Sema or Sama ceremony is a Sufi ceremony that is worship and performs by Mevlevi. In Mevlevi tradition, music gives a dancing power to the learners, by spinning their physical body that moves and turns slowly and gracefully, this dancing style is called “Whirling Dervishes”. They believe that the dance movements; their upside right palm receive the God blessings and left palm turn downward to transmit that power into the earth (to people). Also, music plays an important role in building a community, practice tradition and continue its rituals. Just like in Mevlevi tradition, rituals like Sema ceremony wouldn’t have been continued without its music, musical instruments and dances since 1273. The Sema ceremony uses musical instruments like drum, flute, and cymbal. Whereas drumbeats represent the sound of creation. Likewise, music gives power to the performers to achieve spiritual union to the god. Sufi music seeks the way/path to communicate God by concentrating the mind. Other than Mevlevi, I choose Buddhist chant which in other words called musical verse. Buddhists perform chanting in form of meditation for spiritual enlightenment by reading the sacred script to memorize Buddhist text. From my own experience in Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal I saw and listened to monk chants a lot of times. Buddhist monks read the written script while chanting. It produces very quiet and calm chanting music, which is so fascinating, that gives us peace in our mind. I have experienced listening to those chants live, which makes me feel like I am an indifferent place than this earth if I close my eyes and listen to the chants carefully through my mind.

           While comparing the Sema ceremony with the Buddhist chants, they both follow the scriptural ancient text. Sema ceremony scripted to the Quran while Buddhist chants read the sacred written script. To experience a direct spiritual union, a Sufi order uses a variety of techniques to achieve meditation and contemplation. Also, the importance of Sufism for spiritual education and impressing an idea of morally trust in God and faith in God’s love. The same thought follows by the Buddhist chant, in which they mediate through teaching which brings sacred to mind and spiritual insight. Similarly, the performers on both ceremonies give their own vocal chants as music. Together their music follows an unmetered rhythm and open form. Likewise, both use the musical instrument; drum as a part of their ceremonial music. Both kinds of music follow the spiritual meaning, so their behavior is focused on creating calm, quiet and serious music rather than celebrating or exciting loud music. However, the major difference between them is the Sema ceremony is performed by dancing but in Buddhist chant, the monk doesn’t seem dancing while chanting.