Ling Yin
Ling Yin is a real-time interactive composition for the Gametrak three-dimensional position-reporting system, custom software created in Max, and Kyma. TheLing Yin Temple (灵隐寺) is a Buddhist Temple in Hangzhou, China that I frequentlyvisit. The temple’s name can be translated literally as Temple of the Soul’s Retreat. It is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the region and contains numerous pagodas and Buddhist grottoes. There are nine main buildings, eighteen pavilions, and seventy-seven temple halls built within the temple grounds that are located on a hill.The most formal recitation in each temple is different and occurs at different times during the day. The four main sutras studied in Ling Yin Temple are Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Suvarṇaprabhāsa-uttamarāja-sūtra, Sad-dharma Puṇḍárīka Sūtra,andKarunika-rāja Prajñāpāramitā sūtra. I am moved each time I visit the temple. These essences of the Ling Yin Temple provided the spiritual breath of the composition. The performance of Ling Yin starts with pulling the string of the Gametrak and ends with gently releasing the string back to the original state of the Gametrak. The passage from “nothing” to “nothing” metaphorically reflects Buddhism’s awareness of nothingness and the avoidance of the self, while simultaneously striving to share and love during the process of life’s journey.