(Note: although the following views are from the perspective of a shakuhachi player, I believe they may applicable to any instrumental/spiritual path.)

Shoshin Solstice

This morning I had a dream. I was somewhere, maybe in Japan in what looked like the house of shakuhachi master, Kaoru Kakizakai sensei in Chichibu, Saitama, Japan. I was writing on a wall that had a chalkboard on it. The surrounding walls and floor were a beautiful brown wood, finely polished and there was a hint of lovely tatami aroma somewhere. Kakizakai sensei was near me dressed in his black and grey kimono. I was writing something about shakuhachi in a happy state. Then Kakizakai sensei walks away and says, “Sorry for bothering you.” I immediately took him by his arm and pulled him aside and sat him down on the nearest couch with tears in my eyes speaking from my heart in the most sincerest way I can,”Sensei, although I’ve studied with many teachers in my life, it is you who have made the deepest effect on my shakuhachi life. You gave me the foundation I needed to grow as an authentic shakuhachi artist. Thank you for your teaching. I can never thank you enough!” I am sobbing quite heavily while I say this because it is truly what I felt. Then I awoke with my eyes still flowing with tears. I would like to send this feeling of gratitude to all the teachers I’ve had.

As we approach the summer solstice, it is a great time to be reminded of  the roots of shakuhachi. The shakuhachi came to Japan from China in the  ca. 6th Century and went through various manifestations until it was transformed by a small group of zen Buddhist monks into the root-ended, 5-holed bamboo flute that we know today. The first formal piece of honkyoku composed is a piece called Kyorei or empty bell, expressing the ringing bell of Fuke Zenji, the Chinese monk who’s name the legendary shakuhachi-playing sect in Japan was dedicated to. 

Honshirabe is the first honkyoku that we are taught in the school of Katsuya Yokoyama. The meaning is “Original Tuning” or “Search for the Origin”. Another pronunciation of this piece is “Choshi”. It was used by the komuso monks of old as a warm up before playing other longer pieces. Each school has their own style and they all venerate it as being the easiest piece yet the most difficult at the same time that one must absolutely memorize. Although it is the shortest piece in the repertoire it has all the most basic techniques in it that one uses in honkyoku in its most concentrated form. It also is referring to the state of mental and spiritual inquiry into “Who am I? Where does this sound come from; where does it go?”  The answer-less questions. 

 

Remembering  Shoshin

Studying shakuhachi is intense sonic stylization by the use of technique and principle. There is a Japanese saying, “Itsumo shoshin Omoidashite” which translates as “Always remember beginner’s mind.” Sho means “first” or “beginning”. Shin means heart/mind/spirit” or “attitude”. Therfore Shoshin refers to the heart of a complete beginner when starting shakuhachi training. Shoshin is the essential state of mind in zen. It is indicates openess to all possibilities, freshness, spontaneity as well as modesty, sincerity, and purity.

In Japan, pursuing any artistic discipline is expected to be quiet severe and difficult requiring many years of dedicated training to master. By keeping Shoshin one can find a spirit of endurance, sacrifice, devotion, and self control.

The state attained through spiritual realization, the highest state of shakuhachi, is often expressed as Ichi On Jobutsu, or Buddhahood in a single tone. It is represented by the sound of wind blowing across a decaying bamboo stalk, natural, empty, and unassuming, reflecting all sounds of the universe itself. It is also understood as a sequence of breaths that keep us alive, The breath is LIFE itself, and we can’t predict when we will die. The state of Ichi On Jobutsu is the merging of the opposites where player, the played (instrument), and playee (audience) have no distinction. However there is an important distinction between a static piece of bamboo (flute) and this dynamic state of mind. 

Of course, Jobutsu may be attained through other spiritual disciplines. What makes shakuhachi unique, however, is found in the simultaneous and inseperable embodiment of mind, technique, and breath sound.

