HinduismBy: Jon KotlerThere are many different Eastern philosophies and religions that share similar ideas and concepts. The basis for these ideas mainly come from Hinduism, which is said to be the world's oldest known philosophy. Hinduism originated in India, which is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet, from ancient texts known as the Vedas (or wisdom books). These ancient texts that consist of ancient hymns, rituals, and teachings, are considered by many to contain the essence of Hindu thought. As Hinduism spread east, different interpretations of its ideas were developed into other philosophies. Therefore, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, amongst others of course, share a ...view middle of the document...
In this poem it seems as though Basho is merely stating what he sees, however in the last line of the poem there is an exclamation mark, the English interpretation of the Japanese word kana. Kana signifies a certain feeling of admiration or praise or sorrow or joy, which reveals the main importance of the poem. This word represents how Basho felt as his eye caught this innocent, negligible plant blooming by an old decaying hedge on a remote country road. "Basho felt that this plant was so humble, so unpretentious, not at all desiring to be noticed by anyone, that when he noticed its divine beauty, he had this mystical feeling of kana.This poem is clearly a product of Hindu philosophy. Firstly, its representation of nature. Hinduism constantly talks about loving nature, and especially feeling at one with nature. This relates to cosmic unity and samsara (reincarnation, we are nature), which are main concepts in Hinduism. In this poem we truly feel Basho's passion for nature, where it seems possible to in fact mystically open...