Zen Music and Cultural InfluencesZen music can be interpreted in various ways such as music that Zen monks have created, as in the honkyoku pieces of meditation for the shakuhachi bamboo flute, or something that would go well as music for Zen meditation. Here I will talk about how Zen has influenced the Japanese aesthetics in regards to traditional music.
Zen music created by the monks at various Komuso temples associated with the Rinzai sect of Zen were using this music as a means to enlightenment and spiritual training. Philosophical and psychological concepts and disciplines such as emptiness, constant awareness of time passage and breathing meditation became translated into musical values such as awareness of timbral/tone qualities and a sense of free rhythm. These ideas and qualities are the basis for Zen meditation music. The significance of Buddhism to the characteristics of Japanese shakuhachi music can be best described in the following way:
The Japanese perception of music and their music making were particularly influenced by Zen Buddhism and helped form this style of Zen music. CLICK HERE if you are interested in hearing some traditional Zen music. These feelings and Buddhist undertones (except perhaps ma and duration) cannot be accurately expressed in Western staff notation. Structure, pitch and timing are all key elements to staff notation developed and prioritized in the West. “There is no way of communicating these musical ideas through staff notation. The primary element in Japanese music is function as opposed to structure” (Sargeant, 2006). It is the process of making the music that is essential in Japanese music, not necessarily the outcome of the piece. Especially with Zen honkyoku pieces, the making and listening to the music is an experience. This is an aesthetic that has permeated Japanese culture and Japanese art for centuries, but still remains alive today. Here is a great site if you are interested in Meditation for Beginners. This Perfect Meditation for Beginners Video Gives the BEST Meditation Techniques for Beginners. Receive Clarity Strength and Vitality with these Meditation Techniques.
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