One who blows Ro 10 minutes every day can become a master – Watazumi Doso (海童道祖) Roshi
Ro-Buki – fundamental practice where one blows a single note over and over with the intent of being completely aware of one’s experience. It is said that one may master the shakuhachi through the suchness of one single tone.
Anyone can practice Ro-Buki, even if you cannot make a sound, you can hear your breath. To start, settle your body/mind and blow Ro (or any single note) for as long as you can, over and over again. Once you can get a steady sound, you may then move on to additional practices:
Volume control –
-Blowing steady constant sound from start to finish
-Blowing each note as quietly as possible
-Blowing each note as loudly as possible
-Leaf Blowing Technique – Blowing >normal >>loud >>>quiet
-Diamond Blowing Technique – Start out as quietly as possible, then gradually getting louder and gradually trailing off to nothing again
-Wedge Blowing Technique- loud to soft; soft to loud – Start strong and trail off to nothing. Start out quiet as possible and increase to max volume
Pitch control-
-Play scales up and down – obtaining and holding proper pitch on each note
Advanced Practices-
-Contemplation of Breath while blowing Ro
-Contemplation of Sound while blowing Ro
-Contemplation of Mind while blowing Ro
Other –
-Walking Ro-Buki – very slow moving, one step per note
-Lying Ro-Buki – Lie on back and blow Ro
-Group Ro-Buki – blowing Ro with others – matching tone/pitch and breath with others