The Mysticism of Music, Sound and Word (The Sufi Teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan Book 2)

by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Modern science has discovered recently that on certain plates one can see clearly the impression of sound. It is made visible. But in reality on all objects the impression of sound falls clearly, only it is not always visible. It remains for a certain time on any object and then it disappears. Those who have discovered scientifically the different impressions that are made by sound, have found the clear forms of leaves and of flowers and of other things of nature, which is the proof of the belief that the ancient people held, and which is expressed in the Vedanta in the well known phrase: Nada Brahma, meaning Sound, the Creator. And we read in the Bible that first was the word, and the word was God, and that first was sound (the word), and then was the light. This only means that the source of creation was sound. In other words, the creative source ...

Answer: This point was touched upon by a physician in San Francisco, Dr. Albert Abrams. Although all the doctors were against him, he intuitively thought that illnesses could be cured with the help of vibrations. But instead of finding the power of vibration in the word, he wanted to find the power of vibration in electricity.

Chapter 8 The Effect of Sound On the Physical Body

Wind-instruments, instruments with gut strings and with steel wire and the two instruments of percussion, drums and cymbals, have each a distinct, different, and particular effect on the physical body.

How does the great success of jazz come about? It comes from the same principle. It does not give the brain much to think about in the technicality of music, it does not trouble the soul to think of spiritual things, it does not trouble the heart to feel deeply. Without troubling the heart or the soul it touches the physical body. It gives a renewed strength by the continuity of a particular rhythm and a particular sound that give people – I mean the generality – a greater strength and vigor and interest than music that strains the mind making it think. Those who do not wish to be spiritually elevated, who do not believe in spiritual things and do not wish to trouble, the jazz-band leaves alone, yet touching everyone who hears it.

Therefore the knowledge of sound can place in the hand of a person a magical instrument with which to wind, tune, control and utilize the life of another person to the best advantage. The ancient singers used to experience the effect of their spiritual practices upon themselves first. They used to sing one note for about half an hour and observe the effect of the same note upon all the different centers of their own body. They noted what life current is produced, how it opened the intuitive faculties, how it created enthusiasm, how it gave added energy, how it soothed and how it healed. So for them it was not a theory, it was an experience.

Sound becomes visible in the form of radiance. This shows that the same energy which goes into the form of sound, before it becomes visible is absorbed by the physical body. In that way the physical body recuperates and becomes charged with new magnetism. By a keen study of psychology you will find that singers have a greater magnetism than they average person: because of their own practicing their voice makes an effect upon themselves and they produce electricity in themselves. In that way they are charged with a new magnetism every time they practice. This is the secret of the singer's magnetism.

In the same way every person, also without knowing it, changes his voice; and so the natural voice is lost. To retain one's natural voice is a great power in itself, but one cannot always retain it. In order to have a great, a good, a powerful effect with one's voice and sound, one does not have to be a singer. What one has to do is to practice the breath in different ways. One must first know how to breathe; one must then know how to blow; one must then learn how to make a sound, how to say a word. If one practices in these three ways, one will attain that power which is latent in every soul. One need not be a singer, but for every person it is necessary that he should give some part of the day, even the shortest time he can give, five, ten, or fifteen minutes to his voice, to the development of his voice.

Chapter 9 The Voice

The voice is not only indicative of man's character, but it is the expression of this spirit. The voice is not only audible, but also visible to those who can see it. The voice makes impressions on the ethereal spheres, impressions which can be called audible; at the same time they are visible. Those scientists who have made experiments with sound and who have taken impressions of the sound on certain plates – which impressions appear like forms – will find one day that the impression of the voice is more living, more deep, and has a greater effect. Sound can be louder than the voice, but sound cannot be more living than that the voice.

There are five different qualities of the voice, which are connected with the peculiar character of the person. The earth quality of the voice is hope giving, encouraging, tempting. The water quality is intoxicating, soothing, healing, uplifting. The fire quality is impressive, arousing, exciting, horrifying; at the same time it is awakening, because very often warning is given in the voice of the fire quality.

