Conscious Paths

Amano Manish, a gifted Mohan Veena (slide guitar) player from India disciple of Brij Bushan Kabra, interviews Manish Vyas. They talk about the journey of learning, composing and presenting music from India. A very interesting conversation for those fascinated by the world of Indian arts and the different genres of Indian music: classical, spiritual, Sufi and other.

In this pleasant conversation, they talk about their beginnings in music, arts, expressing and composing music, the skills required to be trained – and the influence of Osho in their musical path. In Indian music there is a whole journey of learning which never ends, a journey of performing where it it’s not about the performer but about the music and a journey of creativity which is enhanced along the path in different ways and through different experiences.

“The focus of creating and sharing music should always be on enjoying what one is doing, without thinking of achieving anything in particular.” Manish Vyas

It is also discussed the spreading of Mantra around the world using it in music and the tendency of distortion in its public presentation; together with the importance and responsibility of putting the right music to a sacred genre like Mantra.

The importance in connecting with the right music and the right source lies in the possibility to discover and relate to the true essence of this millenary culture from India.

“The art in Indian arts and music is to remain open and available and becoming empty like a hollow bamboo – then the music can play through you. Versatility is currently the dimension of life.” Manish Vyas

Manish Vyas: www.manishvyas.com
Amano Manish (interviewer): www.amanomanish.com

The whole meditative life of the Sufis is built upon the mystery of the world. The word Sufi is connected with sophia, which means wisdom -- not cleverness, because cleverness cannot be wisdom; but the wisdom learned from within.

The path of a Sufi is a path of devotion, a path of Bhakti, a path of surrender and complete trust.

Sufi traditions and music have been very close to India since hundreds of years, being the path of Sufism a beautiful and poetic approach to spirituality, in which the longing and connection to the divine, is pursued through bhakti (devotion,) total surrender, let-go, love and dissolution. In this, music has a very important role in Sufism and its different practices.

Manish talks about the Sufi traditions as he experienced them himself in India, its music and singers, and practices such as whirling and other active meditations, where the use of music is key to take the listener to that space or total merging with the higher Self, the Beyond, the Eternal.

"Wisdom is the interpretation of life, made by someone whose point of view has become different by looking at life in the sunlight." H. Inahat Khan

The focus in India has always been to find inner richness, inner fulfillment. For this, different tools and paths have been used since millennia. These traditions have been practiced and followed in a certain way... which ultimate point is the attainment of liberation, the highest vibrational level in human plane.

Yoga is a path of spiritual growth deeply rooted in an ancient heritage -- not exercise. Mantra is a deep spiritual sacred practice based on the science of sound -- not a music show.

Many different subjects about the world of those spiritual practices from India are covered in this interview. Simple questions with straight forward and realistic answers. What is mantra, where does it come from, who are the creators, where were they documented, when something is a mantra, the power of Sanskrit, what is Naad Yoga, what is the actual mantra tradition.

The podcast also covers a sincere, open and honest explanation related to the meaning and practice of Yoga as a way of life of excellence,  and how it arrived to the west to soon loose or forget the connection to the source, to the essence, to the true meaning of yoga and its ultimate purpose.

“If you want to reach the soundless first you have to come in contact with the right sound. When you come in contact with the right source, your spiritual journey can start – from the sound to the soundless; from the gross to the most subtle.” 

This talk is part of an interview conducted by Marc Zürcher, an architect from Zürich who is also a Yoga student since many years. Some pieces have been cut due to its length. Gratitude to him for this interview and for his genuine interest.

With roots along the ancient path of Sanatan Dharma, many different roads have been used amid thousands of years to arrive to the same ultimate destination, realize the God within. One of these paths is mantra, the science of sound, by which one can invoke a particular energy through the use of certain sounds. One of the most famous texts has been known as Gayatri Mantra, which is in Sanskrit and comes from the Rig Veda.

