Save all beings. Every last one.
Born from eggs, born from wombs, born from moisture.
Those with form and those without.
Every creature, every soul—leave none out.

Cause them all to enter freedom.

...But here's the thing:

After saving all those beings?
*Not a single one was saved.*

Wait—what?

That's the paradox at the heart of the Bodhisattva path. You do everything, give everything, pour yourself out completely—but you can't claim it. Can't hold onto "I helped them." Can't believe you're somebody special.

Because if you think you're the savior, you missed the whole point.

There's no you. There's no them. No liberation as a thing.
Just the doing. Just the loving. Just the freedom that you bring.

🙏 Part of the **Diamond Sutra Reborn** project—testimony set to music.

[Verse 1]
The Buddha says, listen close now
I'm gonna tell you how to live

Save all beings
Every last one
Born from eggs, born from wombs
Born from moisture, born from sun

Those with form and those without
Those who think and those who don't
Every creature, every soul
Every being, leave none out

Cause them all to enter freedom
Set them all completely free

[Verse 2]
But here's the thing you got to know
Here's the truth that sets you free

After saving all those beings
Not a single one was saved
After all that liberation
Not a soul was truly freed

[Chorus]
Cause if you think you're the savior
If you think you're doing good
If you hold the notion I helped them
You ain't understood

There's no you
There's no them
No liberation as a thing
Just the doing
Just the loving
Just the freedom that you bring

[Bridge]
You got to do everything
Give everything
Pour yourself out completely

But you can't claim nothing
Can't hold nothing
Can't believe you're somebody special

That's the paradox
That's the path
That's the blues of the Bodhisattva

[Outro]
Doing everything
Claiming nothing
Saving all
Knowing none are saved

That's how you walk
That's how you serve
That's how you live
In the freedom you already have

#BodhisattvaVow #BluesMusic #DiamondSutra #SpiritualMusic #SelflessService #EgoDeath #Paradox #Compassion #SoulBlues #GospelBlues #TheWilliamAltigChoir #AncientWisdom #DoEverythingClaimNothing #MusicWithMeaning #Testimony #Freedom

The Bodhisattva Vow

Can You Sleep At Night
The William Altig Choir

🎵 Midnight Confession

When the lights go down and you're alone—what do you see?

The Buddha said the wicked lament here AND after. Why? Because when they look at their own deeds, they see the stain. That stain doesn't wash out. It follows them. 3 AM, wide awake, waiting for a dawn that doesn't bring peace.

But the righteous? They rejoice in both worlds. Not because they're rewarded—because when they look at their life, they see no stain. They close their eyes in peace. They sleep at night.

This isn't about heaven and hell. This is about the mirror you can't look away from.

Can you sleep at night?

🙏 Part of The Blues Dhammapada series—testimony set to music.

[Verse 1]
I've seen men with everything, the house, the car, the name
But they couldn't meet their own eyes in the mirror every day
Money in the bank but their soul account was overdrawn
Lying wide awake at 3 AM, waiting for the dawn

[Chorus]
Can you sleep at night
When the lights go down and you're alone
Can you sleep at night
With the seeds you've sown
'Cause the things you do follow you through
Every breath you take, they're watching too
Can you sleep at night
Tell me, can you sleep at night

[Verse 2]
I've seen folks with nothing but the shirt upon their back
Living in a way that don't leave nothing to regret
They look at how they've lived and there ain't no stain to see
Close their eyes in peace, that's how I want to be

[Chorus]
Can you sleep at night
When the lights go down and you're alone
Can you sleep at night
With the seeds you've sown
'Cause the things you do follow you through
Every breath you take, they're watching too
Can you sleep at night
Tell me, can you sleep at night

[Bridge]
Some folks lamenting here, gonna lament on the other side
Every dirty deed they did, can't run, can't hide
But the righteous ones rejoicing, both now and when they're gone
Looking at their life like a clear and honest song

[Verse 3]
Now I'm cleaning up my act, putting right what I did wrong
Trying to live a life that I can look back on
When I meet my maker or just close my eyes for sleep
I want nothing on my conscience, nothing buried deep

[Final Chorus]
I can sleep at night
When the lights go down and I'm alone
I can sleep at night
Reaping what I've sown
'Cause I'm living clean, nothing in between
Me and my reflection, if you know what I mean
I can sleep at night
Yeah, I can finally sleep at night

[Outro]
You know, this ain't about scaring nobody with hellfire.
It's just the truth.
You're gonna have to look at yourself.
Here. Now. At the end.
So the question isn't what you can get away with.
The question is, What can you live with?
What can you die with?
Can you sleep at night?


