Just a silent monk waiting for his tea

And another haiku by Basho:

For his morning tea
a monk sits down in utter silence --
confronted by chrysanthemums

For his morning tea a monk sits down in utter silence... Tea has become associated with Bodhidharma, who introduced Zen into China. He loved tea, and strangely, it helps you to be awake; otherwise, sitting silently, one tends to fall asleep. So tea has become a special Zen thing. He is just depicting a picture. Under the tree of chrysanthemums, a monk sits in utter silence for his morning tea. Nothing is said -- just a silent monk waiting for his tea. These haikus are, as I have said to you, paintings in words.