The Oneness of Soto Zen and Rock ‘n Roll

On Wednesday night I saw Lucinda Williams at a club downtown. The last time I was at this place, Jimmy Carter was president and disco was big – and that might have applied to a bunch of the grey-hairs enjoying the show. There were young people too, some dancing in the old hippie free-style, only the way a young body can do it. Brought back the memories.

Anyway, Lucinda and her band were wonderful, simple and powerful. I’m a big fan so this was a big treat.

Got me thinking about the clarity and consistency of this old rock ‘n roll form. Lucinda also does the county/folk form too but not Wednesday night. Wednesday it was just rhythm guitar, bass, drums, electric guitar, vocals setting the stage in which the players could get wild and free, pouring out sadness, anger, and passion and all the rest.

Much like Soto Zen’s careful observance of the forms of sitting, walking, standing, and lying down inviting a kind of wild freedom that isn’t possible without the clear container of the old ways.

Other similarities include how both rock ‘n roll and Soto Zen are team sports and how with a hair’s breadth deviation both forms and can go way south.

Speaking of memories, in my youth, we would sometimes have Zen student parties. We were usually an almost unbearably serious lot but we did party from time to time. I remember singing Bob Dylan’s “Ain’t Gonna Work on Maggie’s Farm No More” again and agian into a shadeless lamp for hours, occasionally yelling together with a man who’s a very sober sort of teacher these these days, “If you can’t rock you can’t sit.”

I still believe it.