Sunday Serendipity

A great offering by the Youtube Algo, From YoYo Ma’s Songs of Comfort covid crises series.

Rain Falling From Roof

The music is composed by Wu Tong a Chinese musician and composer

It is performed by Wu Tong and Yo Yo Ma.

The instrument that Wu Tong is playing is the Sheng an ancient Chinese wind instrument.

A back story about the composition from the composer

There is a story that has greatly inspired me from the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960-1127). It is about a novice Zen monk who experienced a moment of enlightenment by observing rain falling from the eaves of a roof. The story is told in the classic form of a Zen riddle. One rainy day, a novice monk asked the renowned Zen master Guixing about the fundamental meaning of Buddhism. The master pointed to the raindrops dripping from the eaves of a nearby roof. The novice monk who had been perplexed for a long time, suddenly experienced an epiphany. He immediately improvised the following koan: “Raindrops dripping from the eaves, clear sound of splitter-splatter falling on the leaves; Heaven and Earth then take a breath, for in that instant my mind is at peace.” (In this Zen koan a Chinese word representing Heaven and Earth “Qiankun” is used. This term not only refers to material existence, but also represents the concept of Yinyang, and in a Buddhist sense refers to time and space. A mind at peace is a state achieved through mediation, whereby one comes into contact with their true nature unfettered by prejudice and selfish subjectivity.) It was during a rainstorm that I first read this story. At that time, the entirety of humankind was dealing with the trials and tribulations of the coronavirus pandemic. Upon hearing the sound of the falling raindrops, I also had a realization. It was a reminder that people depend upon peaceful coexistence with each other and with Mother Nature to live in true harmony. No one exists in isolation.

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61 thoughts on “Sunday Serendipity”

  1. jack,  perfect.  brings to mind these partial lyrics from a song by monks at plum village, zen meditation center in france (a retreat for climate activists et al)

    How wonderful to be able to see

    That we are all water,
    that we are all water

    So I wanna go as as the river
    Not as the drop of water

    For sure we will reach the sea

  5. i heard that dog thought show on npr yesterday, though it may have been an update, and new, and thus not a replay of this one.
     

  8. Great choice Jack

    One thing I find so admirable about Yo You Ma is his willingness to explore all of the world’s music forms with his cello.  He has introduced us to so many wonderful sounds as a result.

    We could probably do pages and pages of rain songs, but this one always belongs to a certain place, time and  person.

     

  9. One thing I really like (in addition to and aside from the music)  about Yo Yo Ma is that his name is actually Yo Yo.

  13. jamie, one more rain song but far from nostalgic as it once was but now seems to warn us about what jan. 6th portends if the powers that be fail to rein in the militias reign.  it also has been interpreted to refer to climate change catastrophe.

    wiki:

    …in his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One,Dylan attributed his inspiration to the feeling he got when readingmicrofichenewspapers in theNew York Public Library: “After a while you become aware of nothing but a culture of feeling, of black days, of schism, evil for evil, the common destiny of the human being getting thrown off course. It’s all one long funeral song.”

  14. ole carl sure would fit in here on the trail this winter day musing about

    Horses and Men in Rain by Carl Sandburg

    LET us sit by a hissing steam radiator a winter’s day, gray wind pattering frozen raindrops on the window, And let us talk about milk wagon drivers and grocery delivery boys.
    Let us keep our feet in wool slippers and mix hot punches—and talk about mail carriers and messenger boys slipping along the icy sidewalks. Let us write of olden, golden days and hunters of the Holy Grail and men called “knights” riding horses in the rain, in the cold frozen rain for ladies they loved.
    A roustabout hunched on a coal wagon goes by, icicles drip on his hat rim, sheets of ice wrapping the hunks of coal, the caravanserai a gray blur in slant of rain. Let us nudge the steam radiator with our wool slippers and write poems of Launcelot, the hero, and Roland, the hero, and all the olden golden men who rode horses in the rain.

  15. One of my favorite Sandburgers:

    The buffaloes are gone.
    And those who saw the buffaloes are gone.
    Those who saw the buffaloes by thousands and how they pawed the prairie sod into dust with their hoofs, their great heads down pawing on in a great pageant of dusk,
    Those who saw the buffaloes are gone.
    And the buffaloes are gone.

