Acoustic renditions of Buddhist Sutras, to soothe and relax body and mind.

Dawn Song

Here's the final version for Feeling, hard to keep up with The Cyanist's talents, but I am happy with the changes made! :)

Feeling

Do not be afraid!! There is always hope even when it seems impossible..

Il Gorgo

New single "Unrealness" is now available on all major streaming platforms like:

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Unrealness

With my guitar and singing a traditional Japanese Zen Song.

Sho Sei Kai
Nyo Ko Ku
Nyu O Renge Fuja Ku Su i
Shin Shyo Jo Cho Hi
Kei Shyu Rai Mujo O Son

May We Exist In Muddy Water With Purity Like A Lotus.
Thus We Bow To Buddha

Shosei Kai Bon

In Japanese Buddhism, Idasonten is the Bodhisattva that protects beings, and the temples, from fire. The Idasonten altar is just outside the temple's kitchen and there, every morning, the monks and nuns chant the Heart Sutra.

With all the forest fires burning in the world, besides the catastrophe for humans, I had to think of all the small animals that had to flee or be unable to escape, the ones that no one mentions...

This rendition of the heart sutra is for them.

Fire Song Heart Sutra

Heart Sutra (Fire Song)

The Four Vows (in Buddhism).

Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
Desires are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them.
The Dharma Gates are boundless, I vow to practice them.
The Buddha Way is unsurpassable, I vow to attain it.

At Zen River Temple, and other Zen temples and Zen groups, these vows are chanted at the end of the day after meditation (zazen). This new recording is the same song I uploaded to SoundCloud in 2017. It had been recorded using a small mobile phone microphone that my brother gave me as a starter kit because a few months earlier, I had sent him a folk song recorded with a Skype headset, the only microphone I had! He had to laugh.
This time, I wanted to add something extra. While practising improvising, with the help of my guitar teacher @digmon-roovers, I decided to give it a shot and weave it into the song. 

"The Four Bodhisattva Vows are the fundamental vows of the Zen Buddhist path, expressing the bodhisattva's resolution to attain awakening in order to liberate all sentient beings. With enlightenment comes a realization of the fundamental equality of all things, and the understanding that to liberate oneself one must liberate other beings and that to liberate other beings is none other than to liberate oneself. 

In this lies the unity of wisdom and compassion. The Four Vows are chanted in Zen monasteries at the end of daily services and memorial services for the departed."

Kobun Chino Otogawa (1972)

A modern, ecological version of these vows has been written by
Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Philip Whalen.

Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them.
Consuming desires are endless; I vow to stop them.
Bio-relations are intricate; I vow to honour them.
Nature's way is beautiful; I vow to become it. 

(Source: https://terebess.hu/zen/szoto/vows.html)

The Four Vows

When the world happens to feel chaotic, wearing the robes - the Okesa or rakusu - of the Buddha is akin to wrapping the world with compassion and benevolence. 

The Verse of the Okesa.

Dai sai ge da pukku/ musō fuku den e/ hi bu nyorai kyo/ kō do shō shu jō

Vast is the robe of liberation 
A formless field of benefaction 
I wear the Tathāgata teaching 
Saving all sentient beings.

This verse is chanted three times after dawn meditation - dawn zazen - in Zen temples across Asia and the West. The intention is to show respect for the teachings of the Buddha, which are signified by the cloth Okesa, before wearing it.

The Okesa is a rectangular garment worn over the left shoulder. The Japanese kesa are made of patchwork (割截衣; kassetsue), composed of five, seven, nine, or more panels of fabric that are sewn together.

Takessa Ge, Dawn Song

Do you come to my Universe?

I remember well

Very lovely Johann Mertz tune I wanted to cover.

Polacca op.5 no.3

I dropped a new version of the Heart Sutra on SoundCloud years ago, in 2021, when I started this venture. Since then, I have improvised a few things and added some new elements- thanks to the encouragement from friends and teachers! I hope you will enjoy it. Hannya Shingyo 般若心経, also known as "The Heart Sutra" this sutra is one of the most recited in Mahayana Buddhism.  

Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo 般若心経  

Kan ji zai bo za tsu 
Gyo jin han ya ha ra mi ta 
Ji sho ken go on kai ku 
Do i sai ku Yaku sha ri shi 
Shiki fu i ku Ku fu i shiki 
Shiki soku ze ku 
Ku soku ze shiki 
Ju so gyo shiki 
Yaku bu nyo ze ri shi 
Ze sho ho ku so 
Fu sho fu metsu 
Fu ku fu jo Fu zo fu gen
Ze ko ku chu 
Mu shiki mu ju so gyo shiki 
Mu gen ni bi ze shin i 
Mu shiki sho ko mi soku ho 
Mu gen kai nai shi mu i shiki kai
 Mu mu myo yaku mu mu myo jin 
Nai shi mu ro shi yaku mu ro shi jin 
Mu ku shu metsu do mu chi yaku mu toku i 
Mu sho toku ko bo dai sa ta e 
Han ya ha ra mi ta ko 
Shin mu ke ge mu ke ge ko 
Mu u ku fu on ri i sai ten do mu so ku gyo ne 
Han san ze sho butso e 
Han ya ha ra mi ta ko 
Toku a noku ta ra san myaku san bo dai 
Ko chi han ya ha ra mi ta 
Ze dai jin shu ze dai myo shu 
Ze mu jo shu ze mu to do shu 
No jo i sai ku shin jitsu fu ko 
Ko setsu han ya ha ra mi ta shu 
Soku setsu shu watsu 
Gya tei gya tei 
Ha ra gya tei 
Hara so gya tei 
Bo ji so wa ka 
Hannya Shingyo

Heart Sutra ReImagined

Bless the telephone - Labi Siffre cover

Something I said "live unplugged"

Jo sóc jo - A Letter To Myself

كلمات وغناء وألحان: محمد صلاح الدين، توزيع : شادي عبد الوهاب

هقولك إيه

I love to sing with my guitar. Love to play my guitar and sing.
I practice Zen too, so sometimes I combine traditional Zen Buddhist chants with guitar instrumentals that I have composed; other times, I just sing a folk or popular song that resonates with me.
June 24 2024 marked the release of ShoSaiMyo Vol.1, first released on Bandcamp. It features Five of the Zen and Sutras playlist songs that Brad Stock produced and engineered at Painted Sky Studios. In January 2024, the B side of Vol.1 (called Shosaimyo Vol. 2) was released on January 30, 2025. All proceeds from Bandcamp purchases will support Zen River Temple in the Netherlands. Click the Bandcamp link below to stay tuned! 
https://myora22.bandcamp.com/follow_me

Takessa Ge, Dawn Song

Myōra

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