MP3 Michael Chikuzen Gould - Monshogodo:Meditative Sounds of Old Japan

A truly meditative recordingâone based on shakuhachi music and the chanting of Buddhist sutras.

5 MP3 Songs in this album (47:36) !
Related styles: WORLD: Japanese traditional, NEW AGE: Spiritual



Details:
"Monshogodo": Monsho means "to hear," Go means Satori, or "enlightenment," and Do means "the Way" or "Path." This concept comes from story #17 of the Sanbyakusoku (300 Zen Stories). After many years of unsuccessfully contemplating a Zen koan (riddle) given to him by his master, Hyakujo Ekai, the advanced disciple, Kyogen Chikan, gains enlightenment upon hearing the sound of a stone hitting a piece of bamboo. He immediately understands the answer to the koan in his purified mindâhe experiences the sound from a place beyond preconceived notions, from a fresh, unborn place. Trapped by hard-fixed ideas, we are often caught up in our past experiences and are unable to let go of them. This story reminds us that we can have "fresh born amazement" in "pure experience."

This CD for accompaniment to meditative activities is a collaboration between shakuhachi master Michael Chikuzen Gould and Sebastien Gishin Cyr, a zen monk living in Montreal, Canada. Gishin specializes in Buddhist chanting, especially Shomyo chanting, which is showcased in this CD. The long tones of the shakuhachi bending around in calligraphic-like swirls complement the strong pure sounds of Gishinsâ chanting. There is also a solo version of the Heart Sutra by Gishin and of the shakuhachi Zen honkyoku, âKokuâ played in its entirety by Michael.

Michael Chikuzen Gould lived in Japan from 1980 to 1997 and studied shakuhachi under renowned masters Taniguchi Yoshinobu and Yokoyama Katsuya. Gould earned a âShihanâ (Master of Shakuhachi) in 1987 and was given the name âChikuzen.â In 1994, he became one of only a handful of non-Japanese to hold the title of âDai Shihanâ (Grand Master of Shakuhachi). After returning to the U.S., Chikuzen taught Zen Buddhism and shakuhachi at the University of Michigan, Oberlin College, and Wittenberg University.

Shakuhachi, the zen bamboo flute of Japan, was introduced into Japan from China in the 8th century. It was used by mendicant monks, called Komuso, or "priests of nothingness", as a spiritual tool in the middle ages. Playing the shakuhachi was a form of meditation and a way of life.

Sebastien Gishin Cyr lived in Japan initally to learn the Japanese martial art of Iaido. While living with his teacher on the grounds of the Yasaka shrine in Osaka, he was introduced to various spiritual practices. Buddhism was to become his main practice after visiting and studying at temples both in Japan and China. He is formally ordained in the Rinzai Zen lineage. Back in Canada, he has concentrated on teaching Iaido and offering his services as a Buddhist priest.

Shomyo chanting is a style of chanting that originated several thousand years ago with monks in India and traveled through China and Korea into Japan. In India, the process of producing "holy sounds" called Bija begins as an internal visualization that becomes a projection of energy.

Shakuhachi master James Schlefer says of this CD: âIt is one of the most beautiful CDs Iâve heard in a long time. The blend of chant and shakuhachi works wonderfully, Chikuzenâs playing is superb, and the album is beautifully recorded.â