  16. As my friend Bongo Seville once thought to himself:

    I wanna be like J D Salinger except without writing all the books.

  17. Sturg
    I know many now, clients who’ve gotten their first vaccine shot with no ill effects :0). You do such good work as well. I really enjoyed the last thread. 

    Bink, thanks for your posts as well. 

    Pat, you amaze me with all the good info. 

    I’m happy these days. Biden/Harris continues to shine. The last four years were a nightmare. To those who didn’t vote for HRC you should carry that guilt and shame forever. I can’t wait to see the kids at the border reunited with their parents. The USA owes these people a debt that sadly can’t be repaid. :0(

  18. I knew this one guy who was serious about camoflage……back in 68 at the Navy’s Electronics school people could smoke all they wanted to, inside of class, or out.   So Kohler, being like I said,  a most serious dude, smoked a pipe.  Very studious looking.  Almost professorial, even.   He went out and got the absolutely most ugliest smelling pipe tobacco, brought back some pot from home in Detroit, mixed a bit of the pot into the pipe tobacco and spent the whole 9 months somewhat stoned.

  19. Jack – That was beautiful.  I had to read up on the sheng, as I never noticed him take a breath or move his fingers very much.  In the beginning, it sounded like a little, French accordion.

  22. GOP congressman pretends Trump had a vaccination plan that Biden wants to steal

    Okay, maybe it was Trump’s plan in the same sense that he wanted a Nobel Prize for gifting Kim Jong Un a rare PR victory he could set to classic ‘80s porn music and jerk off to, but in the sense of offering a coherent strategy that actually got vaccines into people’s arms? Not so much.
    In fact, he has exactly the same vaccine strategy that I had, which is to wait for Biden to handle the crisis and hope the delay doesn’t fucking kill me.

  23. I think I could post a whole day of YO Yo M’s collaborations and never get bored.
    Another one for this grey rainy morning.
    Jack

  24. My favorite rain quote is from Rodger Miller, the country singer/song writer.
    “Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet”
    Jack

  27. It ain’t about rain, but it IS Roger Miller (to Ralph Emery):    “I figure I’m about 6 weeks ahead of my time.”

  28. As I listen to all the good music, I’ve been reading all of the poems, presented at presidential inaugurations. It is not that difficult. Just 4 presidents and six poets. all during my life time. Which I found interesting. I’m sure it says something about us as a people but I’m not sure what.
    To read the poems
    Jack

  29. I enjoy watching old videos of Rodger Miller being interviewed, it is difficult to separate out the natural talent from the meth inspired ramblings. But what ever he was a real entertainer and it is fun to watch.
    Jack

  31. Twitter still seems to be suffering under the delusion that I am public enemy #1.  It’s not as if they don’t have to send a code to the only phone I possess just so I can sign on to see that I’m still suspended.

    Maybe they just lost the file on reviewing Case# 0184527463: Appeal of Suspension.

     

  32. Jack… very nice selection…  really, really enjoyed it!
     
    Jamie…  you can always find something positive and constructive to do with the time you used to spend on Twitter 🙂   Although…  I’m sure there are people there you miss talking to…

  33. RR

    I’m reading up a storm, knitting an afghan, doing crosswords, on my 8th jigsaw puzzle and playing on line scrabble,  but I liked the variety of politics on Twitter.

     

  34. yeah, if there was ever one of those old country dudes I’d like to have spent an afternoon drinking in a bar with it would have been Roger. 
     Or Hank.  Yep, Roger and Hank.
    Or Willlie.   That’s it, Roger, Hank and Willie.
    Or maybe Kris……..yeah, Roger, Hank, Willie, and Kris; oh and maybe the Killer, Jerry Lee.    And the possum, yeah, can’t leave him out, though I have it on good authority that the possum was crazier’n a shit-house rat…..still……
    Hey, I’m sure that Jerry Jeff woulda been a hoot.  So that’s it:   Roger, Hank, Willie, Kris, The Killer, the Possum and Jerry Jeff.
     
    And Merle.

