Suizen

The shakuhachi was traditionally used in Japanese temples to train the breath and the concentration. With this way of meditating, called “suizen”, the breath produces sound and you concentrate on it. Hearing this sound gives peace to your heart.

For the Dutch readers, here is a link to a very useful and clear post from my colleague Hans van Loon about Suizen.

Blowing zen

Playing shakuhachi is my way to meditate, either with one tone or an entire piece. Meditating with the shakuhachi is different than practicing or performing. Just blowing  a tone, without judgement, focusing on the breath, is quite a challenge for a musician!

Here are some posts about this topic:

• My Jinashi project
• Meditation or music? Or both?
• Daily meditation with the shakuhachi
• Zen rules applied to shakuhachi
• Shakuhachi & Meditation
• Playing shakuhachi at funerals
• The Rhythm of Silence
• A nature funeral
• In Memoriam