Yoshida Kenko (c. 1283-1352) was a Buddhist priest, a reclusive
scholar and poet who had ties to the aristocracy of medieval Japan.
Despite his links to the Imperial court, Kenko spent much time in
seclusion and mused on Buddhist and Taoist teachings. His Essays in
Idleness is a collection of his thoughts on his inner world and the
world of Japanese life in the fourteenth century. He touched on
topics as diverse as the benefits of the simple life ("There is
indeed none but the complete hermit who leads a desirable life"),
solitude ("I am happiest when I have nothing to distract me and I
am completely alone"), lust ("What a weakly thing is this heart of
ours"), the impermanence of this world ("Truly the beauty of life
is its uncertainty"), and reading ("To sit alone in the lamplight
with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with
men of unseen generations--such is a pleasure beyond compare"). To
enter Kenko's world is to enter a world of intimate observations,
deceptively simple wisdom, and surprising wit.
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