Oriental Influences on John Cage

John Cage's idea of composing chance music was not arbitrary. His motives were inspired by Eastern philosophy, especially Zen Buddhism. Its influence was so deep on Cage that some people argue he was more of a philosopher than a composer. Many different philosophical elements were combined to create unique processes and approaches, resulting in the development of chance music.
Sound and nature, which were closely related to each other in Cage's context, fascinated him very much. Cage believed that any sound or noise we hear is music, and thus the distinctions between life and art should be…