Osho's perspective on Music
When Osho Spoke About Music
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Can music be set to OM?
Yes, yes. It can certainly be done. Music can be set to OM—music can be set to anything. But the effect on you will not be because of OM. The effect on you will be due to the harmony of the notes. Whatever the music, it is the rhythmic consonance between two notes that impacts you. Whether it says OM or anything else makes no difference; that has nothing to do with it. What matters is that the impact of the notes upon the psyche be rhythmic. That’s all—rhythmicity is music. What you sing—whether a film song or a bhajan—does not matter. It is that rhythmicity which influences your mind. This too I call only an apparent peace. It is not peace. It is not peace. But a person who sits chanting OM, OM, OM is, poor fellow, in what one would call a psychoneurotic state. He is in a…
The second question you have asked is: You are a musician—how to master music while remaining aware? Or, how to develop awareness and music side by side?
This is a slightly intricate matter. Because when you lose yourself in music, awareness will be forgotten. When you become totally absorbed in music, who will be left to be aware? And when you are aware, the music will shatter and fall apart. In trying to join two opposing things, you will land yourself in difficulty. There will be a lot of strain and inner tug-of-war. Choose any one thing; it is enough. Riding two boats is not good; riding two horses is not good. Try all you want—there will be danger. Music is enough; dive in utterly. Dive in so totally that you no longer even know there is a musician—only music remains. And the doors of the divine will open. It has many doors. It is a good fortune that it doesn’t have only one big gate; otherwise there would be a great crowd. It would be a…
Beloved Osho, the other night, I was very touched by the singing of the indian swami who sings before discourse. I felt as if he were playing me like a musical instrument. I felt like a big ear, just listening. Most other music I hear basically amounts to noise -- it's entertaining, but it doesn't touch me. What is it about his music and the music of all those musicians who touch something inside us, that helps us to fly?
Music is born out of deep experiences of meditation; it is a dimension of meditation. By meditating, you may be able to be touched by music, but the reverse is also true: If you are totally absorbed in music, your heart will be touched not only by music but by meditation too. Music is sound. Meditation is soundlessness. The highest music is where the sound does not destroy the soundless moments in between. As the musician becomes more and more refined, he can manage to create sound, and between two sounds he can give you an experience of soundlessness. That soundlessness touches the heart. In the East, music has always been part of meditation. Temples have been full of music and dance. Ashok Bharti loves me. His music is just a communication of his love. He pours himself totally into it. The same is happening with the other sannyasin musician…
Beloved Osho, when I'm not near you physically, music seems to be the easiest way to feel your love. Sometimes, listening to classical music, it touches me so deeply that there comes a moment when I feel I cannot take in more joy. Suddenly I remember you, and all the excitement falls into a greater depth, more calm, silent, soothing. Now there is no more boundary to joy... And so much gratitude.
"You have beautiful instruments and you have beautiful art, but your heart is not in the music; it is in defeating somebody. And unless you drop that idea you will never be equal to Tansen. He has no idea to defeat anybody, that's why he goes on winning." It was very difficult for Baiju Bawara to get rid of the desire, because that was the desire through which he had devoted his whole life to music. But if the master said so, then it was better to wait. He forgot all about Tansen, slowly slowly. And once, when Haridas became very old, be became sick; and he had a kind of paralysis of the legs, so he could not go from his small cottage to the nearby Krishna temple. And without seeing Krishna, he would not eat anything. Many physicians tried to treat him. They could not do anything. Baiju…
"Renounce the neighborhood, not the music; your soul's harmony is worth the solitude it may demand."
How can music be next to silence?
definition"Music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them; it is in the gaps that the true essence of sound reveals itself."
How can music be set to OM?
practice"True spirituality thrives on alertness, not the hypnotic repetition of OM; it is the harmony and rhythm of music that can awaken the psyche, not the syllable itself."
"To master music, you must dissolve into the sound, allowing the divine to play through you; but if you choose awareness, remember that true depth will always elude you."
"A true master is not a teacher of notes, but a maestro of silence, guiding you from the cacophony of the ego to the symphony of your innermost being."
"When you connect with the essence of music, you transcend meaning and enter the soundless heart of meditation, where even the instruments fade and you rest in the inexpressible silence."
"True music is not just heard; it is felt in the silence between the notes, where the heart awakens to love, gratitude, and transformation."
"Real music flows from a silent, meditative mind, dissolving the ego into pure listening, while the gymnastics of music is merely an ego-driven display, a madness that seeks applause rather than true expression."
What is the instrument of Osho's music?
definition"You are the instrument of my music; when you drop your desires and ambitions, the natural melody of existence flows through your openness."
What is the significance of Madonna's music?
definition"Art should be a doorway to awareness, not a distraction from it; if it lacks depth and silence, it is best set aside."
"Transform yourself; let others be. If your family cannot appreciate your passion, either immerse them in your joy or seek solitude to cultivate your own."
Profound Quotes on Music
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