Zen has helped me to persist even when my mind has told me to quit, that I’ll never get it, and that I’m not good enough. It has also helped me to be more vulnerable while writing, performing, and releasing music.
Prior to studying Zen and engaging in a fairly regular meditation practice, I was hitting wall after wall creatively and it got to the point where I wasn’t writing or playing music at all. Even though Zen isn’t about accomplishments or building up your ego, I have found the process of music creation to be much more fulfilling in recent years regardless of the outcome.
As far as book recommendations, I’ll include some below that I have found helpful:
Zen and music:
-Anything by John Cage (like everyone else said above)
Zen influenced psychology:
The Happiness Trap - Russ Harris
Things Might Go Terribly Horribly Wrong - Kelly Wilson
Zen:
Anything by Thich Nhat Hahn
Anything by Pema Chodron
You Have to Say Something - Dainin Katagiri
Nothing Holy About It: The Zen of Being Just Who You Are - Tim Burkett
Formal Zen/Koan Study (These would be harder to consume without a teacher):
The Gateless Gate - Wumen Huikai
Blue Cliff Record - Various authors - Thomas and J.C. Cleary translation
The Book of Serenity - Thomas Cleary translation
