Our last video that asked if music played on instruments had to be classified as coming from the “nafsu” kicked up a lot of comments. (A lot for THIS blog.) SICA-USA’s fearless leader found these definitions:
Afterward he was drawn in by a dark force and channeled that into his cello:
Ravel’s “Piece en Forme de Habanera” played by Hamilton Cheifetz and Julia Lee during the Inside Chamber Music class on April 8, 2019. The classes are produced by Friends of Chamber Music every spring at Portland State University. Posted with gratitude for the beautiful playing of Julia Lee and the excellent video by Tom Emerson.
From watching this video, do you get:
A) an Appetite
B) Gusto
C) Lust
D) Passion, or
E) Zest
Comments are open. Try to comment from your inner.
Do we not get to see the comments of others? What a great way to track the strength of various kinds of nafsu! I’m so uptight that combining Hamilton’s beautiful music with a fun game makes me uncomfortable, but the fun wins (i.e., GUSTO).
You should be able to see comments once approved…
Congratulations to Hamilton on a beautiful performance.
With all due respect, I don’t relate to this question. The word nafsu has, I believe, been interpreted by Subud members in the west as something bad, which is not consistent to my understanding.
So, I will reframe the whole thing with an answer that better suits my feeling. The composer and performer offer their human abilities in a way that creates beauty of sound and expression, a feeling and understanding for another culture. Does this come from desire to achieve mastery and create? Of course. It is the human condition and need to use the driving forces (Nafs) to make life work. Again beautiful playing, Hamilton.
I always thought the nafsu was necessary. How else to live on this mortal plane? We harness them to create beauty, truth and compassion.
I just wanted to add that I agree completely with your comment. To me the nafsu are the forces that keep us alive in these bodies we’re currently living in, and let us exhibit all of those definitions given above.
The Nafsus are the three lower earthly forces of this world and it takes the nafsus to produce great works in this world. Once “Art” is produced using the nafsus, the works of “Art” can be appreciated and raise people up to experience the three higher levels of the spiritual world. Humans live in the 4th chakra, which is between heaven and earth. Humans can channel energies/creative inspirations from heaven down into this world and raise up the worldly creation back into the spiritual worlds.
At its best, music can transport us to a beautiful realm, creating balance and expressing and evoking sublime and wonderful feelings. I hope that performances like this Ravel have touched the listeners in a profound way. The comments from the 97 music lovers who are taking these Inside Chamber Music classes have encouraged me to continue in this direction. I feel blessed to be a musician.
Just gorgeous, Hamilton and Julia! Ravel is so luscious! Mmmm… Thank you for sharing.