Can't say that it lights my fire, but a friend passed along this guitar-strumming version of "The Heart Sutra," one of Zen Buddhism's go-to chants, so maybe others will enjoy it.
PS. Strange to remember that the Heart Sutra always made better and more touching sense to me in a language I did not know of understand than it did in English. Kinda like the rebel Roman Catholics who insist on Latin for their scriptural readings et al.
PS. Strange to remember that the Heart Sutra always made better and more touching sense to me in a language I did not know of understand than it did in English. Kinda like the rebel Roman Catholics who insist on Latin for their scriptural readings et al.
We always chanted in English, so it was just music to me, and well done I thought.
ReplyDeleteWent to Catholic grammar school during Pope John XXIII’s tenure. We were caught between the conservatives and the progressives.
ReplyDeleteThe conservatives had all the students learn how to sing / chant Regulsr and Gregorian style in English, Latin and Greek. It was fun vocally. Sadly I was thrown off the elite choir for having a “bad” voice.
By the eighth grade the Monsignor had retired and the progressives’ and their acoustic guitar music took over. In retrospect I have realized that this new folky music didn’t allow for the congregation to sing only the two or four on the altar sang.
Anyway I find the American music instrument accompanying the ancient Japanese chant is cute but an anomaly.
To each his own.
gate gate paramgate parasamgate bodhi svaha
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