China: Soothing Buddhist Music Said to Boost Rice Crop

[icy]

It is reported by BBC that Chinese farmers claim soothing music makes rice fields green and has higher yield.  What is the logic to this?



Farmers in a village in East China's Fujian Province have claimed that Buddhist music playing in the fields has helped them to increase their rice production.

Output in Liangshan village went up by 15% after residents installed 500 lotus-shaped speakers in the rice paddies to engulf the crops in a wave of soothing mantras, the Global Times newspaper reports. Local authorities say the musical rice fields also yielded larger grains, while the silent paddies with no music suffered from pests.

There's no scientific consensus on the effect music has on plants, but researchers at the China Agricultural University have backed the experiment, saying certain sound waves - such as those found in the rhythmic chanting of mantras - can stimulate the pores on a plant's leaves to help absorb more sunlight. "Only positive music aids growth, while rock music would probably harm it," a local agriculture officer says.

Not everyone agrees with this assertion. Last year, Chris Beardshaw, one of Britain's leading gardeners, announced that playing a constant diet of heavy metal helps flowers to bloom. He said an experiment he conducted showed that a continuous playlist of Black Sabbath songs worked wonders on a greenhouse full of plants.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-29145652

[Blueupali]

I think the logic is that the Buddha wants Buddhism to flourish again in China, so he emanated as rice crops in fields where his mantras were chanted--- 15 percent more than before, so that people would notice that mantras are helpful.
  I think the logic is to give faith, like when the 16th Karmapa made it rain, when his body stayed warm 3 days, after he showed passing in an American hospital in Chicago--- can you imagine-- how people raised here where we didn't know much about meditation or Buddhism, witness this?
  So, I think the Buddha is emanating as the extra crop so that people will keep playing mantras, which blesses the insects in the fields and all living beings.
 

[Kim Hyun Jae]

Buddhist mantras can be used to control, pacify or increase. My guess here is Buddhist mantras can increase growth in learning as well as in plants or the atmosphere. Mantras emits positive energy so its quite logical that these positive energy had positive effects on plants too.

[kris]

to be honest, this is not the first time I hear about this kind of theory. If you do a google search on "water crystal sound effects", you can see that quite a few people has done experiment of sound effects on water. One of the most mentioned name is Dr. Masaru Emoto (http://www.highexistence.com/water-experiment/).

From the above scientific methodology, it shows that water will react to different kind of sound. From Buddhism point of view, mantras are Buddha in sound form, and Buddha's only function is to bring benefit to others.

So, from both scientific and spiritual point of view, playing Buddhist music and mantras can have positive effects of rice crop. I am totally not surprised it yield better crops

[bambi]

I have heard of such experiments, whereby the plants grow because of the soothing sound or music. In this case, the soothing Buddhist music would be perfect. Not only that we bless the rice crop for many to consume, they are also helping the crops grow healthy and fast. Superb!

"A book in 1973 by Dorothy Retallack explored the effects of music on her growing plants. In her first experiment, she found that playing music for several hours during the day greatly affects plant growth. She compared three plants: one had music playing constantly, another had music playing for a couple of hours only, and one with no music at all. The plants that had music playing for a couple of hours a day grew the fastest. She did not stop there, she continued experimenting with different kinds of music and found that melodic tunes that are easy on the ears and relaxing are the ones that plants like the most. Aside from them growing at a faster rate, they tend to lean towards the speakers which play the music.

Perhaps what helps the plants grow are the sound waves which the speakers emit. These sound waves release vibrations which may be good for plants aside from water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide."

[Tenzin Malgyur]

This is the first time I heard of the experiment of Buddhist music to boost the rice crop, though I have read of it being utilized to calm animals and birds held in captivity. I reckon the explanation to the increase in crop production is due to the balance and harmony of all the nutrients in the soil and atmosphere, but most of all would be the ability of the plants to absorb the substance that it needed to grow healthily. Solid evidence that Buddhist mantras do contain positive energy and vibration. It is definitely a better alternative to the usage of chemical fertilizers and growth hormones.

[Q]

It's not a unique study. I think it have been many years since scientists have proved music aids the growth of crops/plants. Judging from the fact that it is most often applied to soothing music, it is not strange that mantras or Buddhist chants/music will have the same effect on the crops.

And before we start a whole discussion about eating vegetables is also considered killing, lets put it this way, plants do not have a central nervous system or consciousness, which thus make it not a sentient being. So yes, you may kill insects along the way as vegetarians, but harvesting the plants itself does not mean killing.

[yontenjamyang]

The really of dependent arising and of interconnectivity, any positive motivation results in positive effect. I think the rice field is not sentient, not discounting the rice field itself; it is more likely that the positive motivation of playing soothing buddhist music cause something powerful to manifest. In worldly motivation techniques, it is call the power of positive thinking. Positive begets positive and non is more positive than the Dharma; in this case Buddhist music.
It is also encouraging to see the rise of Buddhism practice in China because as the fastest arising country in the world and the future world No.1 country, to have Buddhism to guide its growth is wonderful. We do not want another USA (sorry to say that). Look at all the conflicts of the world now and you will understand what I mean. They has never been a Buddhist war in the history of mankind and there will never be any. Lets hope China embraces Buddhism like during the Tang Dynasty; reputed to be the zenith of Chinese culture, prosperity and spirituality.

[Klein]

According to this article rhythmic sounds seem to promote better growth in plants.

" The very sound of chanting helps to heal our bodies and minds. Parents have been singing lullabies to their children through the centuries. We all know that when we feel tired, it helps to listen to some soothing music. Scientists have taken this a step further through the study of plants. If you take a greenhouse full of plants, and play the music of Bach or Handel, which is very regular and rhythmical classical music, the plants flourish. But if you play discordant, disorganized, erratic music or sounds, the plants respond - by failing to grow. Plants fail to thrive in an atmosphere of disorganized sound. Discordant sound makes us nervous, and harmonious sound, such as chanting, heals us. Chanting is one of the most healing sounds in the world."

Click here to read more.

http://www.manitobabuddhistchurch.org/traditions/chanting.html]  [url]http://www.manitobabuddhistchurch.org/traditions/chanting.html[/url]

[maricisun]

Music like singing mantras which is both soothing and pleasant. Chanting mantras is invoking the Buddha's speech which in turn bless the surrounding.
Therefore soothing Buddhist music can actually boost rice crops. Even though no scientific proofs have been research for this but as along as the plant gown and flourish means that soothing music does help. Music and chanting is the most soothing and pleasant sound in the world.

[MoMo]

Since China adopted communism idea, religious belief had been nearly been wiped out from this land and most of its citizens had turned into atheist . It’s a good sign to see that Buddhism had started to sprout and flourish in this land once again. Not too sure if the crop can feel or listen to mantra or music being played to them. But I’m mighty sure that it will affect the peasants that toil the land. When they are at ease, they will tend to works a lot harder tending to their crops to minute detail. Hence the extra yield!

[angelica]

Happy to hear that the Buddhist music has boost rice crop. Hope that more people will use this method to boost their crop rather than using chemical fertilizer. We will have real organic and blessed food to eat. May the Buddhist music blessed the crop, the farmers and family and the environment too. If this method is use widely, Buddhism can flourish in China and other corner of the world.

[fruven]

I would say that the Buddha's mantra like Buddha's statue blesses the environment and created good conditions for the paddy rices to grow abundantly. Whether one is believer or non-believer if the rice yield increases one cannot the deny the result. I don't think it is logical or illogical but whether it benefits, that is the main purpose of Buddha's body, speech and mind when we pray to the enlightened beings.