Friday, April 8, 2011

Music that soothes the heart and mind



A friend posted this video on his facebook.  This piece of music actually is used as background music for the qigong that I practise most mornings.  I wanted to know the meaning of the Chinese lyrics for a long time.  And now I got it.

The original lyrics in Chinese are as below:

月落乌啼霜满天
江枫渔火对愁眠
姑苏城外寒山寺
夜半钟声到客船

All in, only 28 characters; 7 characters on each line.  But the moral message is so precise.  I Googled "translate" but the meaning was not the same as that given by the youtube administrator. 

Here is the English transalation given by the youtube Admin:

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him.
If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?

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This closely resembles the first "Twin Verses" of the Buddhist Dhammapada, which I quote:

1. All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.

2. All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

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Those interested in the qigong I referred to, can     CLICK HERE: 

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