For many the mind is a cacophony of noise
For others the mind is a complicated symphony
For few the mind it is a strummed guitar
For the enlightened, the mind is a hollow bamboo flute
In the cacophony the outside world is playing the instruments off-key with great discord and confusion. There is no direction and no guidance. There is no rhythm to life. This is the world of fear, lack of self-control, and enslavement. The mind and body are not at peace and the heart suffers greatly.
With the symphony, the outside world still conducts the music, but one may have moments when he or she is the soloist, or at least has the illusion of such. One may fit comfortably into society but is still a slave to the economy, debt, governments, and other forms of rulership. It is a tolerable enslavement and one may not even be aware that he or she is not free.
With the strummed guitar the seeker learns to play his own song away from the crowd. He is becoming an individual, discovering what beauty he has hidden within. The music is in harmony with himself and nature but there is still a longing to create a great masterpiece. There is still separation: the guitar and the player are not yet one.
With the hollow bamboo flute, one enters into mastership and life itself becomes the greatest masterpiece. The Master surrenders the illusions of mind and ego and becomes the flute, allowing the universe to play its song through him. This liberation from mind and ego is the ultimate freedom.
Empty yourself of you, your will, your ego, your mind. Be like a hollow bamboo flute. Be the divine music of God. Let the universe dance inside you until you are no longer the dancer and you become the dance itself. When the dancer fully surrenders to the dance, when the musician becomes the music, a strange phenomena occurs: ecstasy.
– Sevaji