  37. looks like craig better bake some more cookies.   the guard is staying thru march according to politico:

    Former President Donald Trump’s upcoming Senate impeachment trial poses a security concern that federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers last week requires as many as 5,000 National Guard troops to remain in Washington through mid-March, according to four people familiar with the matter.
    The contingency force will help protect the Capitol from what was described as “impeachment security concerns,” including the possibility of mass demonstrations coinciding with the Senate’s trial, which is slated to begin the week of Feb. 8.
    […]
    Several National Guard units have seen their deployments extended involuntarily, though a majority of Guardsmen remaining in Washington will do so on a volunteer basis. Around 7,000 troops will continue to provide riot security through the beginning of February, with that number decreasing slightly to 5,000 by the time Trump’s impeachment trial begins.
    “We are not going to allow any surprises again,” said one Guard member, referring to the widespread lack of preparedness for the insurrection on Jan. 6.
    There is also some concern over potential unrest surrounding March 4, the date some QAnon conspiracy theorists believe Trump will be inaugurated for the second time.
    […]
    Morale is low among the troops, who described having to stand guard for hours at a time in full gear with limited access to food and water, waiting for hours to be transported to and from their hotels, and very little sleep. Many are washing socks and cold-weather undergarments in hotel bathroom sinks because they do not have access to laundry facilities.
    Some have been forced to purchase their own food out of pocket to supplement the sparse meals they have been provided, which do not provide enough calories to sustain the long days. Even meals ready to eat are hard to come by due to logistical and transportation issues.
    [continues]

  39. Stolen from internet:
     
    Q: Why are redneck murders so difficult to solve?
     
    A:  All the DNA matches and there are no dental records

  40. All the talk of Keystone, pollution and loss of paradise reminded me Brother John Prine’s “Paradise”.

    Oh and the latest murder committed by human beings:  Two baby eaglets dead, probable cause rodenticide or the red tide blooms effect on their fish

     

     

  41. Jack, ya just can’t miss with YoYo. 
    sturg, just caught a bit of Ray Wylie Hubbard – bet he’d be a hoot sharing a few pops with.  And yeah, he’s country.  Up against the wall, etc. 

  43. One of the problems that Biden inherited is the food producers failing.  Not ConAgra or General Mills or Smithfield (now Chinese).  The basic farmer or waterman or fisherman.  They never got the handouts that the corporations got. 
     
    At this moment oysters at the local market, not grocery store, are going for six dollars a dozen.  These used to go for about eighteen to twenty dollars a dozen here.   They are literally giving these away, it has to cost more just to drag them out of the water than the watermen are getting.  These are very tasty. Large with just enough briny to make them wonderful.
     
    I have decided to make it my special place to eat a lot of oysters until things return to normal.  The people working the water need supporting and I will do my best to help.

  44. Can the Senate use  “reconciliation”  to kill the filibuster or will that take 60 votes?

  45. Yeah, Roger, Hank, Willie, Kris, the Killer, the Possum, Jerry Jeff, Merle, Leon, and Ray WYLIE
    Fuckin A

  47. OMG….  Tom Brady is going back to the Super Bowl!
     
    Jack…. good luck to your Chiefs.

  49. There’s a man in the funny papers we all know……….Alley Oop, Oop, Oop Oop—Oop-oop

  50. Gary Paxton got the drop in Nashville on the hired killers sent to snuff out his life and sent one to the hospital with a gunshot wound and the other scurrying back towards Georgia with a giant hole in his future.

  52. Republicans’ newest argument against convicting SFB is that he is fading from view and a conviction will just bring more attention to him.
    He is not fading from view.  He is laying low and regrouping.  If he is allowed to get away with this, there is nothing to stop him from coming back and doing worse.  It also sends a message to others that they could get away with an attempted coup. 
     

  56. The Goopers are ridiculous why does anyone listen to them.  Little Marco. A giant size jerk

  57. And Ranting Runt Paul. Is there a more silly person.  There are not two sides to the voter fraud baloney there is no such thing as alternative facts

  58. Sturge sounds like a hell of a party. I guess I had better go talk to the hippies see how many goats they want to get rid of. Butcher them, dig a pit, throw the goats on the grill, get a barrel of beer and have a goat roast.
    Damn, it’s been 40 years ago since I threw my last ” party all weekend” goat roast, About the same time I quit growing my own weed too. I grew some good stuff back on the farm.
    Back in the day I could have kept up with all of them. But they were hard partiers too,  back in the day….

    Jack

  59. KGC
    Marcos, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Josh idiot, they are all nobodies
    You and people like you give them power. ignore them they disappear.
    Jack

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