Ichi on Buttsu - One sound Enlightenment

"His first Lyrichord CD, Nyogetsu Seldin sumptuously plays seven traditional, and one original composition on several shakuhachis of different lengths. Ichi On Buttsu is a peerless collection of traditional shakuhachi performance, a disc which quite possibly demonstrates the most profound link between music and the ancient Eastern journey toward enlightenment."

Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
Lyrichord Discs Inc. - LYRCD 7436

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Ifu Sashi		09'27	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	This honkyoku, (or original piece,) was taken into the Itcho-ken Temple repertory within the Meian line of honkyoku, following its discovery in Hakata, on the island of Kyushu. "Sashi" is the Japanese representation of a Sanskrit word that stands for the death of Buddha.
2	Banji	鑁字	07'31	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	Banji comes from the Dai-Hozan line of Meianji in Otamuro, the present day Koshu in Yamanashi Prefecture. This honkyoku makes use of the Japanese concept "in-ki." "In" is the equivalent to "yin," the Chinese symbol for female and darkness. Consequently, this is a sad piece with a dark quality, but speaks to the dignity of solitariness.
3	Omae		05'48	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	Omae (Special Angel) is a lamentation on the pain. loneliness, and rage we feel when a relationship we thought would last, ends. First we let go of our plans, then our expectations, and finally, worst of all, our hopes and dreams.
4	Darani	陀羅尼	08'28	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	This piece comes from the Meian Temple in Kyoto, which was headquarters for the Fuke sect during the Edo period (1603-1868). The ideographs for Meian, or Yin and Yang (dark and light), were often worn on the chests of the komuso. This honkyoku gives one the feeling and image of a strong, powerfull Buddha.
5	Banshiki (Itchoken)	盤渉	06'48	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	Banshiki comes from the Itcho-ken Temple in Hakata, on the island of Kyushu. A very Buddhist honkyoku, it is concerned with the subject of death. More importantly, with the soul's journey from this life, full of attachments and feelings, toward the peace of satori, enlightenment, which lies beyond. The word" shiki" in the title means to "pass or cross over."
6	Kokû (Don't know which version)	虚空	10'30	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	Koku, or "Bell ringing in the Empty Sky," is one of the three oldest honkyoku (San-Koten). It is said to have been composed after death of the Zen monk Fuke-Zenji, patriarch of the shakuhachi, who in life is supposed to have walked around ringing a small hand-bell. In the legend the monk predicts the day of his own death. When the villagers hear of his death, they open his coffin and find it empty. However, they look to the sky and clearly hear the sound of a bell getting fainter, as if ascending to the clear, blue sky. The music of Koku ("empty sky") supposedly represents this event.
7	Mukaiji (Don't know which version)	霧海箎	09'33	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	Mukaiji, or "Fog, Sea, Flute," is also one of the three oldest honkyoku, along with Koku and Kyorei. It is said that this piece was composed about 700 years ago by the monk Kichiku, who dreamed he was on a small boat in the open sea in the middle of a thick white fog. While on the boat he heard beautiful shakuhachi music, but could not see its origin. Later he composed this piece to capture the haunting melodies of his dream. Kichiku was one of the disciples of Kakushin, who brought the Fuke sect of Zen monks (those who played the shakuhachi to reach enlightenment), to Japan. The original founder was the Chinese monk Fuke-Zenji, who, in the Tang Dynasty, was the direct inspiration for all the oldest honkyoku.
8	Kyorei (Don't know which version)	虚鈴	09'21	Shakuhachi: Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
	There is a legend about this honkyoku: it is said that in the Tang Dynasty in China, Fuke-Zenji often walked the streets ringing a bell. After his death his disciples composed this honkyoku to express their yearning for their master. It was later transmitted to Japan. "Kyorei" means the bell that is the sound of nothingness in Zen Buddhism. This is the oldest and most famous honkyoku.