Santoka Taneda 1882 - 1940 Japanese Zen Haiku Poet

I love this video! Thank you to the artists who created it.

Santoka spent 16 years of his life as a mendicant Zen priest. He
did not follow the traditional conventions of the poetic forms in
which he worked. Instead he chose to write in a free style form.
His personal life was as interesting as his poetry. His family life
was filled with tragedy: his mother committed suicide when
he was very young, he himself tried to commit suicide several times
and was an alcoholic. All this misfortune compelled him to become
a mendicant Zen priest where he chose walking meditation
instead of zazen or sitting meditation. It is estimated he walked
28,000 miles during his life as a Zen priest. Some years after his
death, there was an interest in his life and poetry, possibly due to
his wandering zen lifestyle...

What I like most about this video, is that we see Santoka following
what is alive within him (the plant symbolism) throughout his life,
and I'm also touched by his poignant ending....

In one poem, he offers us a look at his vulnerable inner self:

No money
no things
no teeth
just me

And this one:

all day long
meeting demons
meeting buddhas

~ Haiku by Santoka Taneda