Expand Your Inner Vision

11.18.2022 EXPAND YOUR INNER VISION As a child, I was extremely near sighted, giving my world a shallow depth of field. Despite my ability to only see what was right in front of me, my music teacher noticed one day that I wasn’t reading the sheet music she’d placed before me. By then, I preferred to learn music by just listening and practicing what I heard, which didn’t entice me to pursue it any further academically. Either way, I still became a musician, the drums being my primary instrument of choice. In my experience, music has connected me with people who find themselves blurring the lines of what’s considered the “norm” and never quite fitting in. I enjoy and thrive in the environment with them. Recently, I had the opportunity to dive further into this blurry world when I took part in “The Creative Music Workshop” founded in 1996 by the late Buddhist jazz drummer Jerry Granelli, now led by his son J. Anthony Granelli and a core group of his former collaborators and students. While I didn’t have much knowledge of conventional musicality to “unlearn,” the workshop and the fellow musicians who participated gave me a great deal of guidance and inspiration to expand my inner vision to near 20/20. As with music, we can read about Buddhism and meditation all day long, learning the theory and analysis behind it. Our studying will certainly offer moments of clarity and inspiration, but the real benefits come when we sit down and practice. When we first arrive on the cushion to meditate, we might feel near-sighted, seeing only closeups of the problems and perils of our minds, but with time, our inner vision expands to a more open awareness of reality as it is. The big picture becomes crystal clear. Some time ago, I came across a video of Lithuanian musician Clara Rockmore playing the theremin and was intrigued by her story. The theremin works as a stringless violin that creates sound through manipulating the electromagnetic fields around its two antennae. I’ve since picked up the instrument myself to please my sonic desires. I can’t see with my eyes what’s making the sound when I practice, but beautiful music emerges nonetheless. The three pieces in this Weekend Reader all explore the intersections of sound, Buddhism, and meditation, and have inspired me in both my music and meditative practices. May they bring some inspiration to your weekend, too. —Megumi Yoshida, Art Director, Lion’s Roar magazine

How to Get Lost — and Found — in Music Music connects us to the present moment like nothing else, says Teenage Bottlerocket bassist Miguel Chen. He explains how to really listen to music. In bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, music is often used specifically as a tool for connection. Part of this connection and devotion is expressed and realized through kirtan, a musical form of chanting from the heart. Through kirtan, we leave ego aside and connect to something bigger. For some, that “something bigger” is God; for some, it’s nature or the universe. Again, you don’t have to see things the same way. Music can connect you to whatever you need connection to, with or without a higher power involved. Take what serves you, and leave the rest. (Some might argue that music in and of itself is a higher power — and I’d be inclined to agree with them.)

How To Organize A Meditative Music Night Who says you always have to sit in silence? Ryan Winger explains how you can bring the mind of meditation to the music you love — with friends. Music is the background of our lives — playing in the supermarket, accompanying us as we wait to speak with the next customer service representative, shuffling on our iPhones as we commute to work. Music is ubiquitous, but much of the time we aren’t really listening. Most of us have had a more attentive experience of music as well — truly listening with a singular focus. When we really pay attention, we can treasure the feeling and energy of the artists and songs that hold a special place in our hearts. Whether in a concert hall, on a busy street corner, or in the privacy of our home, the experience of connecting with music meaningfully is rich, deep, and sometimes profound.

We’re All Different: Musician Glenn Copeland on his journey as a Black, Buddhist, transgender artist “The message of my Buddhist practice is, ‘Be courageous. You are exactly what is wanted. We’re all different,’”says musician and composer Glenn Copeland. John Harvey Negru talks to Copeland about his life as a pioneer in music. Glenn Copeland: I’ve been writing and performing since I was 27, that’s 47 years of writing music now. I’ve written three musicals for children, and I’ve also put out four albums of music for adults, but most people know me compartmentally. The music comes to me. I can’t say I have a plan to write it. The bigger question for me is how it can be used as a vehicle for encouraging heart and courage.

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