Daiwagaku 2: Introductory Zen Lesson

[@jeanpierrecarpentier]

i think i've had every angle covered for Daiwagaku with these two videos. Crystal clear explanations and very pleasant examples following. Thank you so much Daniel for sharing them

[@nyohaku]

Your comments are welcome and appreciated. These videos are carefully planned to be useful to both players and the general public. Although almost 30 minutes long, so much is quickly touched on that both are designed to be repeatable yet freestanding. I have been “living” with this piece for about a month in preparation. Best wishes-

[@joestatuto5287]

Very helpful for understanding this work. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@hervedesormeaux1478]

Thank you so much. Even if it is above my level, your explanations enlighten me on the practice of shakuhachi. They help me enter into the state of mind inherent in learning this one. I have never regretted so much being lazy during English lessons in my younger years. Now I wouldn't be afraid to take distance learning! 😊🙏

[@nyohaku]

You are very welcome. You can always watch a KZbin video many times if it is complicated. There are four parts to this lesson. Maybe the subtitles will work. Best wishes.

[@hervedesormeaux1478]

@@nyohaku Very good idea. My goal is only to enjoy practicing and go as far as I can go. Thanks you.🙏

[@tiercincachou7836]

hello Daniel, a real pedagogy it's nice to watch this post, a gift ..... good day didier

[@nyohaku]

A teacher is defined by the student’s progress. Thank you for listening carefully and continuing your study.

[@SamsTopBarBees]

A very beautiful piece, also for a new payer very challenging / rewarding. Your step to step guide is extremely helpful. Thank you.

[@nyohaku]

I agree, it is very special. Still one of my favorites. Watching all four parts offers one hour of lesson time. We are keeping a tradition alive; it is worth the effort.

[@SamsTopBarBees]

@@nyohaku I find it very useful when you describe exactly what the notation means, it's hard to find clear information about notation. I started playing shakuhachi about a year ago, I heard "Hi To Mi" by Rodrigo Rodriguez and was enraptured by the beauty of the instrument. So I made a rough Shakuhachi out of maple and began practicing tones and notes. What finally pushed me into learning to read and play sheet music was one of your videos featuring the yuu flute. I immediately purchased one, mostly because it was very affordable but also because I live in Eastern Ontario, and our winters get DRY.

[@smiltso]

Illuminating lesson. Thank you Daniel!

[@nyohaku]

There’s a lot in this piece, for sure. 🙏

[@sscholle]

Thanks Dan. Beautiful job.

[@nyohaku]

⛩🙏

[@m.fulller]

Very beautiful lesson. 📿 Thank you so much! 🙏

[@nyohaku]

🙏🙏🙏 a pleasure to share.

[@FactoryOne]

Good evening Daniel! Met you at the park today and I told you I would send you that link to the John Cage piece that will play for 639 years. Interesting concepts you discuss behind the breathing involved with playing this flute, I particularly enjoyed when you talked about breathing over the instrument, so even though the breath is externalized, the formation of the note really seems to be more of an internal representation. Looking forward to watching some more! www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54041568

[@nyohaku]

Thanks. I have been to a few Cage “ performances”. The calligraphically guided composition on my channel is called “Daydream”, fingerings written on stones is called “Go Stones”, improvisation with percussion and added to video imagery is called “ Live from the cemetery”.

[@aircombatmaneuvers]

I'm very sad , i investigated the fuke sect lineage and shakuhachi history and found out that Shakuhachi has nothing to do with zen or buddhism, neither the honkyoku: it was all fabricated by a sect of ronins and beggars in 1700 called komuso, these komuso were not even buddhist monks. It was demosntrated that they lied and faked documents of a false origin of a china zen lineage to fuke zenji patriarch . So Saying "zen shakuhachi" is like saying "zen quena". The Suizen term was first used in 1950. Not even komuso used the shakuhachi to meditate, they used it to beg for alms. Dont get me wrong i love the shakuhachi sound and honkyoku pieces but as a buddhist i cannot stand anymore that they called all that "zen" or "buddhist" when it was not. I guess we should called it fuke shakuhachi songs. What do you think about it and how you deal with it? zen-shakuhachi.dk/index.html

[@nyohaku]

At the 2008 National Shakuhachi Festival in Sydney, I found myself at a banquet table with a dozen genial and down to earth Japanese players, who turned out to be modern Komuso. It was open seating, and interestingly, we quickly bonded. They had great respect for the 200+ professional shakuhachi musicians attending, which they felt quite apart from. Generally they could only comfortably play two or three pieces. I followed the link in your comment, and the writer mentioned he was in the process of pulling down his previously held opinions. Whenever I read a book on a religion by a respected author/publisher I can tell within the first chapter whether the view is from within or without the tradition (and first hand experience). Of course both are valid. A good book often takes years to write, and stands the test of time. (especially good translations of the actual canon). I was raised in the protestant tradition where congregants often worship through singing hymns, and my deeply religious parents were definitely not fine singers. “Amazing Grace” was written by a man who still had a hand in the slave trade, but that did not matter to my parents. To learn more about Zen, I recommend spending a weekend or a week in a monastery, which as you may know is mostly a nonverbal experience. Corruption always drives me away from institutions, but within them there are also those who can see to the heart of the matter; matters of the heart.

[@aircombatmaneuvers]

@@nyohaku thanks i have 23 years of mahayana buddhism practice in pure land buddhism monastery i read all the sutras and practice prajña paramita and zazen with monks several days a week and im still connected with the sanga and i support and develop many of their web sites i had tra slared many omportant buddhist books to several languages. Anyways it seems that early konuso were ronins that were lay people that aincerily tried to follow zen way of life and i like ronins as the samurai always were connected to zen somehow. So maybe it is more interesting now that i think of it a music developped by masterless ronins and warriors than made by monks.As I practice jiu jitsu and martial arts i guess i identify myself more to the komuso way ( the warrior spirit side). Everytime I go outside I carry my shakuhachi with me not only as a flute but as a self defence weapon (i use thick PPR shakus i made and tuned) the bamboo ones stays at home i go out to the wild and nature to ait alone on zazen and play the shaku. So definitwly being a lay member of the sangha i guess im more on the komuso side now that i think of it. Anyways the honkyoku is amazing and beautiful and watching good performers like you playing the intricate pieces motivates me to learn more and practice. Ps: My fathers were also from protestant origin my grand grandfather was a protestant methodist priest i know what you mean about it ha ha ha tough religion! But I found in meister Eckhart writings the bridge between cristianity and buddhism. Anyways, once you read and study lankavatara sutra or hearth sutra or shurangama sutra there is no more way back be it in this life or the other. Thanks for taking your time to answer my questions and thanks for posting amazing videos. Amitofo!