Kyoto Protocol No. 3: You Shall See Sound
by Chet Day
Meditation101.comTogether we walk slowly with our sensei as dusk approaches...
We're in a rural area many miles north of Kyoto, Japan.
Our teacher leads us mindfully along a deep forest trail that has been tended for centuries by Zen Buddhist monks.
As the sun dips slowly into the west and the light begins to fade, a gong reverberates through the evening from the main temple a half mile or so behind us.
The sun begins to set.
From a nearby tree in the deep forest, an owl hoots.
Ah, there!
We've reached the end of the path.
The small meditation zendo we've been seeking emerges from the deep forest.
Wind chimes sing when a gentle breeze wisps through us, through the zendo, through the forest.
The brass gong at the main temple again calls monks to evening reflection.
We answer the gong by donning meditation robes.
We sit on meditation cushions we had carried with us.
After shifting our bodies to settle comfortably onto our zafus and taking several long, slow deep breaths, our teacher recites a famous Zen koan:
Bells and Robes
Ummon asked: "The world is such a wide world, why do you answer a bell and don ceremonial robes?"
Zen Master Mumon Ekai's Comment
When one studies Zen one need not follow sound or color or form.
Even though some have attained insight when hearing a voice or seeing a color or a form, this is a very common way. It is not true Zen.
The real Zen student controls sound, color, form, and actualizes the truth in his everyday life.
Sound comes to the ear, the ear goes to the sound. When you blot out sound and sense, what do you understand? While listening with ears one never can understand.
To understand intimately one should see sound.
When you understand, you belong to the family;
When you do not understand, you are a stranger.
Those who do not understand belong to the family,
And when they understand they are strangers.We look quizzically at our teacher.
"To understand intimately one should see sound," our sensei repeats. "Breathe now and listen to the chimes, the owl, the temple bells."
A few minutes later, our teacher adds, "Listen attentively enough and you shall see sound."
Comment from Chet: Wanting to better understand the concept of "see sound," I created a meditation CD titled Kyoto Protocol No. 3 after working with the Bells and Robes koan for several weeks.
Beginning and intermediate meditators in particular will find this CD very useful with their meditation practice.
Kyoto Protocol No. 3 uses advanced NeuroImagery™ audio technology to help your brain generate theta, and then delta waves, for a deeply fulfilling 60-minute meditation session.
Kyoto Protocol No. 3 CD
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