Aikido master, Kazuo Chiba sensei says, “Shoshin is the mind or attitude required to follow the teaching. This means embodying sincerity, meekness, humility, thirst for seeking the Path, unaffected by  a mind of selfishness, judgement, or discrimination. It is like pure white silk before it is dyed. It is also an important condition for the first stage in which a beginner learns to embody the basics precisely point by point, line by line, with an immovable faith in the teaching.”

Even an advanced level player should always remember the mindset she/he had when first starting to maintain an attitude of openness and growth.

 

MA and Tameh

MA is dynamic space that supports creation. Unlike in western music which emphasizes a profusion of notes, rhythms and harmonic progression, shakuhachi honkyoku emphasizes absolute timing, space or interval as expressed in the phrase “zettai no ma,” and  is necessary to play honkyoku properly. The samurai warriors of old understood this since it was imperative that their timing in a sword fight must be perfect or they could be killed. Likewise, in playing honkyoku the player must create exact appropriate spaces between notes and phrases when these occur. It is an idea which changes with each moment.

Tameh describes a sense of timing within the phrases of honkyoku. It is a fulfillment of the phrase to create a state of non-expectation with highest tension. It is the feeling of the archer’s bow just at the point of letting the arrow loose. Or the point of collapse of the water breaking through a dam. Of the sensation of snow as it falls from the bending bamboo stalk. Through constant and intense practice with a teacher transference of knowledge can be achieved.

 

Hara and Tanden (The Centre of Power)

The hara is the point, the gateway where man and the universe meet. Keep a conscious awareness of the breathing process felt in the belly. Just behind and below your navel (belly button) is the tanden, which is felt as a spiritual ball of energy. We really don’t know where the tanden is but by visualizing it, we can take advantage of it. Developing a strong hara is the secret to shakuhachi playing. When you focus on your hara and tanden instead of your chest (and head), your discriminating mind slows down and you can relax in the expanded world of pure being. Thoughts gradually dissipate on their own without inner conflict. That’s why Buddhas in the East are depicted with big bellies. This is the key to meditation and spiritual power.

In Daily Life

Enjoyment and appreciation is important in playing shakuhachi. Since the mind usually goes to what we are doing, one must feel good, relaxed, and a gentleness toward life. In order to get the most out of your shakuhachi practice Ive listed some steps:

1. Train hard. Concentrate on the basics. Condition your mind and body. Absorb all you can from your sensei.

2. As your skill and confidence level increase. Attend seminars, try other teachers, and play with as many people as you can. Above all, keep and open mind.

3. When you find that special teacher (and this may be more that once in your life) follow your heart. Do what you feel to be right. Train for yourself first. To do less is to be dishonest with yourself and others.

 4. Life. Wondering about it is functional, peaceful warfare. A beginning of a deeper wakefulness. 

 

Itsumo shoshin omoidashite!

–Alcvin 

 

Fishing for Kami

 

Just completed a retreat with Bruno Deschenes from Montreal. Every summer I open my home to students who want to do intensive practice of shakuhachi. Teaching is learning more about shakuahchi for me. It is part of my shakuhachi life. Although I am teaching a student, I am also learning lots from them and the process as well. In the west, there is a saying in the arts: “Those who can’t do, teach!” In Japanese (and other eastern cultures), the perception is different. Teaching is an ubiquitous part in the life of the artist. Teachers are highly respected and consequently have a high level of responsibility in the spiritual and artistic development of the student. 

