, the snow fills me with pathos. The sight of it piling high only to melt and vanish is like the mounting sins that block our path to redemption, which penitence will erase.”

Finally, much of Chomei’s essay concerns the physical description of his dwelling, “My mere passing shelter has remained tranquil and safe from fears. Small it may be, but there is a bed to sleep on at night, and a place to sit in the daytime. As a simple place to house myself, it lacks nothing. The hermit crab prefers a little shell for his home. He knows what the world holds. The osprey chooses the wild shoreline, and this is because he fears mankind. And I too am the same. Knowing what the world holds and its ways, I desire nothing from it, nor chase after its prizes. My one craving is to be at peace, my one pleasure to live free of troubles…. I love my tiny hut, my lonely dwelling. When I chance to go down into the capital, I am ashamed of my lowly beggar status, but once back here again I pity those who chase after the sordid rewards of the world.”