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Mindfulness and 'I': the sense of self

Poetry, prose and music reflecting on the meaning of our existence. This edition takes you through an imagined mindfulness session, opening up a path of self-awareness.

Poetry, prose and music reflecting on the meaning of our existence. This edition takes you through an imagined mindfulness session, opening up a path of self-awareness. The programme flows as a carefully driven stream of consciousness, but also aims to place the listener in a pre-meditative state. it's a personal journey into your inner-self so the texts mostly an explore the first person, mirroring ordinary human interaction, through feelings like love and anguish, whilst also revealing deeply felt responses to our everyday contact with the outer world, with nature and our environment.
Prose and verse, read by Aiysha Hart and Jonathan Aris, come from writers and thinkers from both East and West, ancient and new, such as Hermann Hesse, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, George Eliot, Octavio Paz, W.B. Yeats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Stuart Mill, Jorge Luis Borges, T.S. Eliot, Rabindranath Tagore, Carl Jung, as well as traditional Chinese poets, among them Du Fu and Li Po.

Readings:
Walt Whitman: Song of Myself from Leaves of Grass
Lao Tzu: There is no need to run outside
Kabir: Don鈥檛 go outside
Carl Jung: The attainment of wholeness
W.B. Yeats: Still Water
John Stuart Mill: The Art of Living
Oliver Wendell Holmes: What lies behind us
Hermann Hesse: Sometimes
Nisargadatta Maharaj: I Am That
Walt Whitman: Me Imperturbe
Walt Whitman: Facing West from California鈥檚 Shores
Li Po: The birds have banished into the sky
Li Po: The Sun
Lao Tzu: We Are a River
Octavio Paz: Between Going and Staying
Henry David Thoreau: Walden
TS Eliot: Four Quartets, No. 1 - Burnt Norton
Jorge Luis Borges: Elegy for a Park
Anonymous (ancient): Self is everywhere
Scarlett Thomas: The End of Mr. Y
Lao Tzu: We Are a River
Emily Dickinson: The Consciousness that is aware
Christina Rossetti: The Thread of Life
Fernando Pessoa: Whether we write or speak or do but look
Nisargadatta Maharaj: I Am That
Octavio Paz: Wind, Water, Stone
George Eliot: I grant you ample leave
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Self-Reliance
Walt Whitman: One-self I sing
Traditional Chinese proverb: Renew thyself completely each day

Producer Juan Carlos Jaramillo.

1 hour, 15 minutes

Last on

Fri 3 Jan 2020 18:15
麻豆约拍 Radio 3

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No. 5 in C minor, 1st movement (excerpt)

    Performer: Wiener Philharmoniker, Carlos Kleiber (conductor).
    • DG 447 400-2.
    • Tr1.

  • Walt Whitman

    聭Song of Myself聮 (excerpt), from 聭Leaves of Grass聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • Lao Tzu

    聭There is no need to run outside聮 (AKA 聭47聮), read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:01

    Traditional

    Offering Chant (unplugged version)

    Performer: Lama Gyurme (voice), Jean-Philippe Rykiel (piano).
    • Realworld CDRW85 7243 8 488 1 4 2 9.
    • Tr9.

  • Kabir

    聭Don聮t go outside聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • Carl Jung

    聭The attainment of wholeness聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • W.B. Yeats

    聭Still Water聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • John Stuart Mill

    聭The Art of Living聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • 00:08

    Richard Strauss

    An Alpine Symphony

    Performer: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Andr茅 Previn (conductor).
    • Telarc CD-80211.
    • Tr.

  • Anonymous (Native North American)

    聭My medicine聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:09

    Tang Jianping

    Fei Ge (Flying Song) - (excerpt)

    Performer: Michala Petri, recorder.
    • Our Recordings 6.220603.
    • Tr2.

  • Oliver Wendell Holmes

    聭What lies behind us聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • 00:10

    Gustav Mahler

    Symphony No. 4 in G major, 3rd movement 聳 聭Ruhevoll聮 (excerpt)

    Performer: Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (conductor).
    • EMI CDM 7 69667 2.
    • Tr3.

