AIN'T DEAD YET
If you think of this album as the recording of a concert that was written and performed specifically for you, this song is the intro to that concert. Here's a bit about who's singing and why.

AIN'T DEAD YET

I play guitar, I like that best
I'm not a star, oh but I've been blessed
I sing real high, that pays the rent
Some days I wonder why, why I am this guy,
And what it all has meant?

I share these tunes
Straight from the heart
And pretty soon you'll know your part
In the refrain, or in the verse
These aren't just my songs, I'm passin' them along
Because I heard them first

So when your soul needs fixin'
And your life's a contradiction
And you're burnin' down like a cigarette
I got songs for addiction, or any old affliction
Some tunes to help you with your regret
What to remember and what to forget
Cause you ain't dead yet 

I think I'm here, for something more
It's not to steer this ship to shore
Or rescue those who'd rather leave
'Cos I'm part of this crew, I'm in this boat with you
And I've always believed

That when your soul needs fixin'
And your life's a contradiction
And you're burnin' down like a cigarette
I got songs for addiction, or any old affliction
Some tunes to help you with your regret
What to remember and what to forget
Cause you ain't dead yet 

Bridge

And maybe you're wond'rin'
If this could really help
Remember I'm singin'
For you and for myself

So when my soul needs fixin'
And my life's a contradiction
And I'm burnin’ down like a cigarette
I got songs for addiction or any old affliction
Some tunes to help me with me regret
What to remember and what to forget

So if you get that feelin'
When you hear me singin'
We're not strangers but friends that haven't met.
Well it's the same back at cha'
And I hope I'm gonna catch ya'
Hummin' along throughout my set
This is my intro to what you'll get
'Cos you ain't dead yet 
No you ain't dead yet
No you ain't dead yet
No you ain't dead yet


1 Ain't Dead Yet

The first of the four Great Bodhisattva Vows is to “save all beings,” but what exactly does this mean and how might I engage in such an impossible endeavor? In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, central abbot Tenzen David Zimmerman explores the concept of “salvation” from a Zen perspective, using as a springboard an amusing koan in which Zen master Nanquan saves his disciple Zhaozhou from falling into a well.

Save Me, Save Us: ‘Salvation’ in Zen

In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, visiting monk Yogetsu Akasaka discusses the contrasts he’s seen between Soto Zen in Japan and in the United States. Yogetsu explains the path he’s taken from touring as a beatbox musician, to preparing to one day inherit the temple that this father currently runs — with a particular focus on his interest in bringing the wisdom and teachings of Zen to the lives of everyday people. Featuring the virtues of toilet cleaning, herding 100 cats, and ending with a musical performance of the Makka Hannya Haramitta Shin Gyo, accompanied by the handpan (a metallic drum).

Zen Is Good For You!

"In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Gengyoko Time Wicks, the current tanto (head of practice) at SFZC City Center, uses the koan “Shishuang's 100 Foot Pole” to discuss deepening our practice. He also uses Eihei Dogen's “Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon” in discussing faith in practice and overcoming karmic responsibilities.

The New Chevy V8

In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Teah Strozer reminds us everyone is enough — you, yourself, are perfect just as you are, even if, as Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said, we can also ‘use a little improvement.' In the talk, Teah shares stories about dependent arising and its relevance for today. She highlights the importance of not making divisions — not creating ideas of separate self and others — especially as the world deals with continued armed conflicts and political divisions.

Everything Leans

03/10/2024, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm.
The great Way is not difficult for those who hold no preferences, it is like vast space with nothing lacking and nothing extra. At the moment awareness turns around and illuminates itself, there is going beyond appearance and emptiness.

Song of the Trusting Mind

03/13/2024, Koshin Steven Tierney, dharma talk at City Center.
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Koshin Steven Tierney discusses the experience of loss and grief, and how these very natural and individual human experiences unfold within spiritual community. We must attend to our grief, individually and collectively, in order to maintain healthy relationships and communities. Featuring Clint Smith’s poem “Expedience,” Grace Noll Crowell’s “Let Me Come in Friend,” and the Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon.

Walking into Loss and Grief – Walking Out Together!

03/16/2024, Sojun Mel Weitsman - Norman Fischer - Andrea Thach - Susan Moon, book release at City Center.
In this discussion, three long-time Zen practitioners discuss their experiences with Sojun Mel Weitsman, and highlight key portions of his autobiography and teachings. The discussion was held in celebration of the release of a new book about Sojun’s life and practice.

Seeing One Thing Through: The Zen Life And Teachings Of Sojun Mel Weitsman

03/20/2024, Gendo Lucy Xiao, dharma talk at City Center.
In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Gendo Lucy Xiao explores case number 3 from the koan collection "The Blue Cliff Record” — the case known as “Master Ma is Unwell.” In the talk, Lucy discusses entering the path of awakening from right here, in the life we are living.

Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha

03/23/2024, Marc Lesser, dharma talk at City Center.
In this talk Marc Lesser examines some instructions from Zen Mind Beginner's Mind, for living a full life; a life of practice, joy, grief, ordinary, and sacred.

Living A Full Life

03/24/2024, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm.
This talk by Eijun Linda Cutts was offered and dedicated to Caroline Meister, a Tassajara resident whose accidental death touched so many with sorrow. The talk looks at the Koan “Daowu’s Condolence Call” Case 55 in the Blue Cliff Record, and the non-dual life of zazen and precepts.

Our Own True Home—Dedicated to Caroline Meister

EVERYBODY'S RECOVERING FROM SOMETHING

For many recovering addicts it’s in rehab they discover there are often musical triggers to their abuse, (the songs associated with using) and then they have to learn how to avoid those triggers that are essentially the soundtrack to their addiction.Last year, some addiction recovery sponsors found out that John Batdorf and I were working on a project with the working title of 12 songs for 12 steps and asked if we’d do a concert for several recovering addicts. Turns out it was about 700 addicts and their families who attended. The concert gave John and I a chance to see if our songs made a difference with the audience. We were overwhelmed with the feedback we got that evening. The show received a tremendous response, people waiting in line for nearly an hour to thank us, and after receiving several hand written notes from addicts at the show saying “please hurry and get these songs recorded” we realized that the need was great and the urgency even greater.

John and I are singer/songwriters with a passion to let the power of music help people trying to change. We’ve been wearing out our lives the last forty plus years as professional songwriters hoping to make a difference. Although we understand we’re not the only guys who have songs that could help, we want to get the ball rolling.

One of the reasons we are passionate about doing this project is because it’s hit very close to home. In each of our families we’ve seen the devastation that comes from addiction, in any of its forms. We’ve worked our entire professional careers in a business where all too often substance abuse, drugs and alcohol, and any other form of addiction has destroyed lives. We’re not trained therapists, we don’t have degrees in social work, but we know what we’ve seen and we want to do what we can. Writing songs aimed at penetrating hearts is something we can do. And getting these songs recorded and made available for those who need them most has been more important to us than simply searching for yet another way to climb up the music charts. Somewhere at this very moment there’s an addict trying to hold on a few more hours until his next AA meeting, or her next appointment with a sponsor, and it feels like an eternity. We might be able to offer a little help, even when we can’t physically be there for them. You might be thinking, “come on, it’s only a song”. But it’s more than that. If someone somewhere can hear a song tell them the truth the only way their heart will hear it, maybe then they’ll know, deep down, they’re not alone.

1 Ain't Dead Yet

Soundtrax 2 Recovery

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