Can You Sleep At Night

The Fire Don't Quit
The William Altig Choir

🔥 Karma Compounds

Here's the truth: whatever fire you're building, it's gonna grow.

Do evil, and you burn now—"I did that terrible thing." That thought alone scorches you. Then when the consequences roll in? You burn even more. The fire don't quit.

Do good, and you rejoice now—"I helped, I told the truth." That thought lifts you up. And when the blessings come back around? You rejoice even more. The joy don't quit.

This isn't about heaven and hell up in the sky. This is about the fire you're building right now, today, in your own heart. Your consequences compound. Your seeds grow.

So the question isn't whether there's gonna be a fire. The question is: what kind of fire are you building?

🔥 Make sure it's the right one.

🙏 Part of The Blues Dhammapada series—testimony set to music.

[Verse 1]
I knew a man who burned from the inside out
Couldn't escape the things that he'd done
Every quiet moment, that fire would start
"I did that evil"—and the burning had begun

He tried to run, tried to hide, tried to drink it away
But the flames just followed him down
And when the consequences finally came around
That fire burned him to the ground

[Chorus]
The fire don't quit, no it just gets higher
What you plant today, tomorrow grows the fire
You can't outrun the heat of what you've done
The fire don't quit until you're overcome
But flip that script and plant the good
Watch the joy grow like it should
What you give out comes back twice
The fire don't quit—make sure it's the right fire

[Verse 2]
I knew a woman who glowed from the inside out
Everything she touched turned to gold
Not 'cause of luck or magic or some cosmic deal
But 'cause her hands were clean and her heart was whole

She'd think about the good she'd done and smile
"I helped that stranger, I told the truth"
And when the blessings came back around to her
She had joy piled high to the roof

[Chorus]
The fire don't quit, no it just gets higher
What you plant today, tomorrow grows the fire
You can't outrun the heat of what you've done
The fire don't quit until you're overcome
But flip that script and plant the good
Watch the joy grow like it should
What you give out comes back twice
The fire don't quit—make sure it's the right fire

[Bridge]
Karma ain't punishment from the sky
It's the law of the harvest, the truth that don't lie
Burn now, burn later, burn even more
Or rejoice now, rejoice later, joy through every door
The seeds you're planting today
Are gonna grow either way
So choose what you're growing
'Cause the fire keeps on flowing

[Verse 3]
So I'm checking my hands before I move
Checking my heart before I speak
'Cause I know that whatever fire I'm starting
Is the fire I'm gonna feel

If burning's what's coming, I'll change my ways
If joy's what I'm after, I know the path
Plant good seeds, think good thoughts
And let that joy compound and last

[Final Chorus]
The fire don't quit, but I'm choosing my flame
What I plant today won't bring me shame
I can't outrun the seeds I've sown
But I can choose what fire I've grown
So I flip that script and plant the good
Watch the blessing grow like it should
What I give out comes back with love
The fire I'm burning lights me up

[Outro - Spoken]
You see, this ain't about scaring nobody.
It's just the truth—how it works.
Your actions compound.
Your consequences grow.
The question isn't whether there's gonna be a fire—
The question is: what kind of fire are you building?
A fire that burns you down?
Or a fire that lights your way?
The fire don't quit.
Make sure it's the right one.

The Fire Don’t Quit

I chased every pleasure, drank the bottle dry. Then I swung the other way, starved myself to bone. Both roads led to nowhere.

The Buddha's First Sermon—the teaching that started everything—distilled into Blues.

After years of extremes, Siddhartha found the Middle Way: not too tight, not too loose. The path between the ditches. The road that leads to awakening.

This song contains:
• The Two Extremes (pleasure vs. self-denial)
• The Noble Eightfold Path (see right, think straight, speak kind...)
• The Four Noble Truths (compressed into the bridge)
• The moment Kondañña "got it" at the Deer Park

Walk the middle road, child. That's where you find the truth.

