The Origin and usage of Music in Hanoi's Buddhist Rites

Abstract

When the Buddha was alive, he told his disciples that they should not listen to secular music to avoid the distraction of self-cultivation. However, after the Buddha entered Nirvana, and particularly with the appearance of Mahayana and Tantrism, music became one of the important tools of propagating Buddhism and teaching sentient beings (Sattva), as well as being a central element in the religious culture of Buddhism. This article is a short sketch of our larger research project into Buddhism's conception of music and the use of music; the appearance of Buddhist ritual music in Vietnam, and the stability of the Vietnamese Buddhist music in Buddhist ceremonies in Hanoi.