Listen to a stringed instrument
You are hearing an instrument – a sitar, or anything. Many notes are there. Be alert and listen to the central core, the backbone of it around which all the notes are flowing, the deepest current which holds all the notes together – that which is central, just like your backbone. The whole body is held by the backbone. Listening to the music, be alert, penetrate the music, and find the backbone of it – the central thing which goes on flowing, holding everything together. Notes come and go and disappear, but the central core flows on. Become aware of it.
Basically, originally, music was used for meditation; particularly Indian music developed as a method of meditation, Indian dancing developed as a method of meditation. For the doer it was a deep meditation, and for the audience also it was a deep meditation. A dancer or a musician can be a Technician, if there is no meditation in it, then the soul is not there, only the body. The soul comes only when the musician is a deep meditator.
And music is just the outward thing. While playing on his sitar, one is not only playing on his sitar, he is also playing on his alertness inside. The sitar goes on outwardly and his intense awareness moves inside. The music flows outwardly, but he is alert, constantly aware of the innermost core of and that gives samadhi. That becomes ecstasy. That becomes the highest peak. But what are you doing when you listen to music? You are not meditating. On the contrary, you are using music as something like alcohol. You are using it to be relaxed, you are using it for self-forgetfulness. These techniques developed for awareness were used for sleep,hence kept secret and given only who were ready to shake their sleep.
This sutra says: while listening to stringed instruments, hear their composite central sound, thus omnipresence. And then you will know what is to be known, or what is worth knowing. You will become omnipresent with the music, finding the composite central core, you will become awake, and with that awakening you will be everywhere. Right now, you are somewhere – a point which we call the ego. If you can become awake, this point will disappear. You will not be anywhere then, you will be EVERYWHERE – as if you have become the all. You will have become the ocean, you will have become the infinite. The finiteness is with the mind. The infiniteness enters with meditation.