📿 Based on the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11)
🎵 Part of the Dharma Reborn project

#BuddhistBlues #MiddleWay #FourNobleTruths #TheWilliamAltigChoir #SpiritualMusic #BluesMusic #DharmaReborn

[Verse 1]
I chased every pleasure, drank the bottle dry
Thought if I felt good enough the pain would finally die
Then I swung the other way, starved myself to bone
Whipped my body, cursed my flesh, sat on nails alone

[Pre-Chorus]
Both roads led to nowhere, both fires burned me down
I was lost in the extremes til I heard a different sound

[Chorus]
Walk the middle road, child, not too tight, not too loose
Walk the middle road, that's where you find the truth
Don't drown in your pleasures, don't beat yourself to death
Walk the middle road and catch your breath

[Verse 2]
See right, think straight, speak kind, act clean
Work honest, try hard, pay attention to the scene
Train your mind to settle, let it rest in one good place
Eight steps on the highway, eight gates to grace

[Chorus]
Walk the middle road, child, not too tight, not too loose
Walk the middle road, that's where you find the truth
Don't drown in your pleasures, don't beat yourself to death
Walk the middle road and catch your breath

[Bridge]
The Blues is real, birth is hard, death is harder still
Getting sick, growing old, wanting what you never will
Where's it come from? That craving in your chest
That thirst that never quits, that hunger never blessed

But here's the good news, baby, the fire don't have to burn
The wheel can stop its spinning if you're willing to learn
Let the craving go and liberation comes
Walk the eight-step highway til the journey's done

[Final Chorus]
Walk the middle road, child, not too tight, not too loose
Walk the middle road, that's where you find the truth
Don't chase every pleasure, don't punish your own soul
Walk the middle road and you'll finally be whole

[Outro]
Five brothers sat at the Deer Park that day
One of them got it, right then, right there
And the wheel of the Dharma started turning
It's still turning, honey. It's turning for you.
Find your middle road.

The Middle Road

Stay Woke
The William Altig Choir

🔥 Heedfulness is the deathless state. Heedlessness is the state of the dead.

I see people walking around like they already gone—scrolling through their phones, but nobody's home. Eyes open, heart closed, moving but they're froze. Living on autopilot.

The Buddha opened Chapter 2 of the Dhammapada with the most radical diagnosis: the heedless are already dead even while their hearts beat. They sleepwalk through life, distracted, numb, reactive. The heedful are ALIVE—awake to each moment, present, engaged.

This isn't about meditation cushions or monasteries. This is about checking in this morning: Am I here or am I gone? Am I living or just existing, sleepwalking till the dawn?

The wise ones know the difference and they're choosing to be here. Present to the moment, even when it brings the fear. They delight in being conscious—that's what freedom's for.

Stay woke, don't die.

Heedfulness keeps you alive. The sleeping ones already died. You can breathe and have no pulse, walk around and still be ghost.

So wake up. Stay woke. Don't die while you're still breathing.

🙏 Part of The Blues Dhammapada series—ancient wisdom, modern blues.

📿 Based on Dhammapada Verses 21-22 (Appamādavagga - The Chapter on Heedfulness)


Stay Woke

Talk Is Cheap
The William Altig Choir

📿 You know every verse, every chapter, every line. But when it comes to living what you preach, your walk don't match your speech.

The Buddha closed Chapter 1 of the Dhammapada with a reality check: you can quote all the scriptures in the world, but if you're not doing the work—if you're just counting other people's cattle instead of tending your own—you're missing the point.

The heedless person who recites abundant scriptures but doesn't practice is like a cowboy counting someone else's cattle. He doesn't partake of the path.

But the person who knows even just a few teachings yet LIVES them—abandoning greed, hate, and delusion, with right understanding and a well-released mind—THAT person walks the path for real.

Talk is cheap. Practice is everything.

This isn't about monks vs. laypeople or scholars vs. practitioners. This is about you and me checking our own walk before we check our talk. Am I living free or just going through the motions? Am I letting go or holding tight? Am I free inside or just quoting what sounds right?

The path isn't what you know. It's what you've let go.

🙏 Part of The Blues Dhammapada series—ancient wisdom, modern blues.

