An old Zen story tells the tale of Kakua, the first Japanese to study Zen in China many centuries ago. The emperor heard about Kakua after his return to Japan and asked him to explain the essence of Zen.

Kakua stood in front of the emperor for a long period in silence during which time the court grew restless. He finally produced a flute from the folds of his robe and blew a single short note. Bowing politely, he left and returned to the mountains. (Stan 'Kakudo' Richardson)

Australian musician Bronwyn Kirkpatrick is one of the few women licensed to be a master (shihan) of the Japanese bamboo flute, the shakuhachi. For more than 500 years the shakuhachi has been an instrument for meditation within Zen Buddhism, with a repertoire of honkyoku or original pieces played by the Japanese komus or Zen Priests of Nothingness. Dressed in robes, they wore tall basket-shaped hats over their heads to suppress their identity and their ego.The komuso are almost all gone but their suizen, blowing meditation, lives on.

Bronwyn brings this tradition alive introducing tracks from her new album, Shingetsu. We'll also dip into the mesmerising new album, Sadhana, from the American chant artist and composer Baird Hersey & Prana, a vocal ensemble who draw on Tibetan multiphonic chant and Tuvan overtone singing.

(First broadcast 11.05.14)

Broadcast time: 6.06 Track Title: The Heart Sutra Artist: Baird Hersey & Prana Album Title: Sadhana Composer: Baird Hersey Lyyrics: trad. Sanskrit Duration: 5.09 Record Co.: Bent Records BRS8 Homepage: http://www.pranasound.com/

Broadcast time: 6.12 Track Title: Hon Shirabe (Original Melody) Artist: Bronwyn Kirkpatrick Album Title: Shingetsu Composer: trad. Duration: 3.33 Record Co.: Independent Release Homepage: http://bronwynkirkpatrick.com/

Broadcast time: 6.16 Track Title: Shingetsu (Heart Moon) Artist: Bronwyn Kirkpatrick Album Title: Shingetsu Composer: trad. Duration: 5.11 Record Co.: Independent Release Homepage: http://bronwynkirkpatrick.com/

Broadcast time: 6.20 Track Title: Light Rain Artist: Bronwyn Kirkpatrick Album Title: Shingetsu Composer: Lachlan Skipworth Duration: 7.45 Record Co.: Independent Release Homepage: http://bronwynkirkpatrick.com/

Broadcast time: 6.23 Track Title: Tamuke (Prayer for Safe Passage) Artist: Bronwyn Kirkpatrick Album Title: Shingetsu Composer: trad. Duration: 5.11 Record Co.: Independent Release Homepage: http://bronwynkirkpatrick.com/

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Zen Sounds of Meditation