I feel incredibly fortunate to live in an incredibly beautiful place to offer shakuhachi retreats. I feel it’s important to have a place amongst beautiful natural setting far from the city to have a good retreat. Walking and training amongst the ancient trees, the ocean, lakes, hills is so wonderful to connect and communicate with nature’s beauty and intelligence. In Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, there is a belief in Kami, or nature spirits that inhabit all natural phenomenon from rocks to the sky, storms, animals, plants, and humans. Although zen Buddhism was a major influence in shakuhachi practice, so was Shinto to shakuhachi. The idea of Misogi Shugyo, constant daily training, is very important in esoteric Shinto. “Rise early in the morning to greet the sun. Inhale and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and let the cosmos inside. Next breathe up the fecundity and vibrance of the earth. Blend the breath of earth with your own and become the breath of life itself. Your mind and body will be gladdened, depression and heartache will dissipate and you will be filled with gratitude (kansha).” Every morning we walked to the ocean and warmed our bodies up with 200 strokes of the wooden staff or sword. Then blew 100 long tones on shakuhachi then played honkyoku. It’s a wonderful way to start the day! One of the mornings while walking back home from our misogi, carrying our staffs and shakuhachi, a local lady passed us and smile, asking us if we  had a good time and if had caught anything in the ocean. I just smiled at her and said, “Yes, we had a great catch!” Bruno and and I just smiled silently at each other and I thought, “Yes, we are certainly caught a big Kami!” 

Bruno spent 4 days and nights here and I pushed him to his limit. Here was the daily schedule:

 AM

7:00  Rise

7:30  Walk; staff/ken training;RO Buki by the ocean

9:00 Breakfast, rest, free time

10:00 Shakuhachi Lesson

PM

12:00  Lunch, rest, free time, practice

1:00 Shakuhachi making

4:00  Shakuhachi Lesson

6:00  Supper, free time, rest, practice

7:30 Shakuhachi lesson

9:30 Sitting meditation

10:30  Retire

It’s great to be on a steady schedule of shugyou, shakuhachi practice, contemplation, and wonderful meals every day.  Sandra  cooked all around the clock making sure that Bruno was well-fed.

 

5 days Retreat Menu

Day 1

Dinner:

BBQ chicken

Grilled vegetables

Chocolate almond souffle

 

Day 2

 Breakfast:

Popover

Fruits

 

Lunch:

Lentil soup

Rosemary bread

Hummus

Salad

watermelon

 

Dinner:

BBQ salmon

Asparagus

Brown rice

Ice cream and fruits

 

Day 3

 Breakfast:

Blueberry muffins

Fruits

 

Lunch:

Spinach pie

Salad

Fruits

 

Dinner:

Sushi wraps

Miso soup

Pie w/ ice cream

 

Day 4

Breakfast:

Scones

fruits

 

Lunch:

Sandwich

Squash soup

fruits

 

Dinner:

Seafood pasta

Salad w/ goat cheese and cranberries

Banana bread

 

Day 5

Breakfast:

Toast

Omelette

Fruits

 

Lunch:

Picnic

wraps

banana bread

 

Dinner:

Hot pot

Brown rice

Banana soufflé

 

It’s really moving to see him put all his heart into studying shakuhachi. That’s the proper way to approach shakuhachi! Even though I push him to his limit, he never gets discouraged and finds the beauty and love in the experience. He’s been taking internet lessons with me for the last couple of years, so it is such a relief to actually have concentrated lessons face to face. So much more is imparted. Most importantly is hearing and feeling the actual sound and expression, which is very limited over the internet. Interestingly, I have more internet students now than actual face to face students!

I only offer retreats for one person at a time as I think this is the best way for a student to get concentrated attention. My intention is to teach people how to play shakuhachi to the best of their ability. Much of my teaching is giving the student a strong foundation in basic technique. If the student has enough faith in me, I guarantee that I will teach the student how to play properly and to maximize their enjoyment of the shakuhachi. Along with strong technique, I also emphasize spirituality in the experience of shakuhachi as I believe how one imagines one’s life, and their relationship with the universe, nature, spirit is the most important thing in life. Shakuhachi is merely a tool to express one’s spirit, and to train the mind and body for unifying with the cosmos in a deeper way. I want to teach the student how to play honkyoku wonderfully; but I also teach how to play ensemble music (with koto and shamisen); modern music, and improvisation if the students chooses to do so. But the emphasis is always on growing the root in honkyoku as this is the sound that should influence all other types of music one plays.

