Quote by Ikkyu Sojun: “The world is a dream, why wake up?”

This paradoxical question challenges conventional notions of reality and awakening. It suggests that if life is inherently dream-like, the pursuit of 'waking up' might be a futile or unnecessary endeavor, inviting a playful acceptance of existence as it is, without striving.

Ikkyu lived during a turbulent period in Japan, marked by war and social change, yet also a flourishing of Zen culture. His unconventional and often provocative poetry challenged rigid monasticism, embracing paradox and the full spectrum of human experience.

Fifteenth-century Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, poet, and calligrapher who became as famous for his iconoclasm and eroticism as for his spiritual depth. Born allegedly the illegitimate son of Emperor Go-Komatsu, he rejected the formalism of institutional Zen and spent years as a wanderer. His poetry collection Crazy Cloud challenges the distinction between sacred and profane life with radical directness.