📿 Based on Dhammapada Verses 19-20 (Yamakavagga - The Twin Verses)

[Verse 1]
You know every verse, every chapter, every line
Quote the scripture forwards, backwards, every time
But when it comes to living what you preach
Your hands are empty and your walk don't match your speech

[Chorus]
Talk is cheap, baby, where's your proof
You counting other people's cattle from the roof
Quoting wisdom but you ain't set free
Talk is cheap, show me what you BE

[Verse 2]
Maybe you don't know much, maybe just a few
But you living what you learned, walking what is true
Let go of greed, let go of hate
Let go of confusion, that's how you liberate

[Chorus]
Talk is cheap, honey, where's the change
You got all the answers but your life's the same
Quoting dharma but you still ain't free
Talk is cheap, show me what you BE

[Bridge]
The cowboy counting someone else's herd
Ain't got no cattle of his own, just words
But the one who tends what's right in front of him
That's the one who's living free within

Understanding right, mind released from chains
Not clinging here or there, breaking free from pain
That's the one who walks the path for real
Not just talking bout the dharma, living what they feel

[Verse 3]
So I'm checking my own walk before I check my talk
Am I living free or just going through the motions when I walk
Am I letting go or holding tight
Am I free inside or just quoting what sounds right

[Final Chorus]
Talk is cheap, and I know the score
It ain't about the words, it's what you're living for
Abandon greed and hate, walk in clarity
Talk is cheap, I'm gonna BE what's free

[Outro]
You can recite every teaching.
Know every verse by heart.
But if you're still clinging,
still caught in greed and hatred,
still confused,
you're just counting someone else's cattle.

The path isn't what you know.
It's what you've let go.

Talk is cheap.
Walk is everything.

Talk Is Cheap

Island in the Flood
The William Altig Choir

🌊 “The wise one should make for themselves an island that no flood can ever overwhelm.”

When the rains of samsara start falling and the muddy waters of habit and distraction begin to rise, where do you stand? Most people just drift, letting the current take them wherever it wants. But the Buddha teaches us that through energy and heedfulness, we can build something unshakeable.

"Island in the Flood" is a slow-burn blues testimony about finding that high ground. It’s not a place on a map—it’s the solid foundation of your own awareness.

🙏 Based on Dhammapada Verses 23-25 (Appamādavagga)
🎸 Part of The Blues Dhammapada series

Island in the Flood

[Verse 1]
The rain’s been falling since before I was born
And the muddy water’s rising, blowing like a horn
Most folks are just drifting, let the current take the wheel
But the wise ones are working, cause they know what’s real.

[Chorus]
I’m building an island in the middle of the flood
Build it with my spirit, build it with my blood
High ground, baby, that’s the only way to be
Where the rising water can’t get a hold of me.

[Verse 2]
You want that respect? You want that name to last?
Then you gotta work steady, and you gotta work fast
Stay mindful of your business, stay pure in your heart
That’s how you get that glory—that’s where you gotta start.

[Verse 3]
Don’t tell me 'bout the storm, I heard it all before
The wind is at the window, the water’s at the door
But through energy and effort, and keeping my mind tight
I’m making me an island that’ll stand up through the night.

[Final Chorus]
Yeah, I’m building an island in the middle of the flood
Build it with my spirit, build it with my blood
High ground, baby, that’s the only way to be
Where the rising water can’t get a hold of me.

[Outro]
Build it high.
Build it strong.
Don't let the flood take your song.
Rising water... it's coming for us all.
You better find your island before the shadows fall.

Island in the Flood

No Marks  
The William Altig Choir

🌊 "See all characteristics as not-characteristics—that's when the Buddha appears everywhere."

The Diamond Sutra asks: Can you measure infinite space? Can you put a fence around the Eastern sky?

That's what true generosity is like—boundless, immeasurable, free. When the giver dissolves, when the gift dissolves, when the receiver dissolves, that's when you know you're free.

And you can't find the Buddha by looking at his golden skin or checking off the thirty-two marks. The real Buddha has no features. The true nature has no marks. It's in the seeing, not the seen. It's in the light, not the dark.

Pour it out. Let it flow. Stop looking for God in all the special signs. He was never not here.