In the occasion of his recent 8-minute Gayatri Mantra release and his upcoming release of 108-chanting, Manish Vyas presents the subject of Gayatri in a half hour podcast, with very interesting stories and information which may help any person from any background interested in the subject know more about the incredible science of sound from India, and moreover, understand how to approach it.

What is the best way to use this mantra, what is its origin, who was the author and the history behind it, what kind of music should be used with it,  what are its essential elements, what is Gayatri Sadhana, how to use it for listening meditation or pranayam practice...? These are some of the points covered in this pleasant interview.

"Important is that the purpose of each mantra is served; the reason why mantras are there, has never been to use them for entertainment, but firstly to be aware of what we are dealing with when we talk about 'mantra' in general and each mantra in particular; and second, use them adequately and if possible keeping in sight their full potential. Then their purpose is served with grace and respect to this ancient practice discovered by enlightened sages, wise ancestors of humanity." Manish

Gayatri Mantra link : www.manishvyas.com/gayatri
Youtube video : https://youtu.be/YDKNkIYgWT8 

I personally have always considered it as a blessing for me to have been born in such a culture like Bhārat (India) with its ancient roots and its vast, bottomless, fascinating world around mystical wisdom and spiritual legacy, reflected also in all of our forms of arts expression, like music, dance and so many others.

This podcast features a very interesting interview to Bapu Padmanabha, a musician from South India, who besides being a wonderful Bansuri player disciple of Hariprasad Chaurasia, is also a genuine presenter of this ancient science and ancient tradition of Mantra, Vedic chanting and other styles.

The interview takes us through a journey across the world of sacred music from India and its authentic practices, what it takes to represent this tradition, how many years of learning and dedication are invested in such journey, what is the path of a musician, a teacher, a spiritual seeker and an eternal student, when it comes to music from India.

Besides other long and patient trainings, just to start with Bapu’s training in chanting, we know that he dedicated around twelve years, every single day, two hours per day... on getting trained in the atmosphere of this discipline, in a Hindu Vedic school in South India, knowing that this is the required patience and dedication to honor this tradition.

Listen more to his interesting stories and answers to questions from Manish Vyas in this interview. Specially conceived for lovers of traditions from India, its music and the science of Mantra.

You can also find a video about Bapu’s music and work in this link, when he contributed to the upcoming documentary, “The True World of Mantra and Sacred Music from India”: https://youtu.be/DlqABwkXwbs 

Although my musical path was firstly built since an early age by being next to music Maestros  while growing in India, there was a total different training that came later since my early-twenties, when I worked close to some spiritual masters. The first experience was next to Osho, when he was still in the body, who very strongly introduced the significance and importance of incorporating music in the genre of meditation already back in the 1970s. So working around him was an active and fruitful training, as around his devices, music always had a prime place. This view of music, started sinking in my musical ear slowly slowly and now after all this years, I can really value the musical path life has put me through, since my work would have never been the same without those sensible influences.

In my personal experience, having worked in the field of mystical music around enlightened ones for so many years and even organizing music for whole 40 day retreats certainly made an immense difference. As a musician, it taught me to let go of fixed structures and open the mind to new dimensions in music, lifting the creativity and imagination beyond classical trainings and frameworks of learning, but instead exploring the use of music to go beyond the mind, towards its ultimate purpose.

What is the character of a Guru? Do we need a Guru? The One who brings us out of the darkness into the light is called a Guru, a wise, eyes-opening guide in one's life. In a journey of a seeker of truth, the figure of a Guru is extremely important because he/she has already crossed that path in which we find ourselves at the moment.

A Guru is not a theoretical concept, but a reality, part of 'practical' and not 'philosophy-oriented' spirituality. In the East, this reality has been part of our lives since thousands of years.

To be in the company of an awakened one, which the East has known at Satsang , is regarded as the most precious phenomenon in the life of a seeker of truth. Not only in the spiritual path, but in India, when one wants to grow deeper in any path, a Guru is a must to advance towards the correct direction. Then, trust and patience are required.

