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Two parallel energies, one empty and the other oh so full. Has the dharma been around since the universe was created? And what about music? Are these human creations or human discoveries?

As far as I know the first dharmic religion was Hinduism, created by the Vedic people of ancient India. I don’t know how Sikhism or Jainism entered the picture, but I do know that in roughly 500BC Lord Buddha, after picking up the blessings and woes of all the rich and poor, found his own dharma, after being confronted by the demon Mara.

Is Hinduism the origin of Dharma? I do not know the answer to this question. But I do think that Hindu dharma is a truer void than Buddhist dharma. As if first everything was destroyed by Shiva, and then happiness was allowed to exist in the emptiness with Buddha.

Buddhism isn’t too popular in India anymore, but thanks to people like Ashoka the Great, an ancient ruler of India, it was spread to South-East and East Asia, where it still enjoys great popularity among modern peoples.

Music on the other hand, is different. Music is derived from the creative spirit. I do not know the origin of music. However I do know the music is very popular in spiritual circles and even a key pillar of spiritual ritual. However music is also popular outside of spiritual circles. People who have never heard of dharmic faith or who would scoff at it if they were to learn of it’s existence, greatly enjoy the various forms that music comes in.

What is more beautiful – dharmic realization or your favourite tune?

What is more painful – dharmic learning or the creative process?

What is more profound – true emptiness or the evolution of the soul of music? Even just considering the western evolution from classical to pop.

What is a greater release – letting go of all of our troubles or a soothing voice touching us melodically and lyrically?

The ancient masters of dharma are often discredited in the modern scientific age and I hate to say it, but I do have the sense that pop musicians are sometimes considered fake as compared to the great classical composers, for example.

I would like to stress that although the scientific method has not yet found a way to explain dharma that does not make it empty of meaning, though it’s meaning is empty.

I would also like to stress that any music that makes a person feel good is real. And any music that is real comes from a real artist.

I often think that ancient Rome was less profound than ancient Greece. Does that make Rome fake? Far from it and I would not say that this is a good comparison to make when considering the birth of pop.

Maybe the dharma is the cosmic emptiness from which music was born, but as an artist I prefer the explanation that dharma is the learning that even in true silence there is still music.