[Buddha-l] Re: Flute and Buddhism

[Michael J. Wilson]

Music and buddhism in general is an interesting topic to explore.  When I think of the two queries together, I think of Kitaro, "The Silk Road", or Yo Yo Ma and his Silk Road project.  Donovan has recent albums exploring buddhism!  I have several tapes of Korean "myung son umak" or "meditation music".  One features a Korean flute called a "dae geum", a difficult instrument to play.  Kim Yong Dong has many albums with this instrument and the music has deep buddhist influences.  Not sure of any direct connection of the flute to monasteries in Korea - some don't even allow books, but those be the more Zen (Korean = Son) schools.  (There are buddhist monasteries more dedicated to the study of sutras (Korean = Kyong)).  Of course there is the unforgettable image of an actor named David Carradine who played in the Kung Fu TV series, a Hollywood version of Chinese buddhism and martial arts, who was often seen playing a flute.  And yes, shakuhachi flutes probably have a deep
 tradition with buddhist influences nad Japan, and some of the more rare ones command exorbitant prices.  I know a great flute collector who has made shakuhachi flutes out of plumbers' plastic pipe and he says they sound all right - and less expensive! For beauty, sacredness, and mystery, I would personally choose listening to Sufi flutes.  
good luck
mike

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