Outer Music and Inner Enlightenment
from ancient Buddhist writings

It is reported in the Surangarna Sutra, a sacred Buddhist teaching written before 700 A.D., that the Buddha assembled 26 of his disciples and commanded them to speak of their methods of practice and of their personal experiences in achieving enlightenment. After the first 24 had spoken the twenty-fifth, Avalokitesvara, described his method of realization in the following way:

At first by directing the hearing ear into the stream of meditation this organ from its object was detached. By wiping out the concept of both sound and stream entry, both disturbance and stillness were clearly non-existent. Thus advancing step by step, both hearing and its object ceased . . . As the Buddha now asks about the best means of perfection, according to my own experience, the best consists in employing the organ of hearing for an all-embracing concentration to ease the conditioned mind for its entry into the stream of meditation, thereby achieving the state of samadhi (i.e., perfect enlightenment). .

When Avelokitesvara completed his explanation, the Buddha commanded the disciple, Manjusri, to select the one most suitable for the benefit of living beings who wished to attain enlightenment. Manjusri then rose from his seat and, after comparing the 25 methods, selected Avalokitesvara's method of meditation on the organ of hearing as the perfect vehicle.

When one dwells in quietude,
Rolls of drums from ten directions
Simultaneously are heard,
So hearing is complete and perfect.
The eyes cannot pierce a screen,
But neither can mouth or nose.
Body only feels when it is touched.
Mind's thoughts are confused and unconnected,
But voice whether near or far
At all times can be heard.
The five other organs are not perfect,
But hearing is all pervasive.
The presence or absence of sound and voice
Is registered by the ear as "is" or "is not".
Absence of sound means nothing heard,
Not hearing devoid of nature.
Absence of sound is not the end of hearing,
And sound when present is not its beginning.
The faculty of hearing, beyond creation
And annihilation, truly is permanent
Even when isolated thoughts in a dream arise,
Though the thinking process stops, hearing does not end,
For the faculty of hearing is beyond
All thought, beyond both mind and body. . .
Ananda and all of you who listen here
Should turn your faculty
Of hearing to hear your own nature
Which alone achieves Supreme Bodhih
That is how enlightenment is won.

Avalokitesvara's method of disengaging the organ of hearing from its objectsound and then directing that organ into the stream of concentration was, therefore, praised by Manjusri as the most convenient for people on this earth. This was the method to which the Buddha gave his approval as being the most consistent with his teachings. In his approval, the Buddha reaffirmed one of the oldest methods of realization known to us. In the Malini Vijaya, a text that contains a comprehensive listing of various spiritual practices and is said to be five thousand years old, we find a number of instructions pertaining to sound. In this ancient document we are advised;

"Bathe in the center of sound, as in the continuous sound of a waterfall. Or, by putting fingers in ears, hear the sound of sounds. Intone a sound audibly, then less and less audibly as feeling deepens into this silent harmony."
quoted from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps

If music affects us in a spiritual way - at a level that transcends the realm of personalized emotions - then the music we ingest daily may influence the healthfulness of soul and spirit alike. For the music that is our steady diet resonates within our spirit longer than its effect upon our body, mind and emotions. It is in this sense that, on the spiritual level, the effects of music are cumulative and can, over time, either strengthen or weaken us. Likewise the music we hear within our minds can be every bit as powerful as the music we experience through our physical ears. For even though the actual music may have ceased, its influence on us may continue to resonate within and therefore permeate our mind, direct our emotional life, regulate our bodily energies and ultimately influence our spiritual aspirations and overall healthfulness.

from The Healing Forces of Music
Randall McClellan, PhD
Element Books, Rockport MA 1991