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Kala Ramesh

and. . .

hammering rain
if only the I
would dissolve

a zen master was asked, how do you practice zen?

the master replied, when you’re hungry, eat; when you’re tired, sleep.

isn’t that what everyone does?

the master replied, not at all . . . most people entertain a thousand desires when they eat and scheme a thousand plans when they sleep.

mud-covered carcass
all that remains
of an eagle's flight

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Author’s Note: I’ve always been fascinated by this question, “Who am I?”—a question that became synonymous with Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi and his teachings. In this haibun, I’ve taken a simple Zen story and sandwiched it between two haiku, which in their brevity holds the question, the problem, and the answer to this profound question.

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About the Author

Kala Ramesh is a renowned pioneer in the field of haikai literature in India. Her book Beyond the Horizon Beyond: Haiku & Haibun was awarded a Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize Certificate in 2019.