Music and Religion

I was brought up around Buddhism. My mom and I used to visit a temple every year in Viet Nam and helped the monks take care of their sanctuary for a few days. Although we did the same things every day, waking up early, eating meatless meals, cleaning, chanting and meditating, I'd never felt more connected to nature and away from the industrial smoke and busy traffics of a metropolis. I would scan feverishly from line to line trying to keep up with the monk's chant as she steadily knocked on the wooden frog with a wooden stick. It was truly amazing how she had it all memorized flawlessly. At that moment, peace was all I felt as the chanting and knocking noise echoing on throughout the whole temple. Even silence was listening, and to me, that was beauty. Listening to her also made me feel closer to Buddha. He is a wise man who spent his life learning about the world and those who inhabit it. He is someone who's reached Enlightenment and become one with the world, to the point that he has gained knowledge about everything past, present, and future. With that said, personally, I think chanting is a way to connect with Buddha, with Earth.

Christianity also has somewhat of an influence on me back in Viet Nam and even more in America. I've been to many churches and sung out of hymnals. The way they worship God with music is obviously different than Buddhists. They sing together and most of the time accompany themselves with instruments. Music here is used to express love for God by singing loudly and passionately in hope that it would reach Him. I've been to a Pentecostal church several times, and I have to say I did enjoy it. They would have a piano, drums, guitars, and what I found especially exciting, tambourines distributed everywhere on the benches. Sometimes they would burst in tears, because the lyrics suddenly struck them. Every emotion they expressed, I felt it all. Even as just a guest, I was considered part of the community. I have also been to Impact, a worship event for Baptists. They had a Christian band play a few songs after so many sermons. These songs were similar in style but also very strong in meaning. What I respected was that kids and adults would come up close to the stage and raise their hands or even lay their heads down to the ground. What I admire about this religion and its use of music is that it brings everyone together to a single purpose, and emotions are drawn out by music. Unity can be aesthetically pleasant sometimes.