There are many teachers and styles of shakuhachi in Japan and more teachers outside of Japan are increasing. I encourage students to experience as many dimensions of shakuhachi as they can and that means having the freedom to train with more than one teacher. No one teacher can give a student all she or he needs. But I think that studying with one teacher for at least the first few years (especially if the teacher is a good one) is very beneficial for the student as one can form a strong foundation in playing and understanding the shakuhachi.  

The rest of the summer retreat schedule is booked full. If there is anyone interested in coming for a retreat next year please contact me: ramos@dccnet.com. You can see more information about Bamboo-In Shakuhachi Retreat Centre here: http://www.bamboo-in.com/about-us/temple.html.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (thank you in advance for accepting be in your group and your time)

 

Alcvin

Several years ago I had the pleasure to visit the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, here in southern California, with Marvin and Jonette Yazzi to look at five Cahuilla/Diegueno/Ipai rim blown flutes they have in their collection. I found out about these flutes from Marvin and Jonette Yazzie and Ernest Siva, an elder of the Cahuilla/Serrano culture.

These flutes are part of the broader western rim-blown flute world which include examples from the Anasazi, Mojave, and southern California cultures.

Like the Anasazi flutes, many of these flutes are made of a elder wood, specifically elderberry. This is a common tree that grows wild in southern California. It blooms with yellow flowers in the spring. The inner core, or pith, of the wood, is soft and can be poked out with a hard stick for flute making. Three of the flutes in the Riverside museum were made of elderberry. The two other flutes were made of river cane. The majority of the flutes we saw that day were thought to have been made during the turn of the 20th century. All had four finger holes.

We took some photos and measurements of the flutes but were not able play them as they had been treated with a preservative that was toxic. I think it was formaldehyde. They also had to be handled with white gloves for this reason.

Measuring about 21″ in length with a 3/4″ bore, the elderberry flutes’ finger holes were evenly spaced in the middle of the flute. No information was known about the tuning or the traditional use of these instruments, although Ernest recalled that elders played this flute when he was a youngster growing up on the Morongo reservation in the San Gorgonio pass. The flutes in the Riverside museum were found in the Diegno/Ipai

The cane flutes were about 17″ in length with the top finger hole being about 8 1/2″ from the blown end, also known as the proximal end. From there three more finger holes descended toward the distal end.

The flutes all had some decorative markings. Hatch marks radiating from finger holes like sun rays and bands of triangles and wavy lines that were possibly burned on to the flutes.

Several weeks later the Yazzies made a few reproductions of the elderberry flutes. (Fig 1-A below) The pitch classification of the notes does not correspond to any western tuning and seemed to be random. Due to this lack of any tonal focus I never really put much effort to playing these flutes. That was a couple years ago.

About a month ago I dropped by the Yazzies and while there Jonette brought out some flutes that were based on the cane Cahuilla flutes with the finger holes grouped toward the distal end of the flute. When I played these there was a stronger tonal center than the elder berry ones. These were fun to play. (Fig-1 B-E)

Figure 1

One of the better “tuned” ones was based on the note G (above middle C). The tones produced by a straight uncovering of the holes from the bottom up produce the notes G-B-C#-D-E with an overblown octave G. A cross fingering pattern will produce the notes G-B-C-D-E-(G 8va) (Fig 1-D)

Two of the flutes were based on E-G#-A-B-C with an overblown octave E. These flutes tends to wander a bit more between half steps depending on the players embouchure. (Fig 1-B/C)

The Yazzies also made a six hole version, but not based on any of the artifacts we saw. The pitches found in this flute are F-Ab-A-B-C-Db-Eb with an over blown note of E, a major seventh above the root. (Or a half step below the octave.) By not playing some of the notes I was able to come up with some scales, but nothing like the Anasazi, Mojave or NAF scales. (Fig 1-E)

These flutes have a very soft, intimate sound. What I would call sweet. They are not at all loud. Here is an example of flute D from Figure 1.

The Yazzies are making these flutes with their “grand father” tuning. I thought it would be fun to take some of them with me to the Zion Flute School (more on that in a later post) and before I even got them handed out they were spoken for. Luckily, I had one already.

