Hari
Om
Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation
Often music is used in order to render a level of peace and inner
focus. There can be no denying that music touches us where speech often cannot.
It must be said that if there is any sound at all with which we are engaged as
we sit in aasana for contemplation, then we are not meditating in the true
sense. However, it is a step towards and can definitely benefit the meditative
practitioner. The music used for this purpose ought to pull us into it, we must
become lost within it and travel upon its nuance and revel in its adventure.
Nothing else must enter us but the music. Then and only then can we be said to
have been 'transported'. It is not pure meditation but is a method of focus
practice worth using.
In India, there are musical styles from each region which are
considered devotional, but there are two specific Hindu styles into which fall
all others; Hindustani and Carnatica. The first is from the North and the other
from the South. Mughal/gazal music arises from the Muslim tradition, and is a
third option for contemplative focus. All have their intellectual context which
is why they are particularly useful in meditation practice.
This short video gives an excellent mini-intro to the Carnatica
style… you are encouraged to explore it more if it is a style you find
appealing. Note, as with Vedanta, it is not necessarily appreciated or
understood at first meeting! It takes persistence and a desire 'to know', to delve into the subtleties.
