Gaura Priya
IRL
When you were brought up in a Dharmic religion, or converted, how did you acquiesce yourself towards Eastern religious music style?
I could have posted this in the Comparative Religions forum, but I ask here, simply because Dharmic religions have historically associated sound (shabda, vani) with inherently divine power and presence. By invoking the power of melody, notes, and sacred language, the vibrations of such music are understood to purify the spiritual aspirant.
The idea of music being inherently spiritual art in organised religions are not necessarily found in Abrahamic religions so easily. While Muslims, Christians and Jews will chant their Scriptures in their respective liturgical languages, Sanskrit and Classical Punjabi are seen as inherently sacred languages in regards to spiritual music or recitation, especially in the Hindu and Sikh tradition.
The second reason why I ask is because such music is quite different, and sometimes considerably exotic, foreign, or even annoying to the Western ear.
Whether it be Hindu bhajans and kirtans (religious songs) or reciting Sanskrit, or the Sikh singing Gurbani about Sri Shabad Guru, or Buddhists reciting sutras in Pali or Japano-Sanskrit or Sino-Sanskrit, the spiritual devotee will listen and sing with bliss, while people who do not come from these backgrounds will find such music and recitations repetitive and foreign.
I could have posted this in the Comparative Religions forum, but I ask here, simply because Dharmic religions have historically associated sound (shabda, vani) with inherently divine power and presence. By invoking the power of melody, notes, and sacred language, the vibrations of such music are understood to purify the spiritual aspirant.
The idea of music being inherently spiritual art in organised religions are not necessarily found in Abrahamic religions so easily. While Muslims, Christians and Jews will chant their Scriptures in their respective liturgical languages, Sanskrit and Classical Punjabi are seen as inherently sacred languages in regards to spiritual music or recitation, especially in the Hindu and Sikh tradition.
The second reason why I ask is because such music is quite different, and sometimes considerably exotic, foreign, or even annoying to the Western ear.
Whether it be Hindu bhajans and kirtans (religious songs) or reciting Sanskrit, or the Sikh singing Gurbani about Sri Shabad Guru, or Buddhists reciting sutras in Pali or Japano-Sanskrit or Sino-Sanskrit, the spiritual devotee will listen and sing with bliss, while people who do not come from these backgrounds will find such music and recitations repetitive and foreign.
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