I read a book this week that made me think very deeply about life. My co-worker and talented guitar player Eric recommended a book called “Zen Guitar“ by Philip Toshio Sudo. At only six pages in I had a feeling that this book is special. It was a book that made me reflect deeply upon my life and the author seemed like a mirror version of myself in a way. I was always chasing balance, that yin and yang of life. After I had learned about Zen Buddhism through Alan Watts, I also began chasing the zen of life.
Instead of an American trying to make a living in Japan, Philip was an American with Japanese parents. The book was a guitar book and also much more. Like Ram Dass’s book about Maharaj Ji, I could sip the book like a fine wine or whiskey. Any educated person with some life experience could tell that this book was not about the guitar. In those words downloaded was advice for life itself.
The Book Called Out To Me
It’s hard to describe the feeling of something when it touches your soul. Like soft notes plucking the strings of my heart, a harmonious chord resonated throughout my being. The pages steeped like a great tea. The various flavors carry memories, Japanese kanji, guitar tips, and life advice. I had the same feeling when I saw a pink guitar with gold accents at the thirft shop two years ago. A guitar was like a wand in Harry Potter, you didn’t buy it, the guitar chooses you.
The book also called me out. Philip described the importance of knowing when to appreciate great craftsmanship. A stunning realization hit me, I realized I didn’t know what made a good guitar. I had no idea how an electric guitar even worked. What was the difference between a good guitar and a bad one? Meanwhile, my guitar was broken and I didn’t know why. One of the pickups failed to output any signal to an amplifier.
In one of my favorite anime Bleach, the user’s swords (zanpakuto) are a living part of their own soul. I looked at my guitar In a similar fashion. Found at the thrift store, the guitar was unwanted and broken. Maybe I could bring out the beauty and gold in this thing again. Despite being down, this guitar was not out. So I took a screwdriver and looked inside an electric guitar for the first time. I wasn’t entirely sure, but one of the solder points appeared broken. I was sure the guitar could be repaired.
There’s still a lot of music we can make together.
LaidbackMarco to Guitar
Chasing Zen of Life Drove it Away
Like a master talking to a student, the book also lectured me on an important rule in zen. To chase zen only drove it further away. “Get Lost” in the voice of Alan Watts bounced around my head trailed by his jubilant and infectious laughter. Chasing some ideal, or trying to play like someone else was impossible. The book followed this statement by reminding you to play your own song. “You have to live your own life”
It was easy for me to get caught up chasing or being jealous of the way other people did things. As a result, I had forgotten what made me special. After work, I ventured into the music building and played the music that I wanted. It didn’t matter if it sounded good, if anyone else listened, or whether it gained me anything. The gift I received was being able to play the instrument in the first place. I had memories of my dad and I sitting around and playing instruments together. My dad hasn’t seen me in four years, so I’m tearing up as I’m writing this.
Chasing the Zen of Life in My Sound
I thought back to my entire musical history. Perhaps it was time to learn about myself again. To wear the white belt not only in terms of guitar but to the being I often took for granted. I took that idea into the studio as I made a new song, perhaps it was too similar to my other tracks, but I was afraid of becoming a beginner again. Being an artist was about experimentation and trying new things, yet I was stuck. I needed to find my sound, lose it, and then rediscover it again. The cycle was a part of chasing the zen of life.
Philip gets us here again. He’s not just talking about “playing your sound” that loaded statement includes the way you live your life. I know I wasn’t living mine right, this isn’t my full potential. It was time to make a change. Strategy Sunday could be more than just, “how to grow a following”. Like Philip, I wanted to teach people how to grow their life. Consequently, the first person I had to teach was myself.
What did you learn from last week?
I had my to-do list staring me in the face, realizing I hadn’t done enough of it. The guilt piled up when I remembered sleeping the whole day on Saturday. Not all was lost however, I began creating more blog posts, I published songs, and I’ve determined that YouTube Shorts has some of the best discoverability right now.
