The Center of Sound

If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.
- John Cage


When I was in high school (at NCSA--now called UNCSA) I became very interested in John Cage and Buddhism at about the same time. I became interested in Buddhism through a way of existential suffering I.e. a teenage break up (smile). I became interested in John Cage because when I listened to his music I was paying attention! I also like John Cage as a person. From watching a documentary-- “I Have Nothing To Say, And I Am Saying It” --I was enamored by his simplicity, soft voice, humor, and his ability to see art and beauty in everything. I was inspired.

As I became interested in Buddhism I began to meditate. Not really knowing what I was doing, I would merely sit in my room for 25 minutes. In hindsight I couldn’t tell you why I was meditating, other than I was experimenting. I didn’t know what happened when meditation occurs and I didn’t even think about if I was doing it right. However, I read a quote by John Cage and it spoke to me about this action of no action. (At NCSA I was taught art work is suppose to be interesting, have drama, variation, contrast, different sections, and so on.) In contrast to art the act of meditating seemed boring, or uninteresting. And when I read this quote by John Cage I thought, “I will sit here until I am not bored any longer”. Over a decade later, having read this quote I realized I oriented myself toward meditation and attention in a way where the question of technique did not dawn on me…I didn’t think about doing something right. I merely thought I would sit until sitting was not boring. However!

I was inspired by another thing John Cage said, “The first question I ask myself when something doesn’t seem to be beautiful, the first question I ask is ‘Why do I not think it is beautiful?’ And very shortly you discover there is no reason.” Having heard this, I was not sitting until I was not bored in that something became interesting or “beautiful” but simply becoming aware of a non-dual landscape.

I became interested silence.

I hope you too become interested in silence, the center of sound.