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Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to offer some public gratitude to Barry 'Daido Houun' Weiss for coming to lead a retreat at Zen Mountain Monastery a couple weekends ago. As he now lives and practices as a monk in Japan, the workshop marked the end of an over 30 year relationship of retreat leading at the Monastery. He played a wonderful concert Saturday night dressed as a komuso. The depth of his experience and practice was physically palpable and affecting. The best description I can offer about his playing itself is on what happened to us, the audience. Everyone buzzed up with energy and openly expressing and talking about their shared experience. More significantly, more than a few people awakened to a newfound interest/passion/curiosity for the shakuhachi. A testament in and of itself. The man tapped into the good stuff. The 'Finale', to generously define the term, involved all 17 students of the day, the bulk of which had never played before (only a couple of us could consistently get a sound), got up in front of everyone and played 'Taps'. I won't attempt to describe the quality of the sound. However, undeniably, it did sound startlingly true. Undeniably true. Humble and honest.
Overall, the performance manifested qualities that affect/transform an audience in ways subtle and profound. So much so, they may not even notice. In my opinion, qualities that touch and move parts of people that even the greatest virtuoso can consistently fail to access. As a long time professional performer, I can attest, that's hard stuff to do. And in front of people. Seriously hard. At least, access in any sort of genuine way. I think the coolest part about the way it ended was that he didn't make it about him. Rare stuff.
OK, guess I've blathered enough.
Thank you to Barry 'Daido Houun' Weiss.
Last edited by Kohl (2009-10-13 10:49:31)
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Thanks for sharing Kohl. I attended a workshop there years ago with Mary Lu. It made me hear the flute in a new light, so to speak.
Namaste, Perry
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Kohl wrote:
Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to offer some public gratitude to Barry 'Daido Houun' Weiss for coming to lead a retreat at Zen Mountain Monastery a couple weekends ago.
I saw you at the concert. I didn't know it was you. I was the guy with the cell phone that started beeping during the first piece. At least the phone was quiet for the part of the concert that you were in
It was a great concert. I felt very relieved when Barry explained that the Japanese music is somewhat atonal and more represented goings on at the monastery than an effort to be a tune. For a while I thought I was missing something in hearing the lack of musical rhymes. However, I probably am missing a lot, it takes time to learn to fully appreciate any kind of music never mind one from another culture. Anyway, that was some good energy at the concert.
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I am not surprised at the positive results of Barry's final Workshop at Zen Mountain Monastery.
I communicated with him before it and was, as always, delighted to do so.
Barry was my first student, and my first student to get licensed and a professional name (Nyosui).
He was, and continues to be, of pure heart, and is one of the least selfish souls I have ever come across.
I am very proud of him, and wish him well in his new path as an ordained Monk.
Gassho,
Nyogetsu
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Nyogetsu,
Thank you for including Barry's professional name that I neglected to mention. Out of curiosity, what does the 'Sui' character mean? Is it like the 'Water/River' in 'Sansuikyo' (Mountains and Rivers Sutra) by any chance? I like to learn about these things.
radi0gnome,
Do you remember the song he played after 'Sanya'? It was either called, or about, a waterfall. I can't recall the title and I'm still not very fluent with the bulk of Honkyoku. That song just tore me up man.
Perry,
It was something to see a bunch of people wandering around the Monastery grounds during breaks noodling away on 'Yungflutes'! Thanks for the flutes.
K
Last edited by Kohl (2009-06-30 22:07:34)
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The character "sui" does, indeed stand for water.
Thus , NYOSUI would mean something like "The essence of water", or "like water".
I was able to have my teacher KURAHASHI YODO (Yoshio's father) think of the names for Barry and one other student, John Nyoshu Goodman.
As the first two of my students to receive their Jun-Shihan Menjo and their names (GEMEI), I felt that coming from him it had more power then from me.
This was in 1980. I gave Barry his full Shihan license a number of years later at the Boulder Shakuhachi Festival.
I believe that the "waterfall" piece that you are trying to remember is probably TAKIOCHI (which means waterfall).
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Nyogetsu,
Thanks for responding. I appreciate learning about the history of shakuhachi in the West, particularly in NYC. And yes, the piece that resonated so strongly with me is TAKIOCHI. As synchronicity would have it, it's coming up soon in the curriculum. I love it when things line up like that.
Thank you.
Kohl
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