CiXiao Flute Audios

From Tea Sage to Flute Sage: The Legend of CiXiao Flute

With CiXiao Flute in hand, he journeys wondrously across the land; With Aged Tea, he nourishes the world, answering compassion's call. How many people has this seemingly simple CiXiao Flute moved? (The CiXiao Flute: A Voice of Compassion Through Bamboo)

Mottled bamboo, jade bamboo, yellow bamboo, golden bamboo, purple bamboo, sesame bamboo, old coal bamboo… Long or short, thick or thin, straight or curved, single-jointed, multi-jointed, flawed, or bizarrely shaped… In the hands of The Top Tea Sage LiYanfeng, every type of bamboo can be transformed into an exceptional instrument for harmonizing the heart and spirit—the CiXiao Flute. Just one year ago, Mentor Li, who was tone-deaf and had never touched any musical instrument, unexpectedly transformed into a master flute maker. This rapid transition from Tea Sage to Flute Sage is truly astonishing and almost unimaginable.

The Art of Flute Making

If you were to find a professional flute maker and ask them the following questions, they would likely struggle to answer many of them: Approximately how old is the bamboo in your hand? What is the typical lifespan of this species of bamboo? Did it grow in a high-altitude environment or on a plain? Did it grow in the shade or facing the sun? Was it cut down while still alive, or after it had already died and dried out? Even if these two pieces of bamboo in your hand are identical in length, wall thickness, bore diameter, and curvature, are there any other differences? Do you understand the finger lengths, holding habits, finger span, flexibility of finger muscles, and so on, of the person who will eventually play this CiXiao Flute you are making?

Do these questions relate to flute making? If using the common modern formulaic approach, probably not much. Industrialized, standardized products simply conform to some artificially set industry standards.

"As the saying goes, laymen watch for excitement, while experts watch for the intricacies. Mentor LiYanfeng has a unique ability: being an outsider, he can grasp the essence—the true nature of things—just by observing the 'excitement' once."

The Essence of CiXiao Flute

The invention and creation of the CiXiao Flute is a vivid example. A year ago, Mentor LiYanfeng witnessed a master flute maker's hours-long process and immediately identified its irrationalities and the issues caused by uniform standards. Thus, he decided to invent and create a new instrument himself, naming it the "CiXiao Flute."

What sets Mentor LiYanfeng apart is his ability to overlook the various external labels of bamboo—its name, origin, or even 'pedigree'. Whether it's famous bamboo bought from a store, wild bamboo cut from mountains, damaged bamboo meant for wind chimes, or even discarded bamboo from old clotheslines… he treats them all equally, cherishing them deeply. He researches the essence of bamboo, gradually becoming intimately familiar with its various characteristics and peculiarities throughout the making process. His efficiency and skill in flute making advanced by leaps and bounds.

Throughout the process, Mentor LiYanfeng never deliberately selects straight, aesthetically pleasing bamboo, nor does he use external force to straighten bent bamboo. He always utilizes materials at hand, follows their natural form, and fully brings out each bamboo's inherent characteristics. Often, what others see as unusable waste, through his discerning eye, can be transformed into a divine instrument in just over ten minutes.

The Healing Power of CiXiao Flute

Practice proves that Mentor LiYanfeng's CiXiao Flutes are particularly easy to play. A gentle, subtle breath effortlessly creates smooth vibrations within the flute tube, producing pure, pleasing melodies. Many BRT Practitioners who have never played an instrument can quickly produce their own tunes. They are much easier to play than flutes available on the market, requiring minimal effort.

Mentor LiYanfeng says the CiXiao Flute is not for performing to please others, but is a tool for self-cultivation and training Qi flow: using gentle, pushing breaths to stimulate the flow of Qi from the lower abdomen upward. No need to memorize scores; connect with nature in different environments, let fingers follow the heart. The more one plays, the more refreshed they feel, and the stronger their Qi becomes. Long-term practice has remarkable effects akin to spiritual medicine: nurturing life and heart, regulating breath, and calming the spirit.

"The Great Dao is simple. Many struggle to understand why such a simple instrument, seemingly non-compliant with modern international musical scales, possesses such miraculous energy."

The Philosophy Behind the Flute

Mentor LiYanfeng explains its mystery: The CiXiao Flute's shape combines features of the Shakuhachi and Southern Xiao: it has the four holes of the Shakuhachi and the mouthpiece of the Southern Xiao. The fundamental note is the Middle note, the sound of the Central Channel. The flute tube plus the four small holes total five holes. The four small holes represent the Four Symbols. The five sounds produced correspond to the Five Elements in the human body—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. The Middle note is the Earth note, the sound of Earth's vibration.

Although the CiXiao Flute can also produce melodies, they are incomparable to performative, entertaining tunes. The player moves with the Qi, connecting with the environmental Qi field, spontaneously opening and closing fingers, not forming fixed tunes or melodies, nor employing emotionally charged performance modes. Rather, during the process of playing the flute to harmonize the heart, fingers follow the heart's movement, going with the flow.

The sound of the CiXiao Flute aligns with the vibrations used by humans in ancient times to communicate with nature. It carries forward the Five Elements sounds used by the ancients for health preservation, corresponding to the five natural rhythms, aiding the listener in calming the heart and spirit and smoothing the Qi flow.

The Gift of CiXiao Flute

So, how much should such a master charge for a flute customized according to your Qi channels and hand shape? Know that the market price for so-called 'master flutes' already starts in the four figures. But those musicians were also correct; Mentor LiYanfeng's flutes are his toys. Although he puts his heart and soul into perfecting each flute, personally polishing them, painstakingly wrapping threads, even designing leather cases himself, and immersively 'plays' through the entire process—after completion, he treats them like toys, generously giving them to BRT Practitioners without attachment, teaching everyone to practice Qi and regulate breath—giving, never selling.

Before departing for the Body Reading Tea training session in Dali, Mentor LiYanfeng tirelessly seized time to make CiXiao Flutes for the resident BRT Practitioners there to assist their health cultivation. Before leaving for Singapore, he worked until 2 a.m. Because cleaning each flute's inner wall requires using heavy tools to vigorously pull and grind repeatedly, this constant labor not only often wears out fingers and palms but even strained his wrist. For each sound, each hole, he deliberates repeatedly over days and nights, solely for precision and perfection, for the BRT Practitioners' maximum benefit, and for the tea gatherings to achieve better effects in settling the space and helping others.

Spreading the Dao through tea and flute, 'nourishing the world with Aged Tea's primal energy' in this turbid world, cleansing sounds wash away dust, with his own strength he uncomplainingly promotes upright Qi, revitalizes pure winds—his childlike heart, witnessed by sun and moon!