Guru is the one who gives us the second birth which awakes the plane of spirituality and truth, after the physical birth that the parents have given. To understand the phenomenon and significance of a Guru in one's life, firstly one needs to understand what is a the meaning of Guru. Guru means simply dispeller of darkness. Sometimes even the glance of a Guru works miracles, we call it Kripa Drishti.

Finding or being found by a Guru is a pure happening, a blessing, the grace of God. What can one do if one longs for a Guru? One needs to have the real desire for truth, for the highest, a real longing for the discovery of the true Self... and existence will take care of the rest. If the desire is genuine and it's God's will, a Guru will manifest in our lives - sometimes in the most amazing ways - just by the miracle of His Grace.

Music in the Podcast: Vande Gurudev, album Sahaj Atma : www.manishvyas.com/sahaj-atma

www,manishvyas.com/podcast

If you go to any musical gathering in India, you will see that the playing of Harmonium sounds completely different from what most people have been exposed to in the west. Naturally, to learn anything from a foreign culture takes more effort, more dedication, more time - but one should commit to that process if one would like to learn any art or instrument. Commitment and lots of patience has always been the number one element when learning music from India, and Harmonium, just as any other instrument from India, is not an exception; as it will also follow the roots of music from India.

For music to be harmonic, it is essential that the body and the soul of what is being presented meet. For this to happen, one key element is to learn from a reliable source, from someone who has been trained and is capable of representing that culture decently. Because some people in the west don't know what is the original sound of Indian music and Harmonium itself, they believe what they see as being presented... but many then go to India and they're shocked to see how it all sounds completely different! It is not their fault, but for their own benefit, there should be a capability to discern between what is genuine and what not. That happens in all fields. Then, it's up to the practitioner what he/she wants to choose. An unforgivable sin is when people start teaching Harmonium wrongly - this is cultural appropriation and cultural distortion; in this case, with an instrument. 

www.manishvyas.com/harmonium

Many times it is believed that meditation is just about relaxing the body and the mind. Although this may be a consequence, it is not the purpose of meditation. Meditation is inquiring about the true nature of the self, dropping ideas and acquired beliefs and ideologies. And an earnest retreat for this purpose should provide the space, energy and content necessary for this to manifest. 

In the same way, the participant should step into a retreat with the right attitude. When we go to a retreat seeking a space for one's own growth and self discovery, one should always try to ask the question, "Why am I here. What is the intention to be in this place during these days." The intention should be clear, to not waste our time and energy in the wrong direction.

After having had almost 30 years experience in this field, joining true wise ones from India in their retreats, Manish talks about this and gives some clues about how to make the most out of it. "When you go to a retreat, you want to do something which is not part of the day to day life. It's a conscious process of getting out of the routine and the day to day habits."

One can move towards meditation by discovering what is lacking in our inner life, where is the void... and that can be discovered by moving-IN, not by moving-OUT. And that is what a meditation retreat is helpful for, it focuses on moving inwards, on introspection, and on seeing the inner world.

manishvyas.com

Meditation is not about 'doing something.' Yes, we can work on meditation techniques in order to arrive to a more meditative state. The technique will help the cleansing of the mind, the cleansing of the psyche. But at some point the technique has to be dropped, and the real meditation has to manifest. That is, in real life.

So even when someone tells me, "i practice a lot of meditation," one can immediately see by the person's reflection if it remains just in the meditation technique, or if the meditation is reflected in his or her life. Meditation must be a reflection, otherwise it's just 'passing time.'

One requires proper guidance, proper practice and proper understanding in the journey of seeking, in order for this journey to bring the right fruit. A light is needed in the path, to go towards the right direction. Meditation or Dhyāna, as we call it in India, is one of the words most misunderstood in the west, because mostly people refer to it as an activity, and not as a state. Furthermore, meditation is simple, it's not about philosophies and serious things... remaining conscious and acting with awareness as opposed to forgetfulness is meditation. As my Master says, "the mystical is the most practical."