For those readers who may still feel poetically challenged, as the author himself is with respect to many poetic forms, or, perhaps, those who feel daunted by the philosophical, theological or intellectual implications of the material, the following strategies are offered as frames of reference the reader might find useful in recognizing the “common thread” the haiku individually and collectively reflect:

 

1) Use the other haiku on the same page for potential contextual help.

 

2) Seek the common tread that each haiku expresses as a particular or unique reflection of the one changeless Truth in which “we all live move and have our being.”

 

3) Seek to see how things are the same, rather than different, and so use the mind’s discriminative faculties to build-up rather than break-down. In other words, try to see how things fit together rather than come apart.

 

4) If you still don’t like the idea of reading poetry, let alone poetry with the mysterious quality haiku sometimes has, try reading each as if it were prose–as a saying or notable quote.

 

5) Correlating individual haiku with the Foundational Scriptures referenced in Appendix F might be an excellent approach for many Christian readers, and the reason they were included.

 

(Note: For those interested in specific examples as to how these strategies might be applied, please see Appendix G.)