Music at the time of the Buddha and Fan Bei
Buddhist style music recognizes its origin in India from 1500 to 2000
B.C.E. It came from the
Sama Veda1 of the Rg-veda2 sacred texts, thus providing the roots of Sabdavidya3
and fan
-bei.
Fan-bei literally means heavenly with harmony and is sung
in praise of the Buddha's
moral integrity.
Such music is
characterized by five basic traits, namely uprightness, elegance,
clarity,
heart warming
and
easily understood. It is with these profound implications in mind that
Sakyamuni Buddha
commended this music for its artistic and appealing nature.
In the Avatamsaka-sutra4, it mentions that Buddhist music is also a means
of promoting the
Dharma.
The Buddha once made use of poetic chants and
gathas to teach about Bhutatathata
and the universal
truth of human life.
This was a means of easy comprehension so his disciples
could memorize
and recite
them. Bhiksu Patha was among the best contemporary singers
during
the Buddha's time.
In the Saddharna Pundarika Sutra, it mentions that the Buddha had said,
"to sing in praise of the Buddha's moral integrity with a joyful
mind is also the path to Buddhahood." In the Ten Chanting Vinaya,
the Buddha complimented Bhiksu Bhadra, "Hearing what you sing, five
benefits are attained: there is no physical or mental fatigue, what has
been memorized will never be forgotten, the voice will not deteriorate
and the verses are easily comprehended." So, we can see that Buddhist
music not only promotes spiritual sentiment and purifies the mind, it
also generates the importance of benefiting others.
As mentioned in the Damamukl Nidana Sutra:
King Prasenajit of Sravasti assembled his army with the intention of attacking
Angulimaliya. On his way to Djeta, he met a very ugly monk with an extremely
unusual voice. When he spoke, he could raise his voice to a very high
tone, but the voice was quite gentle and pleasant. All the soldiers and
horses stopped moving, pricking up their ears to listen enthusiastically
to the sounds. The King blamed this delay on his attendant, but he replied,
"The sacred sounds have attracted the attention of the army and the
horses, that is why they are not moving." The King said, "If
the animals are fond of hearing the doctrine, then as humans, should we
also not pay attention?" Immediately he returned to Djeta, dismounted
from his elephant, took off his helmet, kept his sword, and proceeded
to the Buddha. Upon arrival, the King closed his palms and paid his respect
to the Buddha. The Buddha gave his teaching against the taking of life.
With this peaceful state of mind and compassion, expressed through the
chanting of fan-bei, harmonious sympathetic understanding can be aroused
in the minds of human beings and even be generated within the Buddha-nature
of animals.
Note:
1 One of the four ancient Indian scriptures
2 The ancient sacred book in India used by the Brahmin in praising of
gods by reciting the verses.
3 One of the five logics in India, referring to written languages, rhyme
and linguistics.
4 In English, it is called The Lotus Sutra as collected in Vol. 9 of the
Taisho Canon.
ASVAGHOSA
Around the 2nd century CE, Asvaghosa Bodhisattva established the
path in India for promoting the Dharma through Buddhist Music. His incomparable
wisdom, eloquence and proficiency in creating music, poetry and drama
opened up a new chapter for Buddhist music.
Playing on his stringed instrument, and singing with great feelings,
one day in front of the royal city, Asvaghosa attracted a big crowd.
The following day, a great number of youth gathered at the
Kusumapura1 Buddhist temple asking to be ordained.
Once, while Asvaghosa was teaching the Dharma, King Kaniska2 deliberately
fed seven horses that had not eaten for the past six days with his best
food to test their reaction to Asvaghosa's teaching. The horses understood
Asvaghosa's recitation that life was suffering, empty and impermanent.
They did not even touch the food but nevertheless became emotionally distressed.
This was how Asvaghosa Bodhisattva was given his name - the horse-who-listens
bodhisattva.
Asvaghosa Bodhisattva had a natural ability for blending Buddha-dharma
with music which could be understood and appreciated by people from all
walks of life. He had written about the Buddha in the Praise to the Buddha's
Deeds, as a way of using music to explain the Buddha's life. This music
became very popular and was heard in the palace as well as on the street.
