mysticismcan help to develop a person’s ethical character, as it represents the ulti-
mate in harmony, beauty, and goodness. In ancient China, there is a
close relationship between music and ritual. If ritual defines the external
structure of the individual, music provides inner harmony. Moreover, the
harmony of music is a microcosm of the harmony that exists between
heaven and earth. Thus ritual and music are essential because they help
one to understand both the distinction as well as the harmony between
heaven and earth. The Confucian philosopher Hsün Tzu attributes cos-
mic symbolism to musical instruments: the drum represents a vast perva-
siveness and heaven, bells represent fullness and earth, sounding stones
stand for restrained order and water, mouth organs symbolized austere
harmony and the sun, flutes signify a spirited outburst, the bamboo whis-
tle is the breath of tone, the zither is gentleness, the lute manifests grace,
and songs represented purity and fulfillment.
Hindu literature makes it clear that divine beings love music and are
pleased by it. In fact, the patroness of music and arts is the goddess
Sarasvatī, who is frequently depicted holding a stringed instrument iden-
tified as the vina. Because of their association with the sacred power of
the goddess, instruments are treated with great respect by players, who
often even worship their instruments and protect them from pollution. A
musician is not the originator of the music because music exists eternally,
making the musician its transmitter and preserver.
The Hindu conception of music is best grasped within a metaphysical
context grounded in sound (nāda) that is either struck or unstruck. The
latter form of sound represents a vibration of ether that permeates all
space, although it cannot be perceived. A physical blow creates the struck
sound, which consists of a temporary vibration of air. Ordinary people
can hear the struck sound, which is a manifestation of the eternal sound.
Because it can reveal the unstruck sound, the struck sound is not merely
pleasing to hear, but it also can break down the cycle of earthly existence
by putting a listener into contact with ultimate reality.
Further reading: Beck (1993); Collins et al. (1989); Shelemay (1986); Sullivan
(1997)
MYSTICISM
This is a notion cloaked in mystery and leads to disagreement and even
confusion among interested people. When something is called mystical
it often suggests something vague, mysterious, or incomprehensible.