You won’t find these flutes on their website, but if you contact them they can fill you in on the details.

© 2009 Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.

Hello Flute Portal!

I’d first like to thank Geoffrey Ellis for accepting me to be included amongst the roster of these esteemed flute artists! I’m very honored to be here. Being a shakuhachi flute player I naturally have a fondness and interest in flutes of the world so reading about other flute traditions gives me great joy. I feel I have come to a wonderful oasis of beauty and learning which will benefit me as a player and human being. Likewise, I hope my presence here will benefit those who read my blog. First I’d like to introduce myself and then use this venue for delving into certain ideas that have been at the core of why I play the shakuhachi bamboo flute. 

My name is Alcvin Ramos. “Ryuzen” (Dragon Meditation) is the name given me by my shakuhachi teacher, Yoshinobu Taniguchi. In my career I have also studied with several other masters including Katsuya Yokoyama, Kaoru Kakizakai, Teruo Furuya, Atsuya Okuda, Akikazu Nakamura, and Kifu Mitsuhashi, just to name a few. I have been playing shakuhachi for about 20 years now. The underlying reason I do shakuhachi is basically an existential one: who am I in this world and what is my path in life? I observed the state of people living in society from the not so wealthy to wealthy, having the tendency to collect vast amounts of stuff.  Long ago I asked myself, “How much is enough? How do I live a balanced life?” The Buddhist idea of Right Livelihood–of living a life that is ethical and beneficial for my spiritual development, helped me to choose my vocation.

I came to see that there was no relationship to how much money one makes and being truly happy. It seems like we live in a society of “addictions”. The more we get the more we crave. Spending time in a monastery taught me many important things, but I felt I needed more of a balance between society and my work. Therefore I needed to find something that made me truly happy. What could I see myself doing for the rest of life? The only thing I could think of was shakuhachi. So I chose to become a shakuhachi flute player and teacher. It seemed interesting and exciting as well as gentle on the environment and to society. But how to successfully make a living at it was another question.

The first step was to increase my skill level. The shakuhachi has a reputation of being the most difficult instrument in the world to master. So I trained very intensely with masters in Japan and attended as many workshops and lectures as possible, practicing several hours a day, working to master the honkyoku, classical zen pieces for shakuhachi. I also entered several competitions and performances in Japan to test my skill and hear critiques (and compliments) from high level players which was indispensable to my learning. I also spent time studying the art of making shakuhachi with recognized masters in order to gain a more intimate knowledge of the physics of the flute, and the process of creating a flute from harvesting bamboo to the finished instrument.

After several years of playing and studying, I applied for a shihan (master) teaching license from Katsuya Yokoyama in Japan, one of the greatest shakuhachi masters in modern history. This license would qualify me to teach shakuhachi. I was fortunate enough to receive this honor. Recently I just received my daishihan (grand master) title from Yoshinobu Taniguchi, another one of Japan’s greatest shakuhachi senseis, which was an incredible gift for me!

The next step was to find a way to make a living doing shakuhachi back home in North America. I had thought I could only do honkyoku (spiritual pieces) but I quickly found that I had to be a musician to be recognized in the west. So I had a to re-learn western music in order to communicate with other musicians. Fortunately I studied western classical music (piano, voice, trumpet) as a youth and quickly picked up what I had forgot. Once I arrived in Canada I quickly worked to establish myself in the local music scene collaborating with many different musicians from various genres. Each new musician became a teacher of mine, influencing me, and teaching me new worlds of sound and expression. But I’d have to say, the most important component of my vocation continues to be my practice of meditation (Zen) which teaches me to listen to the sounds of nature and the universe more deeply; and to intensely focus on my path. From a young age I have always been fascinated by esoteric things so the idea of shakuhachi as a tool for self-cultivation (which is the original purpose for the Komuso monks to play shakuhachi), combining it with spiritual practice continues to guide me on my path.

