Hello bamboo sisters and brothers,
I think it's great what Mary Lu is doing. I'd like to attend the workshop
myself. I don't know Mary Lu's work but one person whom I think is worth
mentioning is Okuda Atsuya who lives in Kokubunji, Tokyo. He has been
working for the past 15 or so years in Japan on educating people on the
beauties and origins of the shakuhachi: jinashi nobekan (also known as
kyotaku, hocchiku, and take) through his Zen Sa Bo (Zen Tea Room). He
focusses on the concentration of breath, subtle sounds, and sounds
approaching silence which are essential in playing hocchiku. He has
internalized a vast amount of honkyoku and holds weekly, monthly, and
seasonal lectures gatherings on suizen history, practice, and philosophy.
Although he is a wonderful player, he refuses to make a CD being stubborn in
the idea that live performance is the best experience for listening to
hocchiku. He is very influenced by the ideas and music of Okamoto Chikugai,
Watazumido, Takemitsu Toru, Miles Davis. He has created a small but tightly
knit community of bamboo lovers and has yearly outings where people can go
into the mountains and harvest bamboo for making flutes; then a day is held
several months later when you can make your own hocchiku. The maker who is
in charge of the making day is Murai Eigoro. This experiential aspect of
seeing and feeling bamboo in its native habitat and making your own flute
with a group of like-minded souls is very essential in getting to know the
soul of the bamboo (which is a metaphor of us.)
There is also a man named Kogan Murata (who studied with Nishimura Kokuu in
Kyuushu), who lives in Aichi ken who is essentially a real Komuso monk. This
is basically all he does to live on. He spent 20 years journeying through
Asia, Middle East, and Europe and lived in the steep mountains of the
Himalays and Japan. Now he lives a fully self-sufficient life with his life
partner, Sayaka, growing their own food in the mountains and just playing
kyotaku. I read an article about him in which he said "I'm happily a beggar!
It's great practice for the kyotaku, and when I become a komuso, I can help
others release their desire by creating a situation in which they can give
up something of value to them. I also reduce my own desire by putting myself
in a position of receiving people's charity. But it's not servility either;
I am indifferent to whether I receive money or not. As I said before, the
only reason to play is to play, and that is to become aware of the
fundamental emptiness of existence. And that can only be done by, and for,
yourself."
Good luck with the workshop, Mary Lu!
Al
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