SHAKUHACHI - THE SOUND OF GOD

The shakuhachi is the traditional bamboo flute of Japan and has a history that is steeped in mystique and legend.  Made from the root-end of an aged culm of bamboo,  the construction of the shakuhachi is the essence of simplicity.  But like nature itself,  the basic exterior hides a storehouse of treasures for the seeker.

The shakuhachi has been played for many hundreds of years by Zen Buddhist monks and the music they played remains with us today.  It is still being handed down from teacher to student in the oral tradition that ensured we did not lose the basic spiritual essence of each piece.  The numbers of teachers are dwindling rapidly however and we are in danger of losing this powerful ancient music.

The monks were known as Priests of Nothingness and their determination to live a life removed from the mundanity of the normal world was expressed in the way they walked the streets wearing a basket shaped hat over their head and face,  with just the shakuhachi protruding from beneath.  The shakuhachi was considered to be a spiritual tool rather than a musical instrument.  Legend says that the club-like end of the instrument sometimes allowed it to be used as an effective weapon.  The monks were not permitted to carry swords when practising takahatsu (religious mendicancy).

What did they play?  When wandering,  they played pieces to other monks they happened to meet,  in the form of call and answer.  They played pieces to attract attention and thereby gather alms,  pieces to express gratitude,  slow meditative pieces,  ceremonial and secret music,  pieces describing and reflecting nature in all its myriad forms.

Playing this music requires many breathing techniques.  It was believed that by extending and concentrating the Out Breath,  by practicing mindful or conscious exhalation,  great physical relaxation could be achieved and spiritual power could be increased,   eventually leading to enlightenment.

The shakuhachi player does not feel that he is making the sound or music.  The playing and the breathing are disassociated from the player.  The mind of the player,  the music and the breathing is centred on tanden.  The music then appears to emanate from a source separate from both the player and the instrument.  It could then be described as the Voice of God.  Playing this way is profoundly relaxing and rewarding.

“The delicate changes in breath cause subtle changes of ki in the void.  Sometimes movements are fierce and potent,  at other times slow and stolid.  By such changes one can discern the degree of concentration or unification of mind and body.  When concentration permeates mind and body,  breath-power becomes one with the universe,  gently and naturally expanding to the utter limit,  but at the same time the person becomes increasingly self-contained and autonomous.  In this way when breath works together with the universe,  the unseen spiritual essence becomes a reality within oneself,  enfolding and protecting and defending the self.”