Andrew Harvey - Play Life More Beautifully: Conversations with Seymour

Copyright 2016 by Seymour Bernstein and Andrew Harvey

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design: Amy Grigoriou

Interior design: Tricia Breidenthal

Photos of Seymour at the piano on by Dr. Baylis Thomas. All other photos courtesy Seymour Bernstein.

Steinway & Sons trademark appears with permission.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-5052-1

Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-4019-5053-8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1st edition, February 2016

Printed in the United States of America

Dedicated to Tony Zito

and Ethan Hawke

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You are in for a feast, dear reader. From the first moment I met Seymourstanding in a sleek, dark blue velvet jacket, smiling radiantly in the doorway of Tony Zitos apartment on the Upper West SideI knew I was in the presence of an extraordinary human being, at once formidable and tenderly approachable. That first unforgettable recognition has only deepened with our friendship. Seymour had come to meet our friend Ethan Hawke for the first time. I shall never forget sitting opposite Ethan and watching him become captivated by Seymours charm and depth, the two of them leaning so close to each other, they almost touched heads. A year later Seymour played for Ethan, Tony, me, and a small group of friends in his studio. All of us were deeply moved and I asked Ethan to make a documentary on this amazing man, and, to my great joy, he agreed.

If I had to describe the Seymour I have come to knowand that you will come to know in these pagesI would quote something a Taoist friend once said: A wise man is like jadehard, indestructible, but softly glowing. I dont know whether I would describe Seymour as hard, but he is certainly, in his essence, indestructible, and I have been deeply moved by the range and subtle rigor of his mind and the profoundly focused clear force of his will. What has come to move me even more about him are the ends to which this inner strength is dedicatedto a sometimes necessarily searing candor, an often hilarious celebration of the quirks of life and human nature, and a constant compassionate outreach to the whole of creation, especially animals. Seymour is forceful and supple, vulnerable and tender. He has an adamantine loyalty to an inner calling and a deep commitment to serving others. I dont know anyone who is more cherished by his friends, and it is one of the great joys of my life that the wonderful documentary by Ethan Hawke has introduced Seymour to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world who now feel intimate with this remarkable man and inspired by his example to live with greater passion and purpose, and to play life more beautifully.

Seymour and I share five great passionsfor music, for the healing powers of the spirit, for teaching others in ways that bring out the best in them, for friendship as the most complete and transformative form of love, and a great and abiding love of animals. We are both convivial solitaries, wary of the seductions of fame and success. We are, of course, very different people with different life missions and temperaments, but our souls are linked irrevocably by what we love and revere, and, in each others presence, the best in both of us flowers exuberantly and with a naturalness that still amazes and humbles us. We both know that, in each other, we have received one of the happiest gifts of our lives, and it is this mutual gratitude that has allowed us, from the magical beginnings of our friendship, to be shamelessly open with each other.

The conversations from which this book was quarried unfolded poignantly, exaltedly, hilariously, over a sun-dazzled week in Seymours simple wooden house overlooking the sea in Maine. We sat on his sofa in the front room with wildflowers rioting on the ragged lawn outside and the sea constantly shifting in glittering light and spoke for hours, pausing only to go into town for fish and crab cakes and once, unforgettably, to Damariscotta for oysters so fresh they seemed to melt in my mouth. I found myself learning a great dealabout authentic self-love, the mystery of forgiveness, the rigors and responsibilities of all authentic discipline, the miraculous intimacy between animals and human beings, the alchemical creativity of unfettered friendship. I left him after a week feeling both more grounded and elated than I have for years and passionately rededicated to my own work. Sitting on the plane returning home, I realized that I had been speaking with that rarest of beingsa true elder whose teachings and presence are one. Seymour is as much himself feeding an almond to a chipmunk or teaching a Bach toccata, enchanting a thousand people after a screening or sitting in a floppy chair by the sea, hands folded and eyes shutstill a child at 88, awash in wonder.