A Personal Interpretation of "Hifumi Hachigaeshi no Shirabe" at this time.
"Hifumi" means "one, two, three" in Japanese. It is like ABC in English. The first steps. I believe there is little disagreements on this interpretation.
"Hachigaeshi" literally means "returning the bowl. "Some people say that it is a sign of apapreciation of receiving alms-giving. Komuso was considered as a Buddhist monk, and their way of making a living was by receiving alms. When I first heard this, I just accepted the idea without giving much thoughts on this.
However, while dedicating this tune to about 1200 temples and shrines and churches, its meaning revealed itself.
The Buddhist monk received water, food, and money in their "Bowl." So, the bowl was their means of making a living. It was quite important for the monk. If he gave up his bowl, he could no longer receive water, nor food, nor money!
And who did he return the bowl to? It became clear to me that to the Buddha Himself. That means the monk no longer needed to sustain his body.
"Shirabe" means "a tune" in Japanese.
So, the meaning of "Hifumi Hachigaeshi no Shirabe" is "the Tune from the Beginning to the End."
I had been invited by the Shakuhachi since January 1, 2000, and playing the Shakuhachi every since. I have also been seeking the reason for being invited. Perhaps I was meant to play and share my performance with the people. So, I will share my Shakuhachi little by little now.