Tag: music

Day 10: Maharishi Ashram

Maharishi and Co.On a rainy afternoon in Rishikesh, I had a chance to visit Indian Guru Maharishi’s ashram. A spiritual retreat in the 1960s for creative minds like the Beatles, the former ashram is now retreating into the earth.

Walking alongside cobblestone memories of an era too radical to fathom, I heard occasional gusts of wind sing, “let it be, let it be, let it be, oh let it be, there will be an answer, let it be.”

And so I rolled a fat one and did just that.

Me too!

Temple of the Tooth

Day 8 of my travels through Sri Lanka takes me to Kandy, the third point of the Golden Triangle where hillsides produce Ceylon tea leaves, outdoor markets bustle from dawn to dusk and one of the Buddha’s teeth is secretly stored inside a temple. It turns out relics of Siddhartha Gautama (mostly his bones and hair) were collected by monks and kings nearly 2,500 years ago and allocated throughout Asia. In Buddhist society, owning such a relic would have garnered immense power and prestige. Even though tourists were unable to glimpse the sacred tooth (which was stored in a secret chamber), the tribal music and ceremony surrounding it filled hundreds of curious hearts with awe.

Inspirational Reblog to heighten the senses…

There was a sound coming from the central square. A sound they’d never heard before, so smooth and soft, so beautiful. There was something in the tones, between the tones that made the world seem like a better place, the sky a bit bluer, the problems lighter to carry. There was a man sitting there. […]

via One Day Music Came — Fictionspawn Monsters

Imagination empowers religion

What is the one virtue that connects all spiritualities? In my opinion, it’s Imagination. Upon visiting mosques, churches, temples and grottoes, and hearing the soulful rhythm and melodies of hymns, chants and musical instrumentals, I’ve come to the conclusion that art and music has elevated spirituality more than doctrine itself. The proof is everywhere. Sistine Chapel. Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Angkor Wat. Mogao Grottoes. Borobudur. Prambanan. Notre-Dame. And that’s not including the myriad of sacred masterpieces displayed at galleries and national museums. Imagination has delivered creative texts like David and Goliath, Ramayana, Golden Elephant and the Great Flood. Imagination has conceived religious fashion like the papal tiara, hijab and orange robes worn by monks. Imagination has inspired followers everywhere in so many ways and will continue to do so until the sun sets on humanity. So the question must be asked—Where does this boundless imagination come from?