Histapkhuth Hanefesh - a Satori

Audio Samsara and Satori, folks!

I was recently reading about Borobudur temple in Indonesia, a FANTASTIC site and holy building dating about 2.000 years ago, which only resurrected from volcano ashes and jungle around mid-'800 something…

Siddharta and Gautama Buddha-related tales are covered in thousands of stone bassorilievi … I visited it in awe with my wife in early 2000, with Bali, Lombok, Kalimantan and Gili Islands… Ubud, Borobudur, Bromo volcano, diving at Gilis’ and Kalimantan’s orangoutangs being the highlights of our journey.

So what?

The Wikipedia chapter concerning Borobudur gives a lot of very, very interesting hintings and tips to feed my curiousity: at the time, when visiting the amazing Indonesian temple, I wasn’t aware of its building holiness and how to read its architecture.

Ten terraces corresponding to ten phases of spiritual path, in three groups, representing the three Samsara realms:

• First level being life in the realm of wishes (Kamadhatu)
• Five levels representing the progressive emancipation from senses (realm of Pure Form or Rupadhatu)
• Last three circular terraces/levels represent the progressive path to reach the Definitive Nirvana (realm of formless or Arupyadhatu)

When reaching the very top of the Borubudur, the structure evolves in some empty, open spaces and several stupas… the very center is only slightly larger and higher than the others around, almost unassuming considering such an huge temple.

This means that the top is not the goal of the journey, but the journey itself is itself the goal.

I sure had a Satori, one of the several micro-satori I had in my life!

I read in the above my very life and my musical and audio path, folks.

When younger, I dreamed of this and that, wishing to buy gears after gears, swapping, always nervous, almost feverish…  how to better call this if not Kamadhatu?

Then, learning to better buying and listening, honing my musical tastes… isn’t it the path of Rupadhatu?

The random pleasures from my several blissful experiences while listening to music, both at concerts or in my studio, feeling blessed and with tears of joy pouring, sometimes… aren’t these a Nirvana, the pure joy of Arupyadhatu?

… and now, getting older, hopefully wiser and - really and proudly, yet humbly - being emantipated from wishes of new audio gears or more and more discs, quietly enjoying my Gotorama and ancillaries… isn’t this the emptiness of a high mountain lake whose waters stand still?

… where a small, slightly higher one-of-a-kind peak is only more perfect than other peaks around… a very personal Kailash of mine, maybe?

I feel blessed… did I reach my goal, as I walked the path?

Feel so...

The void of wishes (not to be confused with being tired of something), the pure enjoyment and pleasure when listening to music is the humble, personal gift I got after walking the path, the Holy Path of Music.

… only Naked Music, its beauty and Truest Holiness, remain.

My Satori - not kidding, pals - continues to impress me, as the Ancients knew it all from eons and eons ago: the Zohar talks about “Histapkuth Hanefesh” – i.e. the language of ineffable… and about music and musicians being “the instrument of God”.

So what?

‘nuff said!


Thanking נחמן מברסלב