INSPIRATIONS FROM HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN

I am moved by the beautiful teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, the musician and Sufi teacher.  Here are several quotes from The Mysticism of Sound and Music.  His passion for, and belief in, music is breathtaking:

 

Music is Life

"Music as we know it in our every day language is only a miniature; that which our intelligence has grasped from that music or harmony of the whole universe which is working behind us.  The music of the universe is the background of the little picture we call music.  Our sense of music, our attraction to music, shows that music is in the depth of our being.  Music is not only life's greatest object, but music is life itself."  

 

The Soul Enters the Body

"There exists in the East a legend which relates that God made a statue of clay in His own image, and asked the soul to enter it.  But the soul refused to enter into this prison, for its nature is to fly about freely, and not be limited and bound to any sort of captivity.  The soul did not wish to enter this prison.  Then God asked the angels to play their music and, as the angels played, the soul was moved to ecstasy.  Through this ecstasy - in order to make this music clear to itself - it entered this body." 

 

Creation

"The beauty of music is that it is the source of creation and the means of absorbing it.  In other words, by music the world was created, and it is again through music that the world was withdrawn into the source that created it." 

 

The Power of Music

"According to the thinkers of the East, there are four different intoxications: the intoxication of beauty, youth, and strength; then the intoxication of wealth; the third intoxication is power, of command, of ruling; and the fourth intoxication is of learning, of knowledge.  But all four of these intoxications fade away just like the stars before the sun in the presence of the intoxication of music." 

 

Musicianship

"The true way of progressing through music is to evolve freely, to go forward, not caring what others think, and in this way, together with one's development in music, to harmonize the life of one's soul, one's surrounding, and one's affairs."