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[46] People hear the Buddha's doctrine of immediacy (from The Shodoka) by Hsuan Chueh of Yung Chia / Yoka Genkaku (665 - 713) Timeline English version by Robert Aitken Original Language Chinese Buddhist : Zen / Chan Taoist 7th Century People hear the Buddha's doctrine of immediacy, And if they accept it, the demons will be crushed As easily as a roofing tile. But they cannot accept, what a pity!	Themes   Sound         Recommended Books Buddhism and Zen, by Nyogen Senzaki / Ruth Strout McCandless
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

What is the Buddha's "doctrine of immediacy" that Yoka Genkaku refers to? It is the awareness that everything is present, eternally -- right here and right now.

If you can settle deeply into the present moment, without projections and artificial conceptualization, if you can allow yourself to perceive things simply and immediately as they are, rather than forcing them to tell a story about your ego -- then the "demons" that are the tug of karma and mental tendencies will be easily "crushed" like the "roofing tile" of an unsettled mind finally brought to peace.

But, sadly, few people are willing to cease their constant effort to stay distracted. They cannot accept that what they spend their entire lives looking for is, and always has been, immediately before them.

May we all come to rest in that immediacy!

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.