  • Hermann Hesse

    聭Sometimes聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:14

    Henry Purcell

    聭The Plaint聮

    Performer: Susanna Wallumrod, (voice), Giovanna Pessi, (baroque harp), Jane Achtman (viola da gamba), Marco Ambrosini (nyckleharpa).
    • ECM 2226 2777197.
    • Tr1.

  • Nisargadatta Maharaj

    聭I Am That聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • Walt Whitman

    聭Me Imperturbe聮 (excerpt), from 聭Leaves of Grass聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:25

    Tanya Tagaq

    Ajaaja

    Performer: Tanya Tagaq, Native American singer (voice).
    • Six Shooter Records 聳 Sample CD.
    • Tr1.

  • Walt Whitman

    聭Facing West from California聮s Shores聮 (excerpt), from 聭Leaves of Grass聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • Rabindranath Tagore

    聭Gitanjali聮 (excerpt) , read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:30

    Max Richter

    On the Nature of Daylight

    Performer: Louisa Fuller (violin), Natalia Bonner (violin), John Metcalf (viola), Philip Shephard (cello), Chris Worsey (cello).
    • Fat Cat CD1304.
    • Tr2.

  • Li Po

    聭The birds have banished into the sky聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • Li Po

    聭The Sun聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • Lao Tzu

    聭We Are a River聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • 00:37

    Philip Glass

    Satyagraha (Act III Conclusion 聳 transcription for piano)

    Performer: Paul Barnes (piano).
    • Orange Mountain Music OMM-0008.
    • Tr9.

  • Octavio Paz

    聭Between Going and Staying聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • Henry David Thoreau

    聭Walden聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • 00:45

    Gustav Holst

    聭The Planets聮 聳 Neptune, The Mystic (excerpt)

    Performer: New Philharmonia Orchestra, The Ambrosian Singers, Sir Adrian Boult (conductor).
    • EMI 5669342.
    • Tr12.

  • TS Eliot

    聭Four Quartets, No. 1 聳 Burnt Norton聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • 00:48

    Igor Stravinksy

    Tango (Tempo di tango)

    Performer: James Crabb & Geir Draugsvoll (accordions).
    • EMI 7243 5 69705 2 6.
    • Tr5.

  • Jorge Luis Borges

    聭Elegy for a Park聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • Anonymous (ancient)

    聭Self is everywhere聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • Scarlett Thomas

    聭The End of Mr. Y聮 (excerpt), read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:52

    Franz Liszt

    Ann茅es de pelerinage, 3me annee 聳 No. 4 Les Jeux d聮eaux a la Villa d聮Este - (excerpt)

    Performer: Helene Grimaud (piano).
    • DG 479 3426.
    • Tr11.

  • Lao Tzu

    聭We Are a River聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • Emily Dickinson

    聭The Consciousness that is aware聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • 00:55

    Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff

    Chant from a Holy Book

    Performer: Anja Lechner (cello), Vassilis Tsabropoulos (piano).
    • ECM 1888 9819613.
    • Tr1.

  • Christina Rossetti

    聭The Thread of Life聮 (excerpt), read by Aiysha Hart

  • Fernando Pessoa

    聭Whether we write or speak or do but look聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • 01:01

    Eric Whitacre

    Lux Aurumque (Light of Gold)- (excerpt)

    Performer: Whitacre Singers, Eric Whitacre (director).
    • Naxos 8.559677.
    • Tr5.

  • Nisargadatta Maharaj

    聭I Am That聮 (excerpt), read by Aiysha Hart

  • 01:04

    John Cage Margaret Leng Tan, toy piano

    Suite for Toy Piano (excerpt)

    Performer: Margaret Leng Tan (toy piano).
    • ECM 465140.
    • Tr10.

  • Octavio Paz

    聭Wind, Water, Stone聮, read by Jonathan Aris

  • George Eliot

    聭I grant you ample leave聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • 01:07

    Erkki-Sven T眉眉r

    L聮ombra della croce - (excerpt)

    Performer: Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tony Kaljuste, (conductor).
    • ECM 2452 481 1800.
    • Tr4.

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

    聭Self-Reliance聮 (excerpt), read by Jonathan Aris

  • 01:08

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony No. 5 in C minor, 4th movement (excerpt)

    Performer: Wiener Philharmoniker, Carlos Kleiber (conductor).
    • DG 447 400-2.
    • Tr4.

