The Way of the Gong™

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few. - Shunru Suzuki This is a favorite quote of mine from the book,  Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind , by the revered Zen Master, Shunru Suzuki (1905-1971). I first came across this book over 30 years ago, and the simple, but profound teachings have had a great impact on me. Nothing is more true than the quote above.  Think of the first time you ever did any activity and how everything was new. The world was nothing but possibilities. You experimented, tried different methods, different ways, and most of all, had fun. This is the way of a child, who approaches new things with a sense of wonder. Now fast forward, you have studied hard, maybe even gone to school, in order to hone your skills. When you approach what you do you now see it through trained eyes, and as such, you see perhaps only one path to take. This is most likely the path you have been trained on. To your highly trained ...

It was only recently that I experienced my first Gong Meditation as a participant. For all these years, I've purposely avoided attending other people's sessions, because I didn't want to be consciously, or unconsciously, influenced by how someone else plays their Gongs, as I've always been more into following my own path.  The session I attended was by my good friend Kenny Kolter. He was back visiting the Chicago area and playing a series of sessions. I hadn't seen him in too long, so we met up for dinner and had a fantastic conversation. Then I attended his Gong Meditation. But I do have history with Kenny. We both played a number of dates a few years back as part of the  Vibrational Sound Trio  (VST) with a wonderful crystal bowl player and singer, Marian McNair. So I know how Kenny plays, what he sounds like. Still it was interesting to be on the other side of things experiencing the vibrations from a passive, instead of active, role.  Kenny & I in th...

Here is a quick look at what I do. This segment aired in Milwaukee yesterday (6/3/14) on FOX 6's afternoon show, STUDIO A. This 3 minutes was distilled from about an hour of talking and filming. They did a nice job of editing it together. It's nice to see Gongs and Meditation get some notice on television. We all need more of this. ~ MB Chop Wood | Carry Water | Play Gongs

Gongs are amazing metal energy portals, they work much like antennae, both receiving and transmitting energy. Because of this, the Gongs work well with various healing modalities and energy systems. Reiki, Quantum-Touch, Pranic Healing®, Integrated Energy Therapy®, and other healing energy systems can all be run into your Gongs/Bowls/Bells.  I'd like to relay a story told to me by my good friend, and fellow Gongolier, Kenny Kolter: He was presenting a Gong Session at an event where there were also 6 Reiki Masters. Before he played, they had him lie down with his Gong on top of him. All 6 Masters then directed Reiki energy into both him and his Gong. He said the affect was incredible. Besides charging your Gongs/Bowls/Bells with energy, these instruments are a perfect compliment for working with people while using energy systems. Besides creating relaxing sounds that help people be more receptive, the vibrations work well to help channel the healing energy. All things...