Sound Matters.

A little over a year ago, I wrote about my extraordinary meeting with Lama Surya Das, the American lama most deeply schooled in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He has been an integral part of Buddhism's surge in popularity in recent years. His bestselling books, Awakening the Buddha Within and Awakening to the Sacred, made Buddhism accessible and inspiring to serious practitioners and neophytes alike.

One of the most amazing parts of the connection was recognizing that we had crossed paths earlier in this lifetime. We both went to Valley Stream Central High School in Long Island, and then to the State University of New York in Buffalo. Since I was three years ahead, I did not know him though he was aware of me through my performances on stage with the high school talent troupe jazz band, and with the "house band" that played at anti-war demonstrations, and educational reform meetings.

Needless to say, little did either of us know that we would go on to be doing the work that we are now doing in the world. When we reconnected, and I heard his particular form of Tibetan chanting, something happened inside me that usually did not happen when I listened to chanting. I liked it. It felt familiar, and additional musical orchestrations, arrangements that I could create around his chanting, just flooded into my consciousness.

When I told him this, he said, "Hey, let's give it a try." I am delighted to let you know the seeds that were planted that day and perhaps 30 years ago have now blossomed. Our new album Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart, is being released this week. It is the companion CD to Lama Surya Das' new book, Awakening the Buddhist Heart (Broadway Books, 2000).

During the album's recording process, I found myself singing along with his chants,something I have very rarely found myself doing with any other chants I have heard. Not only that, after the studio sessions were over and my editing was done, I continued to find myself humming them in my mind. This is exactly the sort of thing one hopes for in getting into the chant zone in which the chants chant themselves inside your head. You become the chant.

As Robert Gass talks about in his book on chants (Chanting: Discovering Spirit in Sound) and as many of you already know, the beauty of chants is that they are composed of a small number of sacred syllables and words that get repeated over and over so you don't have to learn a great number of lyrics. The melodies are usually fairly simple.

What makes this album so different is the addition of contemporary rhythms that anchor these chants directly into your nervous system as they get your hips and feet moving. I invite you to visit my website www.stevenhalpern.com for a free audio sample, and as always, I look forward to your feedback once you have experienced it on your own.

Here are a few words from Lama Surya Das about Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart:

"Tibetan lamas and chantmasters for more than a millennium have developed the secrets of internal healing, clearing and edifying vibrations through the power of sacred sound. These ancient, timeless Tibetan chants help us to awaken the Buddhist heart—the radiant Bodhicitta (enlightened mind) innate in all beings.

"These are the chants and prayers that I use in my personal meditations. If you chant these today, your spirit will awaken today; if chanted tonight, your spirit will awaken tonight.

"Just listening to them can help open the third ear and delight the third eye with inner vision, cosmic sound, primordial bliss and divine light"

To prepare you for your listening experience, let me say you have never heard anything quite like this. You may remember what Enigma did with Gregorian chants. This album takes Tibetan chanting into a modern musical groove. Here is a sample of some of the chants you will hear on the album, with their English translation:

The Jewel and the Lotus Mantra (Tibet's national mantra)
"Om mani pedmé hung"

The Purification Mantra of the Thousand Armed
Chenrayzig (Avalokitesvara), Buddha of Love and Compassion

"Om amoga-shila sambara sambara bara
bara mahashuddha sattva pema
bibu shita buntsa
dhara dhara samanta avalokité
hung pe soha"

Female Buddha Tara's Mantra

"Om taré tu-taré turi-yé soha"
Oh holy Mother Tara Buddha, please guide and nurture us

Lama Surya Das and I have blended our musical hearts and spiritual minds into a "Buddhist hip-hop version of healing music" that brings us home to the inner peace, wholeness and spiritual wellness that is everyone's birthright. It is our sincere prayer and intention that this offering of sacred sound may help illumine, edify and awaken all beings without exception. It's an honor and a privilege to participate in the manifestation of this album.

Steven Halpern is an award-winning composer, recording artist and sound healer. For over 25 years, he has been a passionate advocate of the healing powers of music for health, healing and spiritual growth. His latest releases, Deja-Blues, and Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart may change forever the way people perceive his musical career as he branches out into new and exciting dynamic rhythmic and vocal dimensions. To hear streaming audio samples, visit his website at www.stevenhalpern.com. To receive a free catalog, call: 1-800-909-0707.

	Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart A little over a year ago, I wrote about my extraordinary meeting with Lama Surya Das, the American lama most deeply schooled in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He has been an integral part of Buddhism's surge in popularity in recent years. His bestselling books, Awakening the Buddha Within and Awakening to the Sacred, made Buddhism accessible and inspiring to serious practitioners and neophytes alike. One of the most amazing parts of the connection was recognizing that we had crossed paths earlier in this lifetime. We both went to Valley Stream Central High School in Long Island, and then to the State University of New York in Buffalo. Since I was three years ahead, I did not know him though he was aware of me through my performances on stage with the high school talent troupe jazz band, and with the "house band" that played at anti-war demonstrations, and educational reform meetings. Needless to say, little did either of us know that we would go on to be doing the work that we are now doing in the world. When we reconnected, and I heard his particular form of Tibetan chanting, something happened inside me that usually did not happen when I listened to chanting. I liked it. It felt familiar, and additional musical orchestrations, arrangements that I could create around his chanting, just flooded into my consciousness. When I told him this, he said, "Hey, let's give it a try." I am delighted to let you know the seeds that were planted that day and perhaps 30 years ago have now blossomed. Our new album Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart, is being released this week. It is the companion CD to Lama Surya Das' new book, Awakening the Buddhist Heart (Broadway Books, 2000). During the album's recording process, I found myself singing along with his chants,something I have very rarely found myself doing with any other chants I have heard. Not only that, after the studio sessions were over and my editing was done, I continued to find myself humming them in my mind. This is exactly the sort of thing one hopes for in getting into the chant zone in which the chants chant themselves inside your head. You become the chant. As Robert Gass talks about in his book on chants (Chanting: Discovering Spirit in Sound) and as many of you already know, the beauty of chants is that they are composed of a small number of sacred syllables and words that get repeated over and over so you don't have to learn a great number of lyrics. The melodies are usually fairly simple. What makes this album so different is the addition of contemporary rhythms that anchor these chants directly into your nervous system as they get your hips and feet moving. I invite you to visit my website www.stevenhalpern.com for a free audio sample, and as always, I look forward to your feedback once you have experienced it on your own. Here are a few words from Lama Surya Das about Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart: "Tibetan lamas and chantmasters for more than a millennium have developed the secrets of internal healing, clearing and edifying vibrations through the power of sacred sound. These ancient, timeless Tibetan chants help us to awaken the Buddhist heart—the radiant Bodhicitta (enlightened mind) innate in all beings. "These are the chants and prayers that I use in my personal meditations. If you chant these today, your spirit will awaken today; if chanted tonight, your spirit will awaken tonight. "Just listening to them can help open the third ear and delight the third eye with inner vision, cosmic sound, primordial bliss and divine light" To prepare you for your listening experience, let me say you have never heard anything quite like this. You may remember what Enigma did with Gregorian chants. This album takes Tibetan chanting into a modern musical groove. Here is a sample of some of the chants you will hear on the album, with their English translation: The Jewel and the Lotus Mantra (Tibet's national mantra) "Om mani pedmé hung" The Purification Mantra of the Thousand Armed Chenrayzig (Avalokitesvara), Buddha of Love and Compassion "Om amoga-shila sambara sambara bara bara mahashuddha sattva pema bibu shita buntsa dhara dhara samanta avalokité hung pe soha" Female Buddha Tara's Mantra "Om taré tu-taré turi-yé soha" Oh holy Mother Tara Buddha, please guide and nurture us Lama Surya Das and I have blended our musical hearts and spiritual minds into a "Buddhist hip-hop version of healing music" that brings us home to the inner peace, wholeness and spiritual wellness that is everyone's birthright. It is our sincere prayer and intention that this offering of sacred sound may help illumine, edify and awaken all beings without exception. It's an honor and a privilege to participate in the manifestation of this album. Steven Halpern is an award-winning composer, recording artist and sound healer. For over 25 years, he has been a passionate advocate of the healing powers of music for health, healing and spiritual growth. His latest releases, Deja-Blues, and Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart may change forever the way people perceive his musical career as he branches out into new and exciting dynamic rhythmic and vocal dimensions. To hear streaming audio samples, visit his website at www.stevenhalpern.com. To receive a free catalog, call: 1-800-909-0707.



		by Steven Halpern