🙏 Based on Diamond Sutra Chapters 4-5  
🎸 Part of The Diamond Sutra Reborn series

"No Marks"

 [Verse 1 - The Question]
The Buddha asks
Subhūti, can you measure the space?
Can you count the East sky?
Can you find where it ends
Put a fence around the infinite?

No, says Subhūti
His voice quiet but sure
Space is boundless
It has no measure
It just is

 [Verse 2 - The Teaching]
That's right, says the Buddha
And his smile is like sunshine
And the merit of giving without clinging?
It's just like that
Boundless, immeasurable, free

It just spreads
Like light through all directions
Like water finding its level
Like love that doesn't ask back
Like rain that don't care whose field it's falling on

 [Chorus 1 - Pour It Out]
Pour it out, let it flow
Don't hold back, let it go
Don't claim the credit, don't claim the prize
Don't look for thanks in another's eyes

Just give like the rain falls on the ground
Making life grow without a sound
Give like the sun shines on the earth
Giving light to everything of worth

 [Bridge 1]
Pour it out
Your love, your time, your self
Let it merge with the ocean
Let it disappear into the vastness

When the giver dissolves
When the gift dissolves
When the receiver dissolves
That's when you know you're free

 [Verse 3 - Looking for Buddha]
You looking for the Buddha
In the golden skin?
You searching for the truth
In the marks upon his form?

You checking off the features
Counting up the signs
Looking for the special
Looking for the divine?

 [Verse 4 - Wrong Place]
But the Buddha says, Listen
You looking in the wrong place
Whatever has a characteristic
Whatever has a face
Whatever you can point to
Whatever you can name
That ain't the truth, brother
That's just the illusion's game

 [Chorus 2 - Can't See the Buddha]
Can't see the Buddha in the body
Can't find truth in the form
Can't grab hold of the formless
Can't contain what can't be born

The real Buddha got no features
The true nature got no marks
It's in the seeing, not the seen
It's in the light, not in the dark

 [Bridge 2]
You want to see the Tathāgata?
Stop looking at the man
You want to know the truth?
Let go of every plan

The Buddha you're searching for
Ain't in the special signs
He's in the emptiness itself
In the space between the lines

 [Outro]
See all characteristics
As not characteristics
That's when you see clear
That's when the Buddha
Appears everywhere
Cause he was never not here

No Marks

Guard Your Treasure
The William Altig Choir

💎 *"The wise one guards heedfulness like supreme treasure."*

Fools out here practicing distraction like it's a religion—scrolling, chasing, numbing. Giving away their gold for pennies on the parade. Meanwhile, the wise guard their attention like it's the only thing worth protecting.

Because it is.

2,500 years ago, the Buddha saw exactly what we're living today: an economy designed to steal your presence. Every notification, every infinite scroll, every algorithmic hook is a thief at the door.

"Guard Your Treasure" is Memphis soul-blues meets gospel—warm, urgent, protective. It's the teaching you need when your attention is being robbed and you're wondering why you feel empty.

What are you practicing today? What are you guarding? Or what are you giving away?

🙏 Part of The Blues Dhammapada series
📿 Based on Dhammapada Verses 26-27 (Appamādavagga - The Chapter on Heedfulness)

Lyrics: 
[Verse 1]
Fools out here practicing distraction like a trade
Giving all their gold away for pennies on the parade
They scroll and chase and numb out 'fore the sun goes down
Wonder why they're empty when they finally turn around

[Chorus]
Guard your treasure, guard your treasure
What you got inside's the only thing that's real
Guard your treasure, guard your treasure
Your attention is the only thing to steal
The wise don't let the thieves walk through the door
Guard your treasure, that's what living's for

[Verse 2]
Don't be friends with fleeting pleasures, don't let them stay the night
They'll take everything you got and leave before the light
The hit is quick, the crash is long, the emptiness remains
But walking through the world awake, that happiness sustains

[Chorus]
Guard your treasure, guard your treasure
What you got inside's the only thing that's real
Guard your treasure, guard your treasure
Your attention is the only thing to steal
The wise don't let the thieves walk through the door
Guard your treasure, that's what living's for

[Bridge]
You can't buy peace with distraction,
Can't scroll your way to free
The meditation, the attention,
That's your real currency

[Final Chorus]
So guard your treasure, guard your treasure
What you got inside's the only thing that's real
Guard your treasure, guard your treasure
Your attention is the only gold to steal
I won't let the thieves walk through my door
I guard my treasure, that's what I'm living for

[Outro]
The fools practice heedlessness like it's a religion.
The wise guard their attention like supreme wealth.
What are you practicing today?
What are you guarding?
Or what are you giving away?

