In the forest or by the sea, the learning is the same…

My hut lies in the middle of a dense forest;
Every year the green ivy grows longer.
No news of the affairs of men,
Only the occasional song of a woodcutter.

The sun is shining and I am mending my robe;
When the moon comes out I will read Buddhist poems.
I have nothing to report my friends.
If you want to find meaning,
stop chasing after so many things.

Ryokan 1758–1831, Zen Buddhist monk and hermit