Jul 12 2024
Ikkyu – The vast flood
The vast flood
by Ikkyu
English version by R. H. Blyth
The vast flood
Rolls onward
But yield yourself,
And it floats you upon it.
— from Zen and Zen Classics, by R. H. Blyth
/ Image by bimjo /
This short poem feels like it is saying a lot.
The vast flood
Rolls onward
Day after day, experience after experience, terrors and tragedies, joys and victories, everything — life. It can feel like an onslaught. Most of us learn to dampen down the awareness in order to cope and mimic those around us.
Yet even with dimmed senses we feel overwhelmed.
But yield yourself,
And it floats you upon it.
This is the liberating wisdom of surrender.
Most of our intense efforts in life, whether directed toward work, family, even spirituality, are about trying to control the flow of life. We want to master the flood, bring it under our will. We want to tame it so we can be safe.
But it never really works.
This lifelong effort is like a duck on a great river who imagines he controls the current by the action of his paddling feet. When he happens to face downstream — Amazing! The river goes just where he commanded! When he turns left or right, he imagines that he needs to increase his effort and improve his technique to get the river flowing where he wants. And when he turns upstream — Calamity! He has lost control of the river.
Or… he can just sit on top of the river and let its current carry him.
Yielding ourselves to this great river, no longer imagining that we control it, we can finally begin to discover its true nature and direction — and beauty. We come to see its flow as a unifying harmony and not a threat. Importantly, we notice our natural buoyancy. We are built to float upon it.
Recommended Books: Ikkyu (Ikkyu Sojun)
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Ikkyu (Ikkyu Sojun)
Japan (1394 – 1481) Timeline |
Ikkyu Sojun’s poetry is irreverent and iconoclastic, bitingly critical of false piety, hypocrisy, and formalistic religion. His poetry is often frankly erotic, sometimes humorously so. Yet his poetry manages to reach an immediacy and insight that is the essence of Zen practice.
Ikkyu was appointed to be the head priest of the great temple at Kyoto, but he renounced the position after just nine days, denouncing the hypocrisy he saw among the monks around him. In a famous line from one of his poems, he told his fellow monks they could find him in the local brothel instead.
Though clearly not of an ascetic temperament, Ikkyu was a poet, calligrapher, and musician who viewed the world with a deep insight that permitted no pretense, favoring direct truth over religious and social facades.
He founded what became known as the Red Thread school of Zen.
I love your commentary, Ivan. Something I *really* need to take in and “practice”, just floating on the rapids of life – no matter where they take me. Personally and collectively everything feels so chaotic and overwhelming these days – *trying* to use/apply “spirituality” to calm the chaos doesn’t seem to “work”, as you point out. But acceptance seems to be the liberator… thank you _/\_
What a timely and meaning-full sharing.
Thank you Ivan…so much !
Most….gratefully yours 🙂
~~~Teria~~~
The commentaries, I often find are more beautiful that the poems themselves. Here, the yielding spoken about is so similar to the concept of ‘sharanagati’ in Sanatana Dharma. We cannot be the drivers of this chariot we are in. The more we take over the reins, the more we suffer. What is needed is ‘yielding’. What a beautiful word that is! Then God takes over our life and no matter what happens and where we go, no matter the direction we take, or how chaotic our path, we are always sailing smooth. Thank you, Ivan. Your chaikhana has been my resting spot for years.
‘YES!’ Thank you, Ivan for Ikkyu’s short poem.