Old Pond

Though Zen Buddhism influences Bashō’s work, Bashō personally doesn’t espouse a strict Buddhist way of living. Moreover, where some tenets of Buddhism might focus on stillness or meditation as the best way to find wonder or enlightenment or removing oneself from the world to reach new heights, Bashō embraces nature and movement. Bashō began traveling and living in nature to better understand life’s wonders, and in “Old Pond,” he uses movement as a conduit to such enlightenment. The frog’s splash sets up an “aha!” moment where the frog’s physical body hitting the water mimics a thought rippling through Bashō’s brain. Movement allows people to discover new ideas and ways of thinking.