Manila, 2 March 2022 — About a poet who made the journey his home.

Story

It happened on 16 May 1689. One of Japan’s renowned poets left his tiny hut on the bank of the Sumida river in Edo, and was waved off by his friends. He was known for feeling compelled to take long journeys around the country, always looking for fresh inspiration for his poetry and for opportunities to deepen his Zen meditation practice wherever the journey would take him.

Bashō is the name by which the poet has become known, after a Japanese banana tree growing next to the little hut that was built for him by his followers. His real name was Matsuo Munefusa. Not long after returning from a trip to the Southern parts of the country, the poet again felt restless and decided to take to the road another time. Starting what would become his last journey, he decided to venture North on what he would come to describe as Oku no Hosomichi, translated into English as Narrow Road to the Interior.

The tale of this journey, in which he covered some 2,400 km in 150 days, has become a classic of Japanese literature. In a ‘travelogue’ of visits to places of natural beauty and historical importance, he described his adventures and insights using a unique combination of brief prose and even briefer poetry, the latter in his favorite haiku style. Ever since Bashō finished his final work in 1694, after three years of polishing, his masterpiece has been interpreted to describe both a physical and a spiritual journey, making it a source of wonder and exploration for readers until this day.

Challenge

While reading his literary descriptions using prose and poetry might evoke a romantic sense about Bashō’s travels, the reality was different. Traveling the rural roads by himself, or with a single companion, was inherently dangerous during that time. He was well aware that he might lose his life at any time. Moreover, we know that his health was poor. So what made him do it? 

It may well have been his realization that life itself is, essentially, a journey. Here is how his masterpiece starts, “The Moon and the Sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” 

So he did what he believed that life was all about, and persisted in his endeavor of being home on the journey, regardless of whether the sun shone or the rain poured down, whether he was offered comfortable shelter for the night or had to sleep rough, and whether he found the right road or went the wrong way. He kept walking, practicing to be an observant witness without judging life and the people he met along the way. 

Question

To leaders today, Bashō’s writing displays an attitude and skillful means that we will want to practice to grow in our own leadership. By removing his own emotions and personality from his words, the poet made space for fresh perspectives and new insights to occur. Take this haiku, for example, describing his visit to the place where a famous monk had, in history, built his refuge from the world in the shade of a chestnut tree. “Near the eaves … the chestnut blooms … almost no one sees.”

In my view, Bashō’s work illuminates how we as leaders can practice awareness in whatever situation we find ourselves in, to become the witness rather than the subject or object of human actions. Furthermore, the poet’s practice of being at home while journeying, rather than attempting to reach a destination, is a powerful metaphor for our daily leadership experience that makes space available for unexpected moments of realization, breakthrough, and transformation. 

From all we know about leadership development, it is indeed —  like Bashō’s travelogue describes — a narrow road to the interior. A road less traveled. While walking that road will take us outside our comfort zone, it also allows us to discover a new voice to communicate what really matters. My question for you this week is, therefore, what you will do next to develop your leadership with the insight that your journey is your home?