Despite the author’s obvious enthusiasm for haiku, the reader may still be wondering, “Why should I be interested in a book of poetry, let alone Japanese poetry”; or even more pragmatically, in the words of a young friend:

 

“What’s in this for me?” Well, the answer is simple: “YOUARE!” For what this rather extensive compilation offers, and the author does not believe he is overstating the case, is a very real potential for a quantum leap in self-knowledge, and with that the accompanying joy and inner peace that any such growth promises.

 

For those of more pragmatic bent, this collection of haiku offers an extreme condensation of 40 years worth of study and research that has already been accomplished for the reader, if and when he is inclined to apply himself to the more fundamental questions of life we all came to answer (i.e., “Who Am I, What is the meaning of life, Why does man suffer, Does God exist?” etc.). Seen in this light, the humble nuggets of truth this work offers might rightly be characterized as “Cliff Notes” of the Spirit.