Five Things

Five Things was written on 23 October 2001. It was the first piece I wrote after the events of early September of that year. The text is Thomas Cleary’s translation of a Song Dynasty (10th to 13th century) letter to a Zen Master Xiang:

• What has been long neglected cannot be restored immediately.

• Ills that have been accumulating for a long time cannot be cleared away immediately.

• One cannot enjoy oneself forever.

• Human emotions cannot be just.

• Calamity cannot be avoided by trying to run away from it.

Anyone who has realized these five things can be in the world without misery.

Five Things is November 14th in my ongoing project A Book of Days. Please go there to hear a recording by Margaret Lancaster and Erin Rogers on flute and bari sax, respectively, with me doing the text, and to see Judson Wright’s very cool video animation for the piece.

There are performing scores in various different transpositions and clefs, please specify what you need. In addition, we can share the animation for real-time projection if you like.

Thanks for supporting this low-key way of publishing by clicking on the paypal button below. Normally we charge $25 for the materials, but in pandemic days, the piece is pay-as-you-can.