>From: John Baker <jinpa19822003@yahoo.com>
>
>So with one note the Zen master told the emperor the nature of
>things. Did the emperor understand?
That too is dependent. Was the emperor familiar with Buddhism?
Was he "in a place" (to use a 70s catch-phrase) where it was possible
for him to understand?
>If public performance of shakuhachi mimics this story, then someone
>should say so.
Let me take a stab at that. Mimicry in this case depends on the
context of the playing. Playing in a zendo after sesshin, or playing
at a college or in a quiet space, for people who have come to learn,
and following explanation could be seen as an attempt to express
something about the nature of Buddhism.
>Please explain why you play so many notes in public.
Not entirely facetiously:
"Well, after hearing ten thousand explanations,
a fool is no wiser.
But an intelligent man needs only two thousand five hundred."
- Brahma
bj
-
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