THE TSUREZUREGUSA

Kenko, Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenko, translated from the Japanese by Donald Keene, with a foreword by Wm.Theodore De Bary (New York: Columbia U. Press, 1967) ("The pleasantest of all diversions is to sit alone under the lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people of a distant past you have never known." Id. at 12. "A certain hermit once said, 'There is one thing that even I, who have no worldly entanglements, would be sorry to give up, the beauty of the sky.' I can understand why he should have felt that way." Id. at 22. "What a foolish thing it is to be governed by a desire for fame and profit and to fret away one's whole life without a moment of peace.Great wealth's no guarantee of security. . . It is an exceedingly stupid man who will torment himself for the sake of worldly gain. " "To leave behind a reputation that will not perish through long ages to come is certainly to be desired, but can one say that men of high rank and position are necessarily superior? . . . There are also many learned and good men who by their own choice remain in humble positions and end their days without ever having encountered good fortune. A feverish craving for high rank and position is second in foolishness only to seeking wealth. . . The truly enlightened man has no learning, no virtue, no accomplishments, no fame. Who knows of him, who will report his glory? It is not that he conceals his virtue or pretends to be stupid; it is because form the outset he is  able distinctions between wise and foolish, between profit and loss." Id. at 35-36. "A craving for novelty in everything and a fondness for eccentric opinions are the marks of people of superficial knowledge." Id. at 99. "It is best not to change something if changing it will not do any good." Id. at 107. "As a rule, people who take pleasure in killing living creatures or making one creature fight another, are themselves akin to beasts of prey. . . . A man who can look on sentient creatures without feeling compassion is no human being." Id. at 108. "If you wish to be superior to others, you had best devote yourself to your studies and trust that the knowledge you gain will exceed theirs; if you pursue learning you will know better than to take pride in your wisdom or to compete with your friends. Only the strength that comes with learning can enable a man to refuse high office and reject material gain." Id. at 110. I purchased a used copy of this book. When I began reading, I found the following brief handwritten note addressed to the original owner: "T..., a gift. Read it when American  materialism, hedonism, or general insensitivity overwhelm you. Do not read straight through." L...").