Although Kamo no Chomei and Saigyo are both poets with reclusive backgrounds, their distinct past has strong influence on to their interpretation of nature. Saigyo came from a highly reputable military background who served the capital as a warrior. Whereas, Kamo no Chomei had a prestigious position as a poet in the imperial court. Transitioning from these high class social positions to a reclusive lifestyle, Saigyo and Kamo no Chomei’s works display a controversial understanding of the nature of life. Throughout the translations of these two poet’s work by Lafleur and Cook, Saigyo and Kamo no Chomei display a compelling understanding of nature through the themes of desires,impermanence, and suffering. The following essay explores how the view of these natural elements developed from deep reflection during life in solitude reinforced the two poets’ decision to follow the Buddhist pathway as a rational decision.
First and foremost, the following discussion will looks into Saigyo’s reflection of his past during the transition to solitude in
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Once this decision was made, these poets begin to develop deeper understanding of impermanence as a natural phenomenon in life. In particular, Chomei’s understanding of impermanence guide him to view “life in this world is difficult” (Cook 629). Chomei’s view of the nature of life is connected to his observations of the impermanence of human beings and wealth. In his literature, he recall his past in capital as a period of turmoil with large amount of corpses lying on the street as results of natural disasters (Cook 628-629). This past experience allowed Chomei to view humans being as fragile because they all have to go through a life cycle: birth and death. This reflection has allowed Chomei to became acceptance of his impermanence on Earth as death is part of nature of