Good Boat Trio
Music inspired by The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva* by Gyelsay Togmay Sangpo (Tibet, 1295-1369)
When I came upon these thirty-seven practices for spiritual awakening I knew two things: first, I would study this provocative text for the rest of my life, and second, it was a calling to create.
There is something in each stanza that rings familiar, as if its kernel of wisdom were always present but tucked into the deepest folds of memory. Unpacking the practices doesn’t require logic or faith, rather vulnerability and courage. This project to write and record thirty-seven miniatures for the guitar is dedicated to all those who have studied and preserved the texts.
I view these compositions both as solo pieces and as points of departure for ensemble improvisation. They were written over two years in bursts and silences – some appeared wholly formed in moments of sudden discovery, others through long processes of revision. Throughout the time I composed this work I often returned to the original texts for inspiration and insight.
David Gonzalez
2021
A Bodhisattva is one who has attained Enlightenment, but who postpones Nirvana in order to help others to attain Enlightenment.