“Perfect understanding intuits the emptiness of all phenomena and thus recognizes the primacy of the imagination in making the world as we find it and as it could otherwise be.”    I am presently on the final chapter of Norman Fischer`s book, The World Could be Otherwise. I would highly recommend this book if expanding your awareness by simple means is something on your mind. In my quest to draw a parallel between my music experiences and philosophy, I have learnt so much from Buddhism en route, especially from personal accounts of respected artists like Herbie Hancock, that when I chanced upon this book I thought I would give it a fair try. I generally do not finish a book if it does not hold my attention, but I kept going. And before I knew it, I had finished it.  The book runs much deeper than most of us can handle, so I am, in all humility, going to try to frame my thoughts in the simplest way I know how. The last chapter dug up a few personal memories for me....

“There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.” _ Zora Neale Hurston Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain. You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. _ Pink Floyd, Time And so, I found that ten years got behind me, literally, whilst I was busy teaching and running a music academy. The obsession with the pedagogy of the piano drove me to study and fret over method, which, I much later realized was not as significant as the process. My approach was never sound (Pun intended). By way of explanation: years of studying piano pedagogy had me think that piano method books, for instance, must lead the way in teaching concepts, even if students struggled with some along the way. Having trouble understanding musical concepts, no problem - work harder, should make sense eventually. The logical sequence of ...