Then there is the air quality of the voice. It is uplifting, raising a person, taking him far, far away from the plane of the earth. And the ether quality of the voice is inspiring, healing, peace giving, harmonizing, convincing, appealing; at the same time it is most intoxicating. Every Jalal voice, Jamal voice, or Kamal voice has one or another of these five qualities predominant in it, and according to that it creates an effect.

elocution

If a person makes his voice artificial in order to convince people, in order to be more audible, and in order to impress people, it only means he is not true to his spirit. It cannot be. It is better for a person to be natural in his speech with individuals and with the multitude, rather than that he should become different.

Question: Which is more powerful: to say something mentally or to say it aloud? Answer: If you say it mentally and do not speak, it is powerful. If you speak and do not say it mentally, it is powerless. If you say it mentally and speak it at the same time, it is most powerful.

Question: Would you tell us how it was that Tansen kindled candles by singing? Answer: It is told that Tansen, the great singer, performed wonders by singing. Tansen was a Yogi. He was a singer, but the Yogi of singing. He had mastered sound, and therefore the sound of his voice became living, and by his making the voice live everything that he wanted happened. Very few in this world know to what extent phenomena can be produced by the power of the voice. If there is any real trace of miracle, of phenomena, of wonder, it is the voice.

Chapter 10 The Mystery of Sound and Color 1. The Language of Life

In point of fact all days are ours, all colors are ours. It is man who is the master of all manifestation. It is for man to use all colors and tones. They are at his disposal, for him to make the best use of. It would be a great pity if we were subject to one color or tone. There would be no life in this; it would be a form of death. The staircase is made for us to ascend, and not to remain standing on one step. Every step is our step, if we could only take it.

Coming to the mystical point of view, the first aspect that makes Intelligence conscious of manifestations is sound. The next aspect is light (color). The proof of this can be found in the Bible, as well as in the Vedanta. The Bible says, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.' And it also says that first was the Word and then came the Light.

The conception of the five elements, which the mystics have always had, cannot be explained in scientific terms, because the mystics have their own peculiar meaning. Although the elements may be called earth, water, fire, air and ether, this must not be taken literally. Their nature and character, according to the mystics, are different. But, as words are few, one cannot give other names to these elements, although in Sanskrit we have distinctive words for them. 'Ether' is not ether in the scientific sense. It is capacity. 'Water' is not water as we understand it in everyday language. It is liquidity. 'Fire' is understood differently. It means glow or heat, dryness, radiance, all that is living. All of these words suggest something more than is ordinarily meant by them.

Therefore the whole culture of spiritual development is based upon the science of breath. What made the Yogis, the mystics, able to see happenings of the past, present and future? Some law behind creation. A certain working of the mechanism, which is a finer mechanism. And how can it be seen? By opening one's vision to one's self.

According to the mystics there are five capacities of one's being, which may be called five Akashas. The one capacity which everybody knows and is conscious of is what may be called the receptacle of food, the body. And the other which is more or less recognized is the receptacle of the sense, which resides in the sense. And the third capacity is a world in itself, where one is conscious of the finer forces of life, which are working within oneself. They can convey to one a sense of the past, present and future, for the reason that they are clear to one's vision. One sees them.

But many are unconscious of the third receptacle, that of life. The one who is conscious of this receptacle of life is able to empty the capacity he has and make it possible for the life of another person to reflect upon it. He does it by focusing his mind upon the life of another, and by that he discovers that past, present and future. Only he has to put the camera in the right place.

