Pick up the Beat - A Chan Koan
This Koan comes from the Chung Tai Koans - The Teaching Stories of Grand Master Wei Chueh. I received this at the Buddhism class I attended two weeks ago.
__________
Once during a morning service, the monks were all chanting with great concentration. Unexpectedly, the Grand Master walked in with his hands folded behind his back. His eyes were cast down looking back and forth across the ground. The monk on duty hurried over and asked, "Grand Master, are you searching for something?" The Grand Master replied, "The beats! Haven't you seen them? The beats are all over the floor! Go fetch a brrom and sweep them up!"
After the service, the monks who were responsible for playing the ritual instruments and leading the ceremony knelt in front of the Buddha statue in repentance.
__________
I chose this koan because I have a possible understanding of this one, rather than others I've read that totally confuse me! My take on this is based on the word concentration. I can see the monks focusing very hard, but concentration is a mental activity. Music should come from the heart. As a musician I know the difference it makes to play from your head versus your heart. Playing from your head is a poor imitation of that performed from the heart. So while the beats may have been technically correct, they weren't holding together like music that grooves from the heart. The monks were reminded of this difference by the master in a rather ingenious way, and thus repented.
Anyone else have a take on this?
__________
Once during a morning service, the monks were all chanting with great concentration. Unexpectedly, the Grand Master walked in with his hands folded behind his back. His eyes were cast down looking back and forth across the ground. The monk on duty hurried over and asked, "Grand Master, are you searching for something?" The Grand Master replied, "The beats! Haven't you seen them? The beats are all over the floor! Go fetch a brrom and sweep them up!"
After the service, the monks who were responsible for playing the ritual instruments and leading the ceremony knelt in front of the Buddha statue in repentance.
__________
I chose this koan because I have a possible understanding of this one, rather than others I've read that totally confuse me! My take on this is based on the word concentration. I can see the monks focusing very hard, but concentration is a mental activity. Music should come from the heart. As a musician I know the difference it makes to play from your head versus your heart. Playing from your head is a poor imitation of that performed from the heart. So while the beats may have been technically correct, they weren't holding together like music that grooves from the heart. The monks were reminded of this difference by the master in a rather ingenious way, and thus repented.
Anyone else have a take on this?
posted by Jaxson at 21:37
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home