Friends...
When I was in my early 30s, I sold a banjo to an older co-worker. He
struggled with it for a while, and, I though, was making reasonable
progress. But, I guess he didn't see it from the same perspetive as me,
and just didn't have the patience to stick with it. I'll never forget
him telling me that, at 50, he was just too old to learn! I felt pity
that he was giving in to the delusion of "old age".
I had this episode in mind when I bought a PVC shak as a present for
myself on my 49th birthday. For a while, I fooled around with it enough
to be able to blow the low register. Unfortunately, frustration got the
better of me, too, and I left it drop for a year or so. When I picked
it up again, however, I resolved to get more serious in my study and was
fortunate to sign up for lessons with Ronnie Seldin.
I know that, at my age, I'll (probably) never become a concert level
performer. The problem with most of us with Western indocturnated minds
is that we focus way too much on the goal, when, in reality, the changes
that occur within us during the"way" is what is really important.
Learning to play the shak has helped to teach me that the joy that comes
from "following the path" is more rewarding than focusing on some
improbable goal.
Learning to play the shak is, IMHO, as much a character building process
as it is mastering the techniques of creating a decent sound. In my
case, I really don't think that I would have had enough maturiny and
patience to begin learning to play the shakuhachi at a significantly
younger age. Each of us must follow his or her own unique path to
self-realization. And the shak can bring out the best and the worst in
us.
How many times, I have been, in intense frustration, momentairly tempted
to take my flute and throw it out the window. Then I stop and reflect
that it isn't the shak - it's me! I'm too tense, too tight, too tired,
too focused on reaching some impossible goal of perfection rather than
just flowing with the joy of the moment.
All these lessons need to be learned sometime if we are to progress
emotionally and spiritually, and it is better to learn them now. It's
better to learn them late in this life, if neccessary, rather than wait
until the next.
Cheers,
brian
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 08 2002 - 09:19:36 PST