One Hand
Clapping:
The Taoe of Music
WholeArts and
The Psychic Internet is proud to present the
"Preface" and "Part One" of this
remarkable book by Daniel d'Quincy. "One Hand
Clapping: The Tao of Music," originally published by
WholeArts in 1991, is a book-length essay on the
performance of music from the perspective of Eastern
philosophy and religion. Mr. d'Quincy is a noted
composer, musician, author, inventor, educator, speaker,
and photographer. Please visit his unique music sites at WholeArts: syNThony, and the WholeArts Online Music Conservatory.
Page 57
On the basis of
what has been said thus far, we will state what may by
now be obvious, to wit: spiritual enlightenment is a
function of seeing through the eye of the Self. In Zen,
enlightenment is often described as the opening of
“the third eye” (or “I”?). This image
provides a felicitous metaphor in its singularity, and
the reader may recall that we spoke in an earlier
paragraph about seeing through the eyes
(“I’s”) of the Ego.[1] The
characteristic mode of vision for the Self, through the
third eye, is integral, unified, and whole.
It was noted
above that the idea of enlightenment is, in the East,
closely connected with the principle of the Tao, which we
will soon come to explore, quite naturally and
necessarily through the eye of the Self. Our path in this
inquiry corresponds to the way in which art is done in
the East: it is preceded by meditation, for meditation
brings us into the awareness of the Self. Through the
practice of meditation, the Tao comes to animate every
action of the enlightened spirit. And since the Tao is an
implicitly creative spirit, it is only natural that the
artist calls it upon in this very characteristic way.
As noted above,
the principle of the Tao must be active in the artist
before the work begins. Thus, the perfect knowledge and
freedom that we lauded in the great artist is often
manifested, in the East, with astonishing spontaneity.
Once more, let us cite the first principle of the
traditional art of Chinese painting: “Spirit
Resonance and Life Movement.” Here, now, is another
ancient commentary on Chinese art describing the way in
which this principle plays out in the practice of the
artist. It describes two different kinds of artist: the
Ego and the Self.
He who deliberates and
moves the brush intent upon making a picture, misses to a
still greater extent the art of painting, while he who
cogitates and moves the brush without such intentions,
reaches the art of painting. His hands will not get
stiff; his heart will not grow cold; without knowing how,
he accomplishes it.[2]
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