“Be wary of liking or disregarding someone’s song simply because of who they are. Don’t allow prejudgments to close your mind. Keep your ears open and listen. Even liars can speak the truth, even friends can lead us astray. Hear the song, not the singer.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 120)
“There is a reason why good wine tastes better in a wine glass than in a plastic cup, or why hot dogs taste better at a picnic than at a sit-down dinner. The right frame complements the contents.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 116)
“Yes, there is more than one path to the top of the mountain. But the only one that will get you there is your own. Do not look longingly at the paths of others. Give yours your undivided attention and keep your focus. The farther you go on your own path, the more you will understand every other path. At the end, they all converge.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 93)
“All true musicians can get along; it’s people who can’t get along.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 68)
“When things fall apart, make art. Carry this spirit through to every area of your life.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 54)
“In this dojo, you must develop comfort in good habits. You need not try to change everything you find wrong with yourself. Start with one new habit: Do one thing the right way one time. When the next moment comes, make the same commitment. If you do this, the bad habits will take care of themselves.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 41)
“Learn to identify quality and appreciate anything that’s well made, wherever you find it. Look deeply into the spirit that goes into making an item of quality—the care, the precision, the attention to detail. Incorporate that spirit into your work in this dojo. Anything you set out to make—music, love, a bookshelf, a meal—make as well as you can. To do otherwise is spiritless.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 28)
“Beginning students often ask, ‘How long will it take me to learn the Way of Zen Guitar?’ My answer is, as long as you live—that short. Your playing may progress enough to impress your friends in a year’s time, perform onstage in two years, or turn professional in three. But if those are the ends you seek, your concern is not Zen Guitar. The Way of Zen Guitar is learned day by day, minute by minute, second by second, now to eternity. There is no faster way.”
Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar (Page 17)
Zen Guitar [Book]
Book Overview: Unleash the song of your soul with Zen Guitar, a contemplative handbook that draws on ancient Eastern wisdom and applies it to music and performance. Each of us carries a song inside us, the song that makes us human. Zen Guitar provides the key to unlocking this song—a series of life lessons presented through the metaphor of music. Philip Sudo offers his own experiences with music to enable us to rediscover the harmony in each of our lives and open ourselves to Zen awareness uniquely suited to the Western Mind. Through fifty-eight lessons that provide focus and a guide, the reader is led through to Zen awareness. This harmony is further illuminated through quotes from sources ranging from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to Miles Davis. From those who have never strummed a guitar to the more experienced, Zen Guitar shows how the path of music offers fulfillment in all aspects of life—a winning idea and an instant classic.