The Way of the Gong™

We all make sounds with our instruments, but what about other sounds? What about the world around us and how it sometimes intrudes upon what we are doing? When playing a meditative session, the idea is to provide silence so that people can relax. The only sounds should be the musical ones we introduce. But in the real world, sounds are everywhere. Try as we might, silence is a fantasy. There are always sounds happening. I remember during one of my early sessions, the yoga studio was located on the main street of town. I was in my zone with the vibes flowing, when suddenly a large truck drove by making all sorts of loud noise. My concentration was broken, and I was sure everyone's restful mood was also. But I kept going, and afterwards, no one mentioned the truck. The same thing happened at a studio next to a railroad track. The train came by and took what seemed like forever to pass. But again, afterwards, no one mentioned it. We live in a very noisy world, and as humans, we...

A Final Overview It's now a month since the end of the Gong Summit. I can still feel the experience resonating through my body/mind/spirit. I've only really started to process everything.  For me, it was both life changing and life affirming .   Life changing in that I met so many wonderful people. We shared time, meals, conversations, ideas, and of course the Gongs. I learned so much, not only from the other Masterclass presenters, but from my fellow attendees. I watched all of you play Gongs, testing them out in the various rooms and hallways. I listened, I learned, I absorbed what everyone did. I'm sorry that I didn't have a chance to meet and personally talk with everyone there, but maybe next time.  It was life affirming for me to be accepted so lovingly by everyone. I was initially worried that my Masterclass subject might be too  out there or technical, but by the response and comments, it helped a lot of people out and reaffirmed many people's own...