2. Vibration Is Original State

Both from the point of view of the Sufi and that of all mystics, the original state of the whole creation is vibration, and vibration manifests in two forms, or stages. In its original condition vibration is inaudible and invisible, but in its first stage towards manifestation it becomes audible, and in its next step visible. In its audible stage it is called Nada in Vedantic terms - a word which means sound - or Nada Brahma which represents: Sound the Creator, Sound the creative Spirit. The next stage is called Jata Nada - a word which means light. It is the different degrees of that light and their comparison with one another which give rise to the various colors.

what is sound? The different notes are the various degrees of breath: human breath, or the echo coming from a vessel, an instrument, or a bell, for that also is breath the breath of human beings as well as the breath of objects. From the one breath many sounds manifest; so that takes one back again to the idea of unity. All this variety of colors and forms and sounds proceeds from one single source.

Associated with this there is the question of the mysticism of number. This is the idea of rhythm. Every movement must have its rhythm. There cannot be movement without rhythm. By rhythm we imagine the intervals of time,

Every effect which is produced by color, sound or number depends upon their harmonious or inharmonious effect. If the sound is not harmonious, it has not a desirable effect upon us; if a color is not harmonious it also has an undesirable effect. This shows that it is not the particular number or sound which gives the desirable effect, but the harmony. That is why a knowledge of the effect of sound, color or number is insufficient without a development of a sense of harmony in oneself, so that one can understand the harmonious effect of these things.

So it is with sounds. But the power of sound is greater than the power of color. Why is this? It is because sound arises from the depth of one's being, and because sound can also touch the depth of one's being.

We must remember the teaching of Christ, how he says: 'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that belong to God'. In other words, give to the world what belongs to the world, and give to God what belongs to God, namely: love, worship, reverence, devotion, trust, confidence. All those are due to God, so give them to God. That which belongs to the world is: wealth, money, service, sympathy, kindness, tolerance, forgiveness. All these are due to the world, so give them to the world. We only make a mistake when we give to the world what is for God, and when we do for God what belongs to the world;

The whole aim of the Sufi is to reach to reality, and anything savoring of superstition should be avoided. What is color after all? It is an illusion. What is number? It is an illusion. What are forms? They are illusions too.

since these are all illusions, how can it be worthwhile to give oneself absolutely to them and to neglect the unfolding of the self, besides at the same time neglecting the search for the reality, the only aim of the soul? Therefore all other knowledge and all other pursuits should be given a secondary place. Our main pursuit must be after Truth, believing as we do that in the Truth there is God.

Chapter 11 The Spiritual Significance Of Sound and Color

Philosophy or science, mysticism or esotericism, will all agree on one point if they touch the summit of their knowledge. And that point is that behind the whole of creation, behind the whole of manifestation, if there is any subtle trace of life that can be found, it is motion, it is movement, it is vibration.

Harmony is the result of the relation between color and color, the relation between sound and sound, and the relation between color and sound.

Chapter 12 The Psychic Influence of Music

The key to perfection is to be found in forgetting the self.

For there is nothing in this world which can help one spiritually more than music. Meditation prepares, but music is the highest for touching perfection. I have seen wonders happen through the psychological power of music, but only when there were congenial surroundings. Five or six people, a moonlight night, or dawn, or sunset. It seems that nature helps to complete the music, and both work together, for they are one.

When music becomes commercial its beauty is lost, and also much of its value.

Composition is an art rather than a mechanical arrangement of notes. A composer of music performs his small part in the scheme of nature as a creator. Music being the most exalted of arts, the work of the composer of music is no less than the work of a saint. It is not only the knowledge of technicality, of harmony, of theory that is sufficient: the composer needs tenderness of heart, open eyes to all beauty, the conception of what is beautiful, the true perception of sound and rhythm, and its expression in human nature.

Chapter 13 The Healing Power of Music

In the first place, if we saw what was at the back of all the medicines which are used for healing purposes, if we ask what it is in them that heals, we shall find that it is the different elements which constitute our physical being. The same elements are present in those medicines, and that which is lacking in us is taken from them, or the effect which should be produced in our body is produced by them. The vibration which is necessary for our health is created in the body by their power. The rhythm which is necessary for our cure is brought about by bringing the circulation of the blood into a certain rhythm and speed.

By this we learn that health is a condition of perfect rhythm and tone. And what is music? music is rhythm and tone.