Everything that I derive from my shakuhachi path is nectar to my life. More importantly, I aim to live a more and more frugal and simple life. I only buy what I need and discard what I don’t need. I enjoy fully whatever comes into my life and refuse to be addicted to the thrill of acquiring more and more things (only more bamboo!). I realized if I concentrate on what I love, everything else flows naturally. I am deeply grateful for living in a place and time that grants us the freedom to live a truly balanced life.

 

Shakuhchai as a Way of Life

For me, shakuhachi is a way of life. Just one minor path amongst the millions of others in the human experience. How does one live a shakhachi life? First one must love the sound of the shakuhachi. To love it is to hear it being played. Then one must play it and love the  playing of it. To love playing shakuhachi, one must have discipline to practice with a teacher, the classical solo meditation repertoire, honkyoku. Without honkyoku there wouldn’t be shakuhachi. Honkyoku is the essential sound of the shakuhachi which countless players before have contributed to its tradition.

Living a shakuhachi life also means being connected to Japan. To play shakuhachi, one must have an intuitive respect for Japanese culture and arts. Honkyoku and shakuhachi are inseperable from learning certain aspects of Japanese culture. If one cannot respect those aspects, then one is missing a vital part of shakuhachi. Being in relationship with a teacher is one of those aspects. It is important have a teacher (or teachers) to keep learning from and being inspired to play. This idea of “relationship” extends also to nature, the elements, to one’s self, and to the universe. When one plays, one is breathing in the atmosphere, the same air, this matrix that we all live in and projecting thoughts, energy, emotion from one’s spirit, affecting and communicating with all beings around.

Living shakuhachi also means deriving your livelihood from either teaching, playing, or making shakuhachi. In today’s world, this requires one to be a musician or craftsman. To teach shakuhachi, one must have studied with a teacher and have knowledge of teaching techniques. A teacher must charge for lessons to derive his or her living. Other ways of making a living are recording music to sell, giving performances, lectures, and making flutes to sell. There is nothing un-spiritual about this. This is good since it forces one to practice and keep one’s skill level up.

One can live like a Komoso, living on the street and playing for food. But it is extremely difficult. Since there are no more government-supported temples to support Komuso activities, it is impossible to live like the Komuso of the Edo (17th Century Japan) period.

Of course one can have a normal day job and still enjoy shakuhachi deeply.

Since there are an infinite number of things one can address about the shakuhachi, I will try to limit my blogs to how shakuhachi relates to self cultivation, which I believe lies at the core of the practice and which drew me to this incredible flute in the first place.

Well, we’re changing the name and we’ve rearranged the Discussion Forums, so you may be asking, “What’s next?”

The next phase of the Flute Portals “upgrade” will focus on the main site.  The front page mirrors our blog site, of course.  Some of you may never have actually clicked the Blog link in the navigation bar at the top of the page, because each new blog appears automatically on the front page of the Flute Portal.   Now the other sections of the site are due for some renovation to increase ease of use and navigation.   The original Flute Portal site was a “shell” of sorts and all of the features were more or less a “beta” version of what we ultimately wanted to have available.  We have slowly been tweaking these features into place, making them what they were originally intended to be.  We added the discussion forum and then the blogs, and we’ve removed some of the features that were the forerunners of these (the Articles section, for one).

On the top of the list of renovations  is the Music Downloads section.  This is a pet project of mine, and while the current feature is a good concept it is not as accessible or easy to use as it should ultimately be.  I’ve got big plans for this section that are going to make it way more interesting and accessible, as well as making it more of a magnet for flute enthusiasts from many different backgrounds.   However, until a “feasibility study” is done (i.e. I talk to the webmaster about what is involved) I can only throw out a vague teaser without any concrete facts…at least not yet

The upshot of this feature upgrade is that it will allow the Flute Portal to draw on a greater user-base of World Flute music enthusiasts, which in turn will expand the site content, thereby making it a more interesting place to visit.

There is definitely a Big Picture behind all of these developments, but I don’t want to lay all the cards on the table at once because I’m not sure whether this grand vision will manifest on my ideal timeline.   But I’ll keep everyone posted as we bring it along.