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Blowing Zen 'Progress Report'
What is Beauty, Really?
Simply, the [chref=2]beautiful[/chref] is that which pulls us toward it (attracts us), and the [chref=2]ugly[/chref] is that which pushes us away (repels us). Simpler yet, beauty is need all dressed up in sheep's clothing. Ugly is fear all decked out in 'solitary', 'desolate' and 'hapless' garb. So, rather than saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', we can just nail it down to 'beauty is the desirable', which is naturally in the eye of the beholder. It is fascinating to see how many view beauty as a reality in its own right. I bet Plato is turning in his grave hearing me downgrade his universal "Forms of Beauty" to a simple animal imperative - need (biology). What a wet blanket I am
Oh, ditto for those other treasures, 'good', 'right', 'truth', 'virtue', 'God',... you name it. They too originate in need and his son [chref=37]desire[/chref]. (Yes, son not daughter, for son correlates with need and desire).
Simply, the [chref=2]beautiful[/chref] is that which pulls us toward it (attracts us), and the [chref=2]ugly[/chref] is that which pushes us away (repels us). Simpler yet, beauty is need all dressed up in sheep's clothing. Ugly is fear all decked out in 'solitary', 'desolate' and 'hapless' garb. So, rather than saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', we can just nail it down to 'beauty is the desirable', which is naturally in the eye of the beholder. It is fascinating to see how many view beauty as a reality in its own right. I bet Plato is turning in his grave hearing me downgrade his universal "Forms of Beauty" to a simple animal imperative - need (biology). What a wet blanket I am
Oh, ditto for those other treasures, 'good', 'right', 'truth', 'virtue', 'God',... you name it. They too originate in need and his son [chref=37]desire[/chref]. (Yes, son not daughter, for son correlates with need and desire).
Comments
Anyway, I may have finally slowed down enough, vis-a-vis the shakuhachi, to [chref=64]deal with a thing while it is still nothing[/chref]. The 'thing' this time is [chref=8]timeliness[/chref] in Honkyoku (i.e., 'blowing Zen'). I wouldn't have thought this would be a concern considering the s-l-o-w nature of the HonKyoku 'tempo'. But, perhaps that actually makes it worse... who knows. Worse in the sense that the issue can be easily overlooked. Specifically, in regards to the shakuhachi, [chref=64]being as careful at the end as at the beginning[/chref] is my big, albeit daily, breakthrough.
Could a teacher have clued me in to this decades ago. Perhaps, but so what? In my view, the only 'learning' that really matters is that which we discover within ourselves, i.e., 'listening' to [chref=43]the teaching that uses no words[/chref]. We can learn techniques and become most skilled, yet still remain completely ignorant 'parrots'. The point is, 'true progress' is not the way that seems to [chref=41]lead forward[/chref]. Indeed, [chref=40]turning back is how the way moves[/chref]. When I can 'move' with the way, I realize what I need to know [chref=17]naturally[/chref] when the time is ripe. Truly this [chref=53]way is easy[/chref]! Expecting more is simply [chref=53]taking the lead in robbery[/chref]!
I had to read your post 3 times before I understood what you were talking about. You could have been talking about anything! Such a globalist you are. I think you are saying that you have got the timing right and you take as much care at the end of each note as you do at the beginning.
So now I realize that when I paint, I rush to the end of the painting before I do the middle. I do the beginning and jump to the end and never do the middle at all, because I want to see what it will look like. That's not good.
(1) Here are the Shakuhachi recording I've posted so far. The first eight, Ban Shiki Cho, Kumoi Jishi, Hi Fu Mi, etc., are 'Zen' Honkyoku.
To save them to file, put the cursor on the file name, right click mouse and select SAVE LINK AS... which saves the MP3 file to the hardrive and from there one can burn a CD or just listen.
The 'Miscellanious Tracks' are simple Western folk music, which didn't fit onto the Blowing Zen CD.
(2) Well, to get the "timing right", I realized I really needed to [chref=64]be as careful at the end as at the beginning[/chref]! This is true of all action; easy to say, however, applying principle to all action requires a significant degree of [chref=40]turning back[/chref]. Ah, life's work is never done, is it? The irony here, of course, is that the true work we need to do is actually rest, i.e., [chref=16]stillness[/chref]. Our problem is that we 'work' at it ([chref=73]contend[/chref]) too much!
(3) That's the ticket. When we realize that 'it' is all connected, as in [chref=14]the thread running through the way[/chref], we can actually begin to apply [chref=43]the teaching that uses no words[/chref] to our every living moment.