I research a lot about the role of tones in it. I summarize the answer to the question; Do monks listen to music? below;
Monks don’t listen to music. They use music as a source of meditation and prayer. They sing Gathas and breathing exercises for mindfulness. Monks prefer meditative music over its obsession. They train themselves to meditate with or without calm music.
Monks chant that associate with their religion. Monks don’t use instruments in Gregorian chants. Mahayana monks use traditional air instruments for music.
Tibetan Monks use flutes, hand drums and bells for it. Theravada Buddhists don’t use music in chanting. Honkyoku monks use shakuhachi flutes.
Chanting:
It is the source of meditation and prayer. Every religion has its chanting.
There are various ways for it. Monks perform chanting as prayer or meditation. It uses as a chapel or express harmony. Click to read about monk Celibatacy.
Gregorian chant:
It is chanting that performs in churches. Men and women perform it as prayer.
It has rhythm, harmony, melody and form. They sing it with choirs.
It develops polyphony. Monks sing the Gregorian chant. The chant acts as meditation for every listener.
They don’t use any instruments while chanting. They mostly use a single melody.
Mahayana Buddhism prayer:
It is the largest Buddhist believer in the world. Buddist teaches most people about enlightenment. It is not necessary to become a monk or nun.
They use several air instruments. For example. The Usage of Wooden fish instruments. They don’t recommend other heavy instruments.
Tibetan Buddhism prayer:
They create music with instrument assistants. Monks also use melody to connect with the spirit. They use traditional flutes, cymbals, hand drums and bells. Tibetan Buddhists don’t use other heavy musical instruments.
They harness spiritual energy associate with Nirvana.
Theravada Buddhism prayer:
Theravada Buddist never uses any instrument in chanting. They play instruments before and after it. Each instrument has an associate with a specific name.
They use Khong[A knotted gong] and temple drums. Besides, Wooden drums and hanging bells also use. These instruments carry happiness for them.
Females don’t play any instruments. Male can play them. They don’t use other instruments except for their traditional ones.
Honkyoku musical style:
It is the music Japanese zen monks play. These monks call Komuso. They use shakuhachi flutes.
It produces a calm musical style. It has traditional values for Japanese culture.
Monks Reasons to not listen to the music:
Never attach with Music:
The music attachment is not applicable in Buddhism. The attachment o music makes you away from purpose.
You create a desire for a temporary thing. It leads you towards suffering.
Mindfulness breathing is music:
Mindfulness acts like music. It has continuous patterns.
You feel the breath in and out.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that it gives you a way to express yourself. It is soft and calm. It makes you happy.
Thich explains it is easy to look at mindfulness. You can check out your thoughts. You achieve the present moment with peace.
It creates harmony in your life. You find harmony among your emotions with music.
Everything inside our minds is organic. You can transform it. For example. Your compassion dances with your anger.
Gathas Practicing:
Gatha is the short verse. It uses as affirmations. Every Gatha represents some lesson. It associates with specific actions.
Gatha is different from Manta.
Mantra is a single repeated word. It enhances our concentration in meditation.
We recite the Gatha with breathing in and breathing out. It gives awareness about it.
Then, We align with it. Our peace brings us in a moment. We connect with the message deeply.
It’s possible to shorten the Gatha. We develop harmony with it.
It is like singing without it. Our emotions settle down with it. We become able to observe them better.
Youthful heart learns to love:
Matthieu ricard is a famous monk. He explains Music as love. You can learn music and learn love. Besides, it makes your heart youthful.
Everyone can learn music. You get love as a result of it.
Music and Meditation concerts:
Several events happen across the world with music. Monks conduct those events. They play soft music like piano or violin.
It helps them to meditate.
For example, The event in France performs with Maria João Pires and Matthieu Ricard in 2018.
Music source of happiness:
Dalali lama realizes the crucial impact of Music. Music can serve as a message.
It warms everyone’s heart.
It serves as the purpose for others. You can get a connection with it. So, it connects with the spirit of everyone.
We can develop harmony with it. Besides, music reaches more people.
Dalali lama Release Mantras and Music:
He releases the music to spread his message.
He has a desire to the world happy. His album acts as Buddist prayer. The album was released on 6 July 2020.
The album has 11 Tracks with divine mantras and teachings. He performs the mantras on about 30 instruments.
Meditative music:
Music is a sense of pleasure. It is not forbidden for monks at all.
Music while meditation is acknowledgeable. Go to listen to music do not allow.
Music is the same as other vibrations of nature.
You concentrate without the assistance of music. You become independent from it. If music is going, you lost.
Wrong calm and Music:
Some music indeed impacts the brain. It enhances the waves inside your mind.
Every state that arises go. So, it is not beneficial to connect with it.
Music uses as a source of calm. If it doesn’t give calm, it gives wrong calm.
Calm doesn’t associate with partiality:
Music gives your mood instant uplift. It depends on your experience with it. Sometimes, you feel better. Other times, you don’t like it.
Some songs you like while others you don’t. It makes you depend on the event.
Monk makes themselves free from it. A true calm sets you independent.
Don’t make yourself necessary for music. You develop habits for dependency.
You create emptiness for Music:
Do not use music as a tool. If you love it, you become mindful. You become angry towards noises. You should use it as a meditation source. Besides, use natural voices as meditation music is acknowledgeable.
You start liking the music because of emptiness.
Beginners should not use meditation:
Their minds do not train well. They start depending on the Music. Music endsConcentration of untrain mind.
They become obsessed with it. Beginners meditators have no listening idea. Their mind requires practice to be stronger.
It can cope with basic desires. It represses beginners desire. So, they lose focus and rise problems in meditation.
Advance meditators learn to listen. They allow themselves to move with patterns. They listen without attachment.
Meditate over your reactions towards music:
We all hate some Music kind. It distracts us from meditation. We can’t focus on it. Monks listen to music without overreacting.
So, we should meditate on our reaction to it. It assists us to be calm. We can continue and end meditation that way.
