thought of the day – nada

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One of the great virtues of meditating on the inner sound is that it easily supports both aspects of samadhi (meditative concentration): samatha (“shamatha” in Sanskrit, meaning calmness or tranquillity) and vipassana (insight). Samadhi can be described as the fixing of the mind on a single object for a period of time. And this single­ness of focus, or one-pointedness, can function in two distinct ways. The first, which is the basis of samatha, can be thought of as “the point that excludes.” It’s like using the spot-focus beam of an adjustable flashlight to lock onto a single object and block out everything else.

The second way, the basis of vipassana, can be described as “the point that includes.” The one-pointedness expands into an awareness that makes the whole experience of the pres­ent moment the object of meditation. Using the broad-focus beam of the same adjustable flash­light, all the various aspects of the present—not just a single, brightly lit spot—are encompassed in the light of awareness.

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The Sound of Silence by Ajahn Amaro

https://www.lionsroar.com/the-sound-of-silence/

for a year now, i have been improvising electroacoustic soundscapes as a basis for deep listening. this series of live streams is called nada. and i have been thinking in those terms, that most approaches to buddhist meditation are contained in this pratice. coming across this excellent article gives nice feedback in that i was right in my thinking. those sound meditations have been a really rewarding output that combine both my spiritual pratice and my creative and technical work. i hope this benefits many people.

if you would like to listen to the series, please check out my bandcamp page. you can follow to receive updates of the coming live streams.

you can also sign up to my newsletter.

the other shore

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If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there can be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without tress, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are.

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Thich Nhat Hanh, The Other Shore

 

 

my good friend gus sent me this book a while ago. he is also a buddhist and follows the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition. we have been in the habit of meeting online for regular chats, and also play music at a distance. those meetings have been amazing and the music we recorded means so much – have a listen! we were talking about the heart sutra and he just sent me this new interpretation. what a beautifully poetic presentation of Pratītyasamutpāda and Śūnyatā. every chapter is a gem. what a wonderful read.

Milarepa and Rechungpa nt006

The fantastic stories and songs of Milarepa continue with release number six in the series of nexTTime production new label.

The relationship between the wise guru Milarepa and his main disciple Rechungpa is difficult to say the least. This very poignant and touching story details how their relationship evolves, and there are many opportunities for deep teachings and thus wisdom abounds. This is possibly the most intense, and intensely rich of this collaboration with Suvarnagarbha, our highest achievement in weaving spoken word and electroacoustic narratives that support each other without necessarily examplifying or mimicking.

This is a stunning performances that sustains incredible energy and focus throughout and pays much respect to the absolutely incredible stories that unfold.

We hope that this will bring much benefit and enjoyment to the listener.

 

The live performance took place at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 12 october 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Songs of Milarepa nt005

Building on the stregth of the collaboration with Suvarnagarbha, this fifth release in the series of nexTTime production explores the songs and stories of Milarepa.

Here, Milarepa uses wits and wisdom to battle demons and spirits. And of course, Suvarnagarbha’s impressive translation of the text and perfect delivery underlines the humour that balances the tensions in this compelling narrative.

The music is mostly improvised, apart from some short composed sequences that were prepared in advance to provide a contrast between significant songs and the flow of the narration.

Electroacoustic and experimental electronics, this piece is as eventful and it gets (for the accompaniment of Bhuddist texts…) and features broken beats, glitch electronics and granular randomness as well as more ambient spectral sections. Meditation bowls and bells are augmented with the addition of shakuhachi, and even saxophone appears in places to support the changes in mood of this amazing text.

 

The live performance took place at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 15 june 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sukhavati Sutra nt004

Fourth in the series of nexTTime production releases is a collaboration with Buddhist friend Suvarnagarbha.

I am very pleased to be sharing this recording which is the culmination of much work done together. This collaboration has been very exciting from the beginning and has taken many forms. For the first time, we are exploring buddhist texts, and i think this is the point where we really are touching on something great.