What causes and conditions lead us to Buddhahood?
If birth were eliminated, then ageing, suffering and death would be eliminated.
Thus, there is no birth, ageing, sickness, suffering, Greed, anger, love,
or hatred. The Noble Eightfold Path teaches about our own enlightenment.
Gently through the medium of fan-bei, the Buddha walks out from Kusinara3
into our modern world. The Dharma has turned into a crystal clear fountain
nourishing the human soul.
Note:
1 Also known as Pataliputra, modern Patna , capital of Bihar State, India.
2 The Indo-Scythians, rulers of Gandhara in northern Punjab, who conquered
northern India as far as Bactria. He became a patron of Buddhism, the
greatest king, after Emperor Asoka to do so.
3 The two-sala tree where the Buddha entered into parinibba.
Chinese Fanbei
Chinese Fanbei originated in the 6th year (225 CE) of Emperor Wei Wen-di's
reign. One day on his journey to Mt. Yu in the Shandong province, Prince
Zhao-Chi heard a graceful, gentle music floating down from the heavens.
He was in awe. To him the music was inspiring and unforgettable, so he
composed it as Fan-bei (Buddhist Music), which was then passed down from
generation to generation. Prince Wen Xuan (Xiao Zi Liang) of the Southern
Dynasty sought the help of Buddhist monks to re-compose the music of Fan-bei.
Emperor Liang Wu-di, (502~549 CE), a devout Buddhist from the Southern-Northern
Dynasties, introduced many Buddhist rituals such as the Great Offering
Ceremony, The Ullambana Dharma Festival, Emperor Wu Repentance Service
and many other Buddhist Dharma activities. With Emperor Liang Wu-di's
innovations, music and Fan-bei
was combined and commonly used in Buddhist ceremonies.
Generally speaking, there are 4 kinds of Buddhist music:
1. Stotras or songs used in praise of the Buddha's merits.
2. Gathas or verses, explaining the teachings of the Buddha. Each gatha
is composed of four sentences. Each sentence could
be 4, 5, 6, 7, or 9 words in Chinese characters.
3. Dharani or Mandra are incantations in words.
4. Jbaptidvitiya Karmaracana is intonation on five types of words - fen
chi bai, fan bai, su shen bai, ben fan bai and dao qiang bai.
Buddhism flourished during the Tang dynasty and Buddhist music was also
very popular. The famous poet Han-Yu (768 - 824 CE) expressed in his
poems the popularity of Buddhist music in everyday
life: "Buddhist teachings are heard in every street; And bells and
horns are heard at every corner right up to the palace gate." At
that time, Buddhist music was commonly heard and chanted by ordinary
folks
and nobility alike.
However, such inspiring music did not last. After the years of the Republic,
Buddhist music was not recognized and slowly faded away. It was not until
the 1960's when Master Hsing Yun compiled the "Sacred Songs of Buddhism",
that the revival of Buddhist music came about. Master Hsing Yun said that
music plays an important role in the propagation of Buddhism. The function
of music includes changing of one's personality, the cultivation of peace
and calmness and the purification of one's body and mind.
In the past, Buddhists used music only in their own practice, but the
use of Buddhist music was often neglected when spreading the Dharma. For
the purpose of promoting Buddhism, we would like to emphasize the following:
1. Buddhist music should be used by the public in public places, and should
not be reserved for the use by monks and nuns in monasteries and temples
only.
2. Buddhist music should be innovative and refreshing, and should not
only be used for honoring the Buddha during Dharma functions.
3. Dharma teachers should use Buddhist music as a way to introduce Buddhism
to the younger generation.
4. We hope to see Buddhist choir groups in all Buddhist temples and organizations.
5. We hope that in future Buddhist music can nurture more talent and
create music masters, like Asvaghosa and Master Hung Yi.
Music is a global language with no boundaries, and is not limited by country,
culture, or spiritual practice. May Buddhist music flow through all the
Dharma realms, and may the propagation of Buddhism permeate the whole
universe. It shall be like bringing a living spring to all sentient beings.
