The Universal Language of Music

According to the John Hopkins Medicine website, “There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.” Studies have shown that when we play or listen to music, our whole brain lights up with activity in brain scans.

Despite cultural differences, studies have shown that people of different ethnic backgrounds tend to respond similarly to music that is considered happy, sad, scary, tender, aggressive, or groovy. This suggests that music or sound vibrations are a universal language that we all innately speak and understand.

Music and math skills also have a significant correlation, with evidence suggesting that integrating music into math education can enhance mathematical performance and reduce anxiety around arithmetic. A study conducted on young Italians highlights a stronger correlation between working memory and divergent thinking in individuals who have undergone formal musical education.

Sound healing or sound baths are a modality that has been practiced since ancient times for healing, relaxation, and self-care. It operates on the principle that our bodies and the universe operate at specific frequencies, and through the use of sound we can realign our frequency or bring it back into balance via the use of instruments by listening and ‘bathing’ in sound vibration. It involves lying down in a comfortable setting and listening to the soundscapes made by various instruments, such as singing bowls, bongs, chimes, triangles, and even the didgeridoo.

Our Most Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) graciously shared with us the profound origins of musical instruments and their connection to the Divine teachings of Heaven.

“Originally, there were no such instruments in this world. After the people who practiced well went to Heaven, they listened to the harp and the flute, and all that – the direct Teaching from God which is so melodious – then they came back here, and they tried to make the instruments, which became the musical instruments of our time. That’s why sometimes, when you see the pictures of the old times, there were angels, and then harps on both sides. That represents the Teaching of Heaven. […]

For the purpose of teaching people, the Masters of old times, They made all kinds of instruments. And then now, even if we hear just some of the outer instruments, our souls also feel very comforted.”