The Dialogue between Heart and Soul - Listening to the Concert of Mantra and Guqin
　

Su Yang

I was still oblivious when the concert was over. I stood up following the rest of the audience and clapping my hands really hard, all the while still thinking to myself, why is everyone standing up and clapping, is the concert over yet? Shouldn’t be, the two hours could not be up already.

However, the concert was really over just like that. Mr. Cheng Gongliang and Choying Drolma stood up and took their bows. Some went up to present bouquets of flowers, and others went up to present khada. They bowed to say goodbye. The audience didn’t want to leave for a long time, and just applauded repeatedly. Everyone’s face was illuminated in a bright glow after being purified by religion and music. Mr. Cheng and Choying Drolma appeared on stage again and gave an encore. It’s still the improvisation of guqin and voice. Beautiful to the extreme, entirely unimaginable if not heard in person. It was so simple and pure. I know we always say good music is like the sound of heaven and totally overused this expression. But this music, what is it then, if not the sound of heaven?

I had been to Mr. Cheng’s concert before and each time left quietly so as not to disturb him. However, this time I thought I must go and tell him, go and tell him at once: this is really superb! So I did it. Mr. Cheng, still in his blue long gown, was as usual surrounded by fans backstage. He looked so happy, the first time I saw him so since I met him. He took down his glasses and said to me: you see, you see, it’s non prescription glass. He just had cataract surgery recently and had recovered very well.

“Now I can do many things again.” This is what Mr. Cheng told me after his first surgery. These things included this concert he and Choying Drolma collaborated to give in the evening of September 26th – “Heart and Soul – Mantra and Guqin Concert”. I had always firmly believed this would be a very good, very beautiful, and very special concert. But I had never imagined it would be this beautiful, really. Peaceful happiness. Ani. Artist. Audience. All three parties elevated, the concert hall named after a single person had been turned into a place of worship: a “Padmakara” graduated bloomed in “Water”, after “Melody of Contemplation”, came the deep sound of Great “Compassion Mantra Verses”- the compassionate, purified, and continuous voice could be Siddhārtha “preaching mantras of Buddhist incantations”, could also be the internal echo of the big universe and the small universe. “The person who heard this voice would naturally be inspired to praise Buddha, Dharma and Sangha through mantra chanting.” Such a concert, was just like what the organizers claimed: all those thoughts of desires will be in vain.

I heard about this concert shortly after its idea started to form. I almost shouted out when Mr. Cheng mentioned the name “Choying Drolma” over the phone. Ah, how is this possible? Choying Drolma! So incredible. On October 18, 2010 (I remembered the date), when I heard the mantras by Choying Drolma on the Internet by chance, I was first touched by her smile, then deeply moved by her voice. I lowered my head, worshipped and paid my utmost respect to her amid the music. This voice from heaven was heard by me, an ordinary person, out of the blue.

Soon Mr. Cheng asked a friend to get all of the 11 CDs by Choying Drolma. For the next half a year, the main topic between Mr. Cheng and us was Choying Drolma. He talked about Choying Drolma on the phone, talked about Choying Drolma in e-mail. Later he came to Shanghai for cataract surgery. I went to visit him at the hospital, the hotel and also had him stay with me for a few days after he came out of the hospital the first time. No matter where he was, however, Mr. Cheng always carried with him his portable speakers, playing Choying Drolma’s music. So we talked about Choying Drolma while listening to Choying Drolma’s music……Mr. Cheng was totally obsessed by Choying Drolma’s music! I believed this must be one of the main reasons why the concert was so successful.

The climax of the concert, of course belonged to the improvisation of Guqin and voice. It was not a simple ensemble, but the blending of multiple voices. The voices of human being, Guqin, Xiao, and a drum. No need for any more background music, everything was exactly right (the sound of drum and Xiao were also perfect). It’s about individuals, as well as harmonious unity. I had repeatedly listened to Mr. Cheng’s improvisation music numerous times in the CDs of “China Dream” and “Confluence”. I was affected deeply each time I listened to it. The kind of music floating naturally from the strings of Guqin has a strange power that can touch people’s heart. However, when you listened to it live, that power almost became stronger. The music notes emerged from Mr. Cheng’s fingertips, surrounding listeners from all directions. Close your eyes, close your eyes, open up your sense of hearing to the maximum. However, one couldn’t help but opening one’s eyes, and saw the dancing fingers of Mr. Cheng, in the middle of capturing every musical sound sung by Choying Drolma. All those people who believe the existence of souls believe there are patron saints everywhere, in the water, sky, and cloud, on top of mountains and trees……some music loving patron saints would often appear in concert halls where great music is being played. Indians call this kind of patron saint “Gandharva”. The presence of Gandharva would help the inspiration of composers and performers alike – the perfect collaboration between Choying Drolma and Mr. Cheng made me feel there must be more than one “Gandharva” patron saints present there at that moment.

After waving goodbye to Mr. Cheng and Hongyu at the crossroad and leaving the music conservatory, I turned into a dark pedestrian pathway. Music followed me, seeing my solitude, to keep me company. There was music in the faint light ahead. There was music in the sound of my footsteps. There was music in the fragrance of sweet osmanthus brushing my face.

I savored it for a long time, sighed for a long time: it’s very unlikely I will ever have a chance to hear this kind of music live again, during this lifetime.