Guard Your Treasure

Faith in Hard Times
The William Altig Choir

💎 "Got nothing, gave nothing, received everything."

Subhūti asks the question we all ask: When the teacher is gone, when the path is unclear, when everything says hold on—will anyone believe the teaching to let go?

The Buddha answers: Yes. Those who've been preparing across lifetimes will recognize the truth. Not with the mind, but with something deeper. Faith isn't understanding—faith is recognition.

And here's the paradox that breaks everything open: The Buddha didn't obtain enlightenment. Didn't teach any fixed dharma. Got nothing, gave nothing—received everything.

Try to grab the wind. It slips through your fingers. Try to hold the sky. It's already everywhere. That's what enlightenment is. Not a thing, but everything.

🙏 Part of the Diamond Sutra Reborn series
📿 Based on Diamond Sutra Chapters 6-7
🎸 The William Altig Choir

[Verse 1 - The Question]
Subhūti asks a question
From the depths of his heart
When you're gone, Lord
When the Dharma's fading
When people are lost
Will anyone believe this?

Cause this teaching is hard
Goes against everything we want
We want to be somebody
Want to get somewhere
Want to hold onto something

And you're saying
Let it all go

[Verse 2 - The Answer]
But the Buddha says, don't doubt
Even in the final age
Even when it's dark
There will be beings who hear
And recognize the truth

[Chorus 1 - Faith]
They've been preparing
Lifetime after lifetime
Planting good roots
Walking this path

And when they hear it
Not with the mind
But with something deeper
They'll know
They'll believe
They'll be free

[Bridge 1]
The Tathāgata knows them
Every single one
The ones who hear in darkness
The ones who believe when it's hard
The ones who let go
When everything says hold on

Faith ain't about understanding
Faith is recognition
Something in you knows
What your mind can't grasp

That's the faith that saves
That's the faith that frees

[Verse 3 - Nothing Obtained]
The Buddha asks
Did I get enlightenment?
Did I teach the Dharma?

And Subhūti says
No, Lord
There's nothing to get
Nothing to teach

Cause enlightenment ain't a thing
Can't grab it
Can't hold it
Can't put it in your pocket
And say, I got it

And the Dharma ain't words
Can't speak it
Can't write it
Can't package it up
And hand it over

[Chorus 2 - Got Nothing]
Got nothing
Gave nothing
Received everything

That's the paradox
That's the truth
That's the freedom
That was never bound

[Outro]
Try to grab the wind
It slips through your fingers
Try to hold the sky
It's already everywhere

That's what enlightenment is
That's what the Dharma is
Not a thing
But everything

Faith in Hard Times

Please like and share. 
Welcome to the musical world of The William Altig Choir, where ancient wisdom meets contemporary sound.

Inspired by the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and infused with deep spiritual themes, my music blends the rich traditions of blues and folk with modern elements, creating a unique fusion that resonates with both the heart and soul.

I've been captivated by the Lotus Sutra's messages of compassion, wisdom, and transformation since my youth. It's a journey of self-discovery that has found its voice in my music. Each song is a reflection of my own spiritual awakening and a celebration of universal truths.

My style is characterized by emotive storytelling, powerful lyrics, and a commitment to exploring the depths of human experience. Featuring contemplative blues, acoustic slide guitar, saxophone melodies, and the harmonies of a gospel choir, my music reflects a quest for enlightenment and a better understanding of the self.

Join me on this musical journey. Together, we can explore the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, finding solace, hope, and a deeper connection to the world around us.

#SpiritualMusic  #LotusSutraMusic  #ContemplativeBlues  #BuddhistGospel #AcousticSlideGuitar  #GospelChoir  #Self-Discovery  #SpiritualAwakening  #Hope  #The_William_Altig_Choir

Talk Is Cheap

The William Altig Choir

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