Music, perfected, has no melody

[Everything]

The square, perfected, has no corner;

Music, perfected, has no melody;

Love, perfected, has no climax;

Art, perfected, has no meaning.

 

These lines entered my mind more frequently the couple of days and I've thought about it. The perfection lies within the change of everything; Where the Tao lacks art and flavour, perfection itself gives rise to those things by using the infinite potential of the Tao doing the exact thing it is suppose to do. Anemating the infinite potential into all of existance trough everlasting change. My love for music has made it so that I dreamed about it.

 

In a church with an organ under a set of huge golden pipes rising to the roof, a chinese man took a key from the organ and said that once I understood that music had no melody, the music would play by itself and would never cease to change. The key he took kept playing, becoming more vague and similar to silence as if deafening to the ear. When his words sank deeper the golden pipes of the organ roared in an epic manner. Beautiful music followed. I noticed the keyboard being played by nothing.

 

I must admit, my love for both music and Tao has led me to experiencing cognitive dissonance where I thought that the Tao neglected the existance of music, love, art and squares. This is fortunately not true. The interpretation of those lines that satisfied me the most rose from the very reason for my motivation of dissolving this cognitive dissonance towards a more harmonious state of mind. The fact that everything changes, that high winds do not last long, that nature has so few words. The everlasting change underlying all of existance is exactly what brings perfection to everything in our lifes. The change from moment to moment is the use of the infinite potential that is the Tao trough the act of creation, as I've said. Thus the creative spirit can be witnessed in every birth of moment, every change. And it is this perfection that speaks to the idealism of creative minds.

Perfect music never ceases to change and thus has no specific melody. Just like the perfect line does not stop changing its angles, just like the perfect art does not stop changing its meaning, where the perfect love never ceases to change its climax. Isn't perfection the change that underlies all of existance, the creative spirit?

 

If you want to leave a comment, feel free to do so with my appreciation in advance. Especially if it is your interpretation of the topic title.

Thank you for reading.

Edited March 26, 2011 by Everything

[Gerard]

Music is also subjected to impermanence; hence it is constantly flowing, changing and reinventing itself.

 

From this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

 

Define me a single melody...yes you can create it but it'll fade into oblivion soon unless you give it a shape: composition.

 

By the way, music is Dao and vice versa, everything is the Dao but the human mind tends to blur it with its delusional needs: ego, cravings, ignorance, pride...Besides in Traditional China Daoists where trained in a range of subjects: calligraphy, music, astronomy, astrology and divination, herbalism and TCM, etc. So why do you say that the Dao neglected the existance of music, love, art and squares (big dipper forms a square and its influence in early Chinese civilization is enormous; and also there are specific practices - Big Dipper Qigong and Pace of Yu - that adopt a square formation).

[Everything]

Music is also subjected to impermanence; hence it is constantly flowing, changing and reinventing itself.

 

From this:

[media]

 

To this:

[media]

 

Define me a single melody...yes you can create it but it'll fade into oblivion soon unless you give it a shape: composition.

 

By the way, music is Dao and vice versa, everything is the Dao but the human mind tends to blur it with its delusional needs: ego, cravings, ignorance, pride...Besides in Traditional China Daoists where trained in a range of subjects: calligraphy, music, astronomy, astrology and divination, herbalism and TCM, etc. So why do you say that the Dao neglected the existance of music, love, art and squares (big dipper forms a square and its influence in early Chinese civilization is enormous; and also there are specific practices - Big Dipper Qigong and Pace of Yu - that adopt a square formation).

I can easily agree with you when you say that the Tao is in music and everything, because everything is ultimately abstracted from the Tao. But I would find it hard to agree if you are suggesting that the Tao is only the sum of these very things: music and everything. I think you ment the former, right?

 

Oh, and here is me quoting me:

...I thought that the Tao neglected the existance of music, love, art and squares. This is fortunately not true.

...

Don't get to do that often

 

Gerard, I'm glad that you say that several Taoist actually dedicated their lives to music. Can I perhaps find ancient Taoist music anywhere? Or are those actually called chinese folk songs? Is that music Taoist music?

Edited March 26, 2011 by Everything

[manitou]

Thank you, Everything, for a great post. I too am a musician and have seen my music evolve as my understanding has. Since I became Kundalini active, I've developed the ability to place my hand on the keyboard, usually the lower register of a C and G, and just let the chord resonate. I can feel 'something' come up my arm and I start to feel a beat; then the music comes; at first, very simply; then by the end of the song, much more complicated. I know someone else has developed that here on this forum too, I just can't remember who posted it originally...was it you?

 

I too am of the opinion that the perfection of the Tao within music is that moment of silence when the conductor has his baton raised in the air before the concert begins. Everything beyond that is elimination of possibility.

Edited March 26, 2011 by manitou

[zerostao]

"i got a song, ain't got no melody, ima gonna sing it with my friends"

[joeblast]

breath, when perfected, does not move

 

just some references to being 'in the moment' - when its on, its pure, no words to even describe it

[angelo]

Very interesting things to ponder. I will be going to university to study music soon, and I have been curious how it will tie in to my practice & further development along this path.

 

I would also love to know if anyone knows of any 'Taoist' or Chinese folk music?

Edited March 28, 2011 by angelo

[Gerard]

The ancient spiritual practice of Sufism incorporates all kinds of activities to achieve a state in which the practitioner loses the ego and experiences God through singing, chanting, reciting, whirling — as in dervishes — and music.

 

Artist:

 

Enlightening performance.

[doc benway]

I'd like to paraphrase a brief story about the old wise man, Mullah Nasruddin.

 

One day Mullah Nasruddin bought a violin and began to play.

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....

He played the same note over and over and over again.

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE........

It was driving his wife crazy.

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE........

"Nasruddin!!" she screamed after a few hours, "All of the real violin players move their fingers up and down, on different strings, and play different notes. What are you doing?!"

NEE...

"Why dear, those other violin players are fools!" replied Nasruddin, "They spend years looking for just the right note....."

 

"I've found it!!!"

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....

[Rara]

Another thank you from me! I too am a musician and it's a big part of my career. My practice or misunderstanding of the Tao almost made me lose interest.

 

But then I was getting sad...and I knew I was wrong. It just took time for me to snap out of my silly thoughts.

 

A blessing that you would post this today...my enthusiasm for my work only came back recently so this post is just what I need to see.

[Marblehead]

I prefer melody, harmony, the mating of Yin and Yang.

 

Just who I am.

[suninmyeyes]

Artist:

That was really nice .