Was the Buddha an Improviser? →

Patricia Ryan Madson:

Improvisation is founded on two principles that feature prominently in the Buddhist perspective: Impermanence and interdependence. The fact of groundlessness and constant change is a given in improv. Eternal instability: that is our playing field. The improviser practices her art on her feet with others. We learn that we aren’t in this alone. We need and depend upon our fellow improvisers. Only stand-up comics go it alone. Improvisers look to their fellows for help, inspiration, ideas and fuel. Improv training is a form of meditation in action.

A great blog post by Patricia Madson. I love her musings on this topic. And I find her reflections on the principles that guide an improviser — what she calls “the Five A’s of Improv” — to be so useful.