"A haiku is the expression of a temporary enlightenment, in which we see into the life of things." Whether "temporary" or not, Basho gives in his seventeen syllables a significant intuition into Reality.

The stations from Matsuo Basho's travel diary "The Narrow Road to the Deep North".

Basho (bah-shoh), pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), Japanese poet, considered the finest writer of Japanese haiku during the formative years of the genre.

Basho imbued haiku, a social pastime, with the spirit of Zen, creating a serious literary form capable of profound artistic expression.

History of Zen monk, Basho's, creation of Zen haiku.