Komuso: Healin Art of Zen

Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Relaxation
• ASIN: B00004NRYS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,251 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Komuso were priests of the Fuke-Shu sect of Zen Buddhism who wandered Japan during the Edo period (1600-1868). These priests would take the problems and illnesses of people upon themselves, attempting to help them by playing a particular style of shakuhachi flute music called Sui-Zen. They sought to have their "patients" become completely embraced by their music, allowing them to let go of all distractions, worries, problems, and stresses. The "ko" in komuso means "emptiness" or "nothingness"; this concept of quieting the mind was the aim of these healing priests. Government reforms lead to abolishing the Fuke sect and abandoning all of its temples. It was only by good fortune that the healing repertoire of the Zen shakuhachi survived. In many ways, Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin is a modern-day komuso.

About the Artist Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin has been playing the shakuhachi flute for over twenty-five years. In 1978 he was awarded the rank of Shi-han (Master) in recognition of his work of spreading the teaching of this instrument in America; in 1980, he received his Dai Shi-han, or Grand Master’s license. In 1975, he began his work with an organization called Hospital Audiences that brings music into hospitals and homes for the aged. Since then, he has had the opportunity to use the healing repertoire of the shakuhachi to bring peace and recovery to many troubled people.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a mystical fog hangs effortlessly in the trees..., May 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Komuso: Healin Art of Zen (Audio CD)

Simply a beautiful collection of zen shakuhachi from a truly gifted artist, who's skill with breath, tongue and finger, and unity with the hollow, wooden instrument, produces a music that truly enters that which is deep within. You can feel why it heals. Great for meditation or simply for enjoying the beautiful sounds that come from carved trees and those who love them. Enjoy.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music That Can Heal, February 28, 2004

By 

Swing King (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Komuso: Healin Art of Zen (Audio CD)

Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin has been playing the Zen shakuhachi for over 25 years, and in 1978 he had been honored with the status of Shi-han (Master) in respect to his work in spreading the method of playing this wonderful instrument to others in the United States. In 1980, he received the title of Dai Shi-han (Grand Master) for his authoritarian skill with the shakuhachi flute. He has since aimed his mission at playing for those with terminal illnesses and at nursing homes for the elderly, in an attempt to ease their body and mind. Many of these people have testified that indeed they do feel more at ease while listening to Ronnie play with this haunting ability.

The word komuso is derived from the title given to priests of the Fuke Zen sect who traveled all over Japan during the Edo period. These komuso would take on other's diseases and worries upon themselves, striving to help heal these people with a style of shakuhachi playing known as Sui-Zen. Since that time the Fuke sect has died out pretty much, and yet the Zen shakuhachi flute carried on. Ronnie plays in the spirit of such komuso, and one could in effect call him a bodhisattva for doing so.

This CD is hauntingly pleasing, taking one's mind into a deeper state where many of our worries and troubles simply do not stay alive. Every track has the power to heal an overly stressed mind that is still at the office while trying to relax at home. They even can transport you to the calm of home life while at the office when played. His skilled ability with this instrument truly gives one the impression of hollowness, as though they have all the room within their being to be filled up. That's the aim of a komuso playing this wonderful flute for us, to empty our minds and return us to our original unknowing state. If you have an illness or know someone who does, this CD is a wonderful gift for either of you. If you are simply looking to find some high quality music to play while in meditation, this also is a sure bet. It's for everyone. Come listen to Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin as he takes mind away...

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Speaking directly to your soul, December 27, 2002

By 

NYC Reader (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Komuso: Healin Art of Zen (Audio CD)

Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin's playing is beyond doubt from the soul and as such speaks the language of the soul. I listen to this and get lost in my own thoughts, letting time and all my tension slip away.

Few have achieved Ronnie's comfort and intimacy with the Shakuhachi, and it comes through in this album. Though nothing can duplicate a live performance (I have had the priviledge of hearing him live several times) this compilation will come close enough to make you feel you are walking among the Komusos.