Bruce Manaka was born into a family of Artists. His Grandmother taught the traditional Japanese art of Ikenobo Ikebana (flower arranging) -- receiving high recognition in Japan. His Mother teaches Japanese watercolor painting.
Building on these strong ancestral roots, Bruce's Art digitally blends traditional Japanese style and modern design, infused with colorful vibrancy. At the core of his work is a basic simplicity and harmony -- a culmination of the 19 years he spent in a monastery, living a life of meditation and contemplation.
"To me, artistic creation is born of deep inner listening. It
is about the energies of the artist embracing the dark mystery
that we are, giving form and substance to what wishes to be expressed.
And with deep listening comes a kind of surrender, an open window
allowing the artist to "see" and experience universal patterns
of creation. The Kabbalah is one such dynamic pattern, guiding
the artist/seer inwardly to deeper and deeper levels of mystery
until he is face to face with the Unspeakable Beauty. He then
begins to understand that the underlying fabric of this Beauty
is fathomless Love, and that its tapestry can be seen everywhere
and in all things."
In the three years since making his transition from the monastery, Bruce has
married and now lives happily in Northern California with his
lovely wife Patty.
Experience the Healing Musical
Power of Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls
and the ancient practice of Vocal Overtones
Crystal Overtones Can Help:
Awaken Intuition • Reduce Stress • Strengthen the
Immune System • Stimulate Endorphins • Facilitate
Creativity • Balance the Energy Centers (Chakras) •
Clear Unwanted Thought Patterns • Move into Conscious Creation
with Joy and Certainty
Bruce Manaka, artist and healer, spent 19 years in a monastery,
living a life of meditation and contemplation. In his sound healing
work, he combines the ancient vocal techniques of overtone chanting
with the beautiful tones of quartz crystal singing bowls to create
a dynamic vibrational environment that raises the consciousness
of everyone present. He will experientially show how sound and
its overtones can create profound changes in our lives on all
levels.
Sound can be a direct path to healing of body, mind and soul
through the vibratory alignment that occurs when it is focused
with powerful intent. It can serve as a doorway to explore realms
of unlimited creativity, vocal power, and inner wisdom. Through
resonance and vibration, the wave forms and harmonics created
by the crystal singing bowls helps return us to a state of our
natural rhythm and frequency.
Bruce is available for workshops and one-on-one or small
group sessions.
Flights of a Runaway Monk
A monk for 19 years, Bruce Manaka fled the hallowed grounds of
his meditative lifestyle as he learned to decipher and embrace
the messages brought to him by the voices of illness and confusion;
and what he learned threatened to uproot and destroy every belief
and notion that he had about God and the monastic lifestyle. Nearly
crushed beneath the weight of this inner struggle, he found that
his heart would not allow the rebuilding of a new life upon the
rubble of old beliefs and assumptions. God—or perhaps delusion—was
asking for the unthinkable and unspeakable: to walk away from
the church and to relinquish the monastic life. Bruce’s
heart was inviting him to dance with the darkness within, to look
at all feelings most avoided as a monk, and to create with the
finest listening all that wished to be expressed and loved. Delusion
or not, he made the choice to walk the path of dark mystery, trusting
the guidance within that the bridge over the ocean of suffering
is created as we step out in faith, and not before.
After having lived for almost two decades in the secure and ordered
environment of the monastery, Bruce Manaka stepped out into a
world that—within two months—would experience the
horrors of 9/11. Ill-prepared to navigate the roiling ocean of
life in a world he had very little understanding of, he drifted
headlong into storms of dark fears, not yet ready to fully trust
the compass of his own heart. Like a small boat in a monstrous
storm, he was tossed about by the harsh dreams of the world until
one day he was awakened by the voice of his heart, which called
him to abandon the small bark of timidity and to dive into the
depths and drink in the whole ocean of creativity.
If you wish to be contacted about his book, please email Lisa
for more info.
If you wish to book Bruce, please email Events
and put "Bruce Manaka" in the Subject Line of your email
request.
