DAVID'S VIEW: CREATIVITY & DHARMA

David Nichtern and Michael Kammers connect the lineage traditions of Buddhism and music in a conversation spanning from Maharaj-ji to John Coltrane.
Fundamental Creativity: Discipline & Flow
Swooping in from above with another Davidâs View episode, David Nichtern and Michael Kammers explore the brimming intersection of two things as close to their hearts as anything could beâCreativity & Dharma. Both skilled live performers and spiritual practitioners in their own right, they shed light on how improvisation, discipline, structure, and intuition fit into music and Buddhism.
âI wanna start with the premise that creativity is actually embedded deeply into the fabric of our being. My perspective is that life itself is creativity, life is creative. Fundamental existence has a big bang quality to it.â â David Nichtern
Dharma: Classical, Improvised, & Pith (9:00)
Jamming on the live music talk, David applies the metaphor of âclassical vs improvisedâ to how the Dharma has been taught, shared, and relayed throughout historyâhow itâs structure, writings, and practices are classically orchestrated, but itâs initial teachings and commentaries from the Buddha on, are spontaneously improvised. From here, they explore how to digest pith instructions from Realized Beings; before contemplating how to to relay wisdom through music.
âThe pith instructionâs there. You can pick it up and go, âWell, Iâll just do that.â But in trying to swallow it, itâs like somebody has put a whole ice cube in your mouth, and you canât really swallow it, so you have to let it melt a little bit, and then take little swallows â which is called the path, the journey.â âDavid Nichtern
âAs a performer/improviser and as a meditator, you are developing a relationship with space. I see my own fear of space, so my ability to sit in that discomfort and fear of space allows me to communicate better, because I donât feel like I need to fill it all in.â â Michael Kammers
A Tale of Two Traditions: Buddhism & Music (19:30)
Spelunking further down the depths of two of the oldest, wisest traditions they have been blessed to inheritâmusic and BuddhismâDavid and Michael bridge far ranging topics like skillful means, John Coltrane, Tibetan tradition, Mahasiddhas, and jazzâs connection to spirituality. (Hint: Listen to the end of Michaelâs outro for a Davidâs View musical easter-egg.)
âThe monastic tradition is like classical music, and the Mahasiddhas are like jazz. Theyâre both highly disciplined, highly trained, but the manifestation of a Mahasiddha can be anything, take place in any form.â â David Nichtern