  • Walt Whitman

    聭One-self I sing聮 (excerpt), from 聭Leaves of Grass聮, read by Aiysha Hart

  • Traditional Chinese proverb

    聭Renew thyself completely each day聮, read by Jonathan Aris

Producer's Note

The notion of 鈥渕indfulness鈥�, a simple form of ancient meditation, has taken the West by surprise 鈥� it seems to be everywhere these days. You will probably have encountered it in magazines, on training courses and all over the internet.听 In this programme I鈥檇 like to take you on an imaginary mindfulness journey, an audio-session of sorts reflecting on the meaning of our existence鈥� So relax and let the readings and the music 鈥榖e鈥�, as they transform themselves into a carefully driven stream of consciousness, opening up a path of self-awareness, placing you in a pre-meditative state

Prose and verse, read by actors Aiysha Hart and Jonathan Aris, come from writers and thinkers from both East and West, ancient and modern, such as Hermann Hesse, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, George Eliot, Octavio Paz, W.B. Yeats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Stuart Mill, Jorge Luis Borges, T.S. Eliot, Rabindranath Tagore, Carl Jung, as well as traditional Chinese poets, among them Du Fu and Li Po.

Most of the texts explore the first person, mirroring ordinary human interaction, through feelings like love and anguish, whilst also revealing deeply felt responses to our everyday contact with the outer world, with nature and our environment.听

Our journey starts with an affirmation of the sense of self, the central focus of this exploration. Then, a number of texts underline the need for us to look inside, within ourselves, for answers to attain wholeness. Key to this spiritual exploration is our contact with nature 鈥� and nature is a relevant part of our journey, as you鈥檒l hear! This interaction with our environment then leads us to ponder the role of time - time past, time present, time future - in this exploration of our inner-selves. As we conclude that 鈥榳e are time鈥�, our path reaches a moment of self-doubt and anxiety 鈥� but it鈥檚 just a minor, and even an expected blip in our cruise, as the affirmation of 鈥業鈥�, of the sense of self, soon shines again redirecting us onto the right path: our final, exulting end!

Music as always plays an integral part on a journey as complex as this... Sometimes it contributes to enlighten the path, punctuating it, like when we hear Richard Strauss鈥� 鈥楢n Alpine Symphony鈥� illustrating John Stuart Mill鈥檚 quotation about the importance of 鈥榮olitude in the presence of natural beauty and grandeur鈥�, or again when I use a composition by Ravi Shankar for violin and sitar, a meeting of East and West, emphasising the message of Walt Whitman鈥檚 poem describing his journey in search of existential answers. Sometimes the music just adds colour and texture, as with Max Richter鈥檚 incredibly touching string-piece 鈥極n the Nature of Daylight鈥�; there鈥檚 also the apparent simplicity of 鈥極ffering Chant鈥�, featuring the voice of Lama Gyurme, a Buddhist Bhutanese monk, accompanied on the piano by Jean-Philippe Rykiel; also, sometimes music adds hidden messages of sorts, for instance when I use Beethoven鈥檚 5th Symphony, which bookends the programme jumping from its first to its last movement: I regard Beethoven as one of the most self-centred and navel-gazing of all Classical Music composers 鈥� 聽a central theme of the programme. Other hidden messages include the use of a transcription for piano of the conclusion of Philip Glass鈥� opera 鈥楽atyagraha鈥�, which is an inner reflection on Mahatma Gandhi, its central character, a profound thinker who used meditation and contemplation throughout his life to attain spiritual enlightenment. Water is the hidden message in Liszt鈥檚 鈥楯eux d鈥檈aux a la Villa d鈥橢ste鈥�, portraying the sound of fountains in a Roman courtyard, accompanying an ancient Chinese text describing how life, with its streaming, transforms us into 鈥榓 river flowing deeper and stronger鈥欌�� Stravinsky鈥檚 Tango is another rather cheeky nod towards another hidden message, as we hear a poem by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, a master of symbols, enigmas and riddles 鈥� always as big as the meaning of our own existence.

Producer: Juan Carlos Jaramillo

Broadcasts

  • Sun 24 Sep 2017 17:30
    麻豆约拍 Radio 3
  • Fri 3 Jan 2020 18:15
    麻豆约拍 Radio 3

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