As happy accidents go, it so came to pass that where I decided to correct my path to the Peace Memorial Park was right where the Tamonin Buddhist Temple was. Since this wasn't really a detour, and I was already here, I might as well check it out.
While walking around the grounds, taking pictures, and soaking in the atmosphere, I came across a service of a few people led by a Buddhist monk. It was curious because the ritual was being conducted outside, while everyone held their umbrellas. One of the people caught me staring at them, and invited me to join. I am a bit to shy, and did not want to impose upon what was probably an intimate moment for these folk. Then the monk saw me, smiled, and invited me to follow. Again I declined as politely as I could, but instead followed them with my eyes as they made their way into the temple to continue their service. I saw a latecomer run in from the rain, and enter the temple. Seeing this, I then developed the courage to enter the temple and participate see what this was all about.
Most of them were kneeling on a cushion on the ground, but two ladies were sitting on benches. After taking off my shoes, I made my way to the furthest out of the way location I could so as to not bother anyone. I felt like a bad student who doesn't want the teacher to call on them.
Before too long, the monk led them in a chant which they accentuated by rythmically beating on a drum that reminded me of a skull. They kept chanting the same two syllables and beating the drum. And they kept chanting the same two syllables and beating the drum. Still they kept chanting the same two syllables and beating the drum. I was curious about how long this might last. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was 9:30. I decided if this continued for thirty minuts until 10, despite my desire to the contrary, I would quietly leave since there was no telling how long this might last. But then I was reminded of something John Cage said about music (and really, all experience, for that matter.) If you don't like some music after 5 minutes, then listen to it for 15 minutes; if you don't like it after 15 minutes, then listen to it for another 30 minutes; if after 30 minutes you still don't like it, then listen for 60 minutes... After a few minutes, I decided to try to get into this, and participate in the chant and try to loose myself in the experience. This brought a gentle calm over me that I had not felt since arriving in Japan.
Before I give up my mind into a state of nothingness, several thoughts occurred to me. One significant one was about the nature of the music and chanting they were conducting. As I mentioned some time ago, nothing is new under the sun. Yet, in the 1960s, when Eastern culture was really being explored in the West, many of the ideas that serious artist and musicians were expounding were based on Eastern culture, especially Buddhism. After a few minutes of listening to their monotonous and repetitive chanting, all I could think of was that there were many "modern" musical composers who basically stole these Buddhist ideas of music, and composed music in this fashion. It is very simple to make the connection between these Buddhist chants and "trailblazing" composers in the West such as Terry Riley, and later Philip Glass and Steve Reich. To be sure, they made no secret of their Eastern influences; even the Beatles were trying to expand their limitations through excavating Eastern music. What I really love about such explorations and study, however, is that these musical themes, structures, and forms are not exclusively Eastern, but if a student goes back far enough, she will find similarities between these sorts of religious music, and religious music in the West; in fact, many serious composers have turned to medieval Western music after others had already dug so deep in the Eastern wells.
I suppose this brings up an interesting question about the distinction between Eastern cultures, and Western. Many student and scholars seem to want to illustrate that the dominant or most popular expressions define some culture. If that were the case, that would mean that a book or class on American culture might claim that Americans speak English. Clearly English is the dominant language in America, but to make such a claim and focus on English as the dominant language in America is missing something very significant. Clearly many, many languages are spoken in America, but I might make the claim that one of the most imporant features about American culture is in regards to the languages in America that very few people speak, such as Hmong. That there are small pockets and communities of Hmong people in America that speak this language says something very significant about America. That is, if one doesn't know that there are such small ethnic communities scattered around America, a very significant feature (perhaps the most significant feature) of American culture is not understood.
Using the conclusion above, that the cultural features of even the smallest minority are quite significant to the larger culture, I can then conclude something else. (And this is where I will bring it back to my visit to Japan.) Even though Buddhist ideas were clearly more dominant in the East (in places like China and Japan and India), these same ideas were clearly present in the West as well, even as far back as the ancient Greeks through such figures as Heraclitus and Diogenes. Perhaps there is something in the DNA of all people such that all exotic ideas may resonate within us, if we give in for just a moment, and let the opportunity thrive.
If the reader is interested, here are some youtube videos that I snuck in while watching the service from within the temple.
drumming and chanting: (video=1 minute, but they were doing this and nothing else for ten minutes) http://youtu.be/8SxmZ7BvSo8
chanting: (video=1 minute; the were chanting like this for only a few minutes.) http://youtu.be/hzZt6Ld1V3A
musical chanting: (this video is between 3 and 4 minutes long) http://youtu.be/rtHKn2dJPps
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