Suvarnagarbha’s narration is as ever splendid and inspires me to accompany the text with mininalist electronics, and electroacoustic soundscapes. This translation of the traditional text was prepared especially for the performance which took place at the Sheffield Buddhist Centre on 23 february 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milarepa and Rechungpa

The lastest performance by Suvarnagarbha and Hervé Perez continues on the theme and stories of milarepa. Here, we explore the turbulent relationship between guru and his main disciple through songs and narration that are full of wisdom, going deeper into the Dharma from the tibetan tradition.

This incredible text is translated and performed by suvarnagarbha.
The soundscapes are improvised using field recordings, alto saxophone, shakuhachi, meditation bowls and bells, objects, bodhran, live processing.

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Milarepa

this collaboration keeps developing and reaching new heights. the lastest performance is an epic journey through the stories and songs of milarepa, a key figure in tibetan buddhism. i hope it is only part one of a series, and this time we focused on the stories of milarepa taming demons and teaching the Dharma at every opportunity.
this is an amazing text, here translated and performed by my good friend suvarnagarbha.
the full performance is posted on mixcloud. it is 1h41mins long, but is well worth settling down for, and getting immersed in this fantastic world.

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Sukhavati Sutra

a reading of the Sukhavati Sutra

live performance with spoken word and electroacoustic improvisation

Suvarnagarbha (voice)
Hervé Perez (laptop – field recordings, sound design, live processing – shakuhachi, bowls and bells)

Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 23 feb 2019

the science of mind

“
when we think of calming down the mind and we become aware of what’s going on in the mind, we say ‘waow, there’s so many thoughts’.

it’s not that there are more thoughts than ever, you start to become aware of what’s going on in your mind from morning till evening. we are full of thoughts.

because the mind is like a spoiled brat, constantly moving here and there, reminiscing the past, imagining the future, and never in the present moment.

so try to focus your mind.

we say it’s like the butterfly. the butterfly stays on the flower, so he sorts of goes away for no reason then comes back. so, it’s ok, you will be distracted, but you should bring back your mind.

and so meditation will help you to become the master of your mind.
and master of the mind is not the absence of freedom. often people think ‘i am going to control my mind, sort of reducing my freedom.’

take the example of the sailor at sea. what is freedom? to let the boat wherever the currents and the wind blow? that’s not freedom, that’s drifting.

freedom is to take the helm and navigate where you have chosen to go.

so if you are in charge of your own mind, that’s freedom.
“

matthieu ricard
in
“The Buddhist Science of the Mind”

 

 

winter warmer

if some of you wondered where i disappeared, i have spent some time in a buddhist centre catching up with meditation and volunteering…

under the guidance of master thangka painter lama rigzin, we decorated the new shrine room of the kagyu samye dzong buddhist centre. this has been a very interesting and fruitful experience for me, meeting and living in a community of amazing and creative people.

many thanks to lama zangmo, namjal and ani for the warm welcome and to all at the centre for all the amazing experiences.
and many thanks to justin, enikö, lydia, mimi, sabrina, alan, holy for the lessons in kindness and compassion, the shared moments, conversations and wonderful food…

amongst the intensive paint work, the many hours of sitting in a beautiful meditation room and socialising with residents, i have managed to find some time for musical experiences, to my great surprise, as i thought i was in for a very quiet retreat…

first i was delighted to find a lama’s fascination with chanting or even singing along with my saxophone. i also played with the amazing flute player lydia polzer. and finally, i was really struck to find an old and nearly forgotten love. after six years dedicated to my new instrument, and while trying to rapidly build up my saxophone technique, i have pretty much abandoned playing the guitar.

wonderful guitar repairer and maker john wilshire amazed me with such kindness and allowed me to borrow and play one of his creations. on hearing the beautiful sound of his guitar, i immediately fell for it and recorded a piece. my playing is very rusty after six years of silence, but this guitar is so incredibly delightful that i could not resist it and just enjoyed the sound… thank you john for this experience.

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cherry on winter icing

recorded in a yoga room of the KSDL centre

london

acoustic guitar, 02 december 2012

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