To: K-list
Recieved: 2000/07/20 23:40
Subject: [K-list] The Yoga of Sound, Part TWO
From: James
On 2000/07/20 23:40, James posted thus to the K-list:
From: James Bean
jamesbeanATnospamapexmail.com
THE YOGA OF SOUND, PART TWO
THE PATH OF SOUND IN THE WORLD RELIGIONS
By James Bean
Being an initiate of the Shabda Yoga/Sant Mat tradition and very much
interested in comparative mysticism & religion, I would like to share
with you some quotes from around the world on clairaudience, the
ability to hear the mystic-Sound, the Song of the Creator, the Voice
of the Great Life that brought all the universes into existence.
SACRED MUSIC AS AN ATTEMPT TO IMITATE THE MYSTIC-SOUND
The Sound of God's Voice said, "Let there be......"
"In the Beginning was.......the Word."
Indigenous cultures support the belief that the universe was brought
into existence through sound. The Australian aborigines believe
in "songlines," meaning the "way of the law," which sang the world,
and everything in it, into existence. Native American traditions
speak of the "Song of the Creator" that created life and sustains the
universe.
"The Book of the Hopi" (published by Viking Books), the first
revelation of the Hopi's historical and religious world-view of life,
contains a beautiful story of creation. In this genesis account, the
song of creation is the essential Force that brings to life the first
humans, "Adam and Eve," if you will, and the Earth itself is
described as a musical instrument. "All the vibratory centers along
the Earth's axis from pole to pole resounded His Call; the Earth
trembled; the universe quivered in tune. Thus He made the whole
world an instrument of sound, and an instrument for carrying
messages, resounding praise to the Creator of all." In this account,
it says that it is our duty, our sacred purpose as human beings to
echo this song of creation back to the Creator again by "making a
joyful sound throughout the land."
Chant and sacred music of the world religions can also cause souls to
yearn to hear the Harmony of All Harmonies, to develop a desire to
meditate upon the inner Sound of the Creator that fills the heavens.
According to the Masters of Sant Mat and those who practice this form
of meditation, this Current of Sound, Light, and Love will take us
back to God again, will take us Home, if we become one with it. More
later on this Yoga of the Word.
Sacred music is IMITATING, MIMICKING higher spiritual sounds,
bringing some aspect of the Music of Heaven to the physical world.
Tibetan bells and bowls do this very effectively. The inventor of
the Sitar, the most well-known instrument of Indian classical music,
said that it was his attempt to "capture the music of the Spirit in
terms of the physical world." ("The Pilgrimage of James," George
Arnsby Jones, Peacehaven Press) He considered his attempt "a
failure." As beautiful as the sitar is, the Real Sound is far more
glorious than any sound or outer music of this world.
Harmonic overtone chanting (the singing of two or more notes at the
same time!) is a vocal technique used in Mongolia, Tuva, Laos, and
other Asian countries. The human voice is transformed into a sonic
rainbow of tones and overtones making the human voice resemble the
Music of the Spheres. A few years back I learned how to do this and
it's a wonderful practice, a great exercise for the human voice.
In India, many have verbalized the Sound of the universe
as "AAAAAUUUUUMMMMM," the OM chant. In Tibet, Buddhist monks created
an otherworldly form of chant -- their attempt to reproduce audibly
some of the inner sounds they heard during their meditations. The
various Christian, Sethian (Jewish), Hermetic, and other Gnostic
schools of Egypt also devised forms of chant that they perceived as
verbally mimicking/expressing the Real Name of God that otherwise is
hidden in the silence of the soul. They chanted various combinations
of vowels: "I praise You. I call your Name that is hidden within me:
A O EE O EE
OOOOOOOIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."
(The Gospel of the Egyptians in: "The Nag Hammadi Library In
English," James M. Robinson, Harper Collins) The Gnostic Gospels are
filled with many examples of chant and Names of God that were used by
Egyptian mystics during meditation practice to explore the Kingdom of
the Heavens within, what my teacher called "the Wonders of Inner
Space." These ancient texts provide many examples of souls ascending
in spirit through various heavenly realms on their way back to "The
Eighth," where the Nameless One, the Ocean of Love and Compassion
resides.
Whether it's drumming, Russian Orthodox or Coptic chant, or Gregorian
plainchant, an Indian classical raga or bagpipes, for millennia
humans have been echoing various aspects of the Song of
Creation. "For in the beginning of the times so did we all share in
the Holy Stream of Sound that gave birth to all creation." (Essene
Gospel of Peace, Volume Four)
________
For much of recorded history human beings have reported hearing sound
coming from beyond the silence. In the next installment I'll focus
upon inner mystic-sound in Buddhist, Bahai, and Christians scriptures.
"Who else is Christ but the Sound of God?" (Acts of John, Gnostic)
THE YOGA OF SOUND
copywrite September 1997
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