The illustrations were created by illustrator+ photographer+design guru Bryce Durbin.
They were commissioned by Richard specifically for this song cycle.
THE ART
This song cycle was composed and recorded by Richard in 2002, having been introduced to the koan by at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
The song cycle was released in December 2015 by Worldmaking.net.
Richard is currently a Psalmist at PsalmImmersion.com and Worldmaking.net.
THE MUSIC
THE KOAN
A primary means of formation in the Zen Buddhist tradition, a koan is a kind of puzzle speaking to one's intuitive nature. A koan is a question or story designed to teach by disorienting our little minds' rational side.
Like the parables of Jesus in the Christian gospels, a juicy koan can take a lifetime to ponder.
Here's one you may have heard: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Ten Oxherding Pictures is a koan attributed to Zen Master Guoan Shiyuan and his disciple Ciyuan in the 12th century.
There are ten movements to the koan, each movement bundling poems and paintings with commentary. It's sometimes called Ten Oxherding Songs or Ten Bulls. There are many apt translations, commentaries and art renderings.
We are delighted to share in the lineage of this great tradition.
