I began my latest book, Blowing Zen Honkyoku with the secret I found to playing honkyoku… playing it by heart. In Chinese, 心 xīn: the heart; heart; mind; feeling; intention; centre; core. Playing by heart permits you to close your eyes and devote total awareness to the sound until you touch the essence of sound… until you become the sound. Playing by heart also invites greater awareness on the breath.… Continue reading…
the right way
Stumble as a Child
With infant son Luke, Carmel river, mid 80’s
What we seek lies within us. The more confused we get, the more likely we will look deeper within for resolution. This process corresponds to the Taoist view, If you would have a thing shrink, You must first stretch it. In other words, we often need to make ‘arduous mountains out of mole hills’ before we can ‘make mountains into effortless mole hills’. This is the life path we follow from infancy onward. Only by stumbling do we learn to walk and run.… Continue reading…