"'Alms in secret extinguish the wrath of the Lord' means you are so immersed in sincerity and in preserving that sincerity that you have no pleasure in giving alms."

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My body, now close to fifty years of age, has become an old tree that bears bitter peaches, a snail which has lost its shell, a bagworm separated from its bag; it drifts with the winds and clouds that know no destination. Morning and night I have eaten traveler's fare, and have held out for alms a pilgrim's wallet.

— Matsuo Basho