Suizen – Part 1

In part 1, you will find a general description of suizen along with three options for playing the shakuhachi meditatively. Part 2-5 will cover Ro-Buki, Honkyoku and Improvisation, respectively.

In general, Suizen (blowing meditation) has been described as meditation practice consisting of playing the shakuhachi bamboo flute as a means of attaining self-realization. The emphasis is placed on breath-control(blowing), breathing, and single-minded concentration; as familiar to zazen.

Typical suizen practice consists of:

Ro-Buki – fundamental practice where one blows a single note over and over with the intent of being completely aware of the experience. This is the starting point for beginners, as anyone can practice Ro-Buki, even if you cannot make a ‘note’, you can hear your breath moving through the bore. To start, settle your body/mind and blow Ro (or any single note) for as long as you can, over and over again. This will build your embouchure, deepen your breath, and strengthen your sound. If blowing the same note for 30 minutes seems boring, take a look at additional Ro-Buki practices listed in Part 2 “Basic Ro-Buki practice”.

Honkyoku (original pieces) – Studying, listening and playing shakuhachi original scores written and played by the samurai and Komuso monks as a gate to emptiness. For example, Kyorei. A previous post provides addition details about this ancient Honkyoku score along with an image of the notation. This is an example of a score one may learn and play meditatively.

Improvisation – spontaneous invention of melodic solo melodies and lines, typically matched to energy at time of playing. Example: play may follow mood (Sad, Happy), energy of day (How is your world moving? Can you match this), weather (example: if stormy out, your playing may follow your experience of the storm; if calm out…), seasons, time of day (night/day, sunrise/sunset), etc.

To be continued in Parts 2-5