Buddhist Rock & Metal

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Astus
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Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Astus »

Let's share Buddhist metal, rock, and other modern music.

Xiangmo zhou (降魔咒) - A one of a kind song by the Chinese band Yaksa (夜叉), the lyrics is based on the dharani (Niepan xiangmo zhou 涅槃降魔咒) recited by Manjusri to save Ananda from 64000 billion maras in the last chapter of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra (T374p602/T375p850).

Dharma (達摩樂隊) - Buddhist death metal from Taiwan, they growl mantras
Videos available at Jack's Studio / 杰克音樂
Sample song: 藥師灌頂真言 Bhaisajyaguru

Shamon (沙門) - Futuristic Buddhist Pop (進化系仏教ポップ), a band of Buddhist priests from Japan, they also have some songs in English
Youtube channel / 沙門チャンネル
Sample English song: Four vows Sutra

Nam Jazz Experiment (南無ジャズ・エクスペリメント) - Sutra chanting combined with Jazz from Japan
Videos available at PolystarTube (Playlist)
Sample song: Shudara -咒陀羅
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Malcolm
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Malcolm »

Astus wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:53 pm Let's share Buddhist metal, rock, and other modern music.

Xiangmo zhou (降魔咒) - A one of a kind song by the Chinese band Yaksa (夜叉), the lyrics is based on the dharani (Niepan xiangmo zhou 涅槃降魔咒) recited by Manjusri to save Ananda from 64000 billion maras in the last chapter of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra (T374p602/T375p850).

Dharma (達摩樂隊) - Buddhist death metal from Taiwan, they growl mantras
Videos available at Jack's Studio / 杰克音樂
Sample song: 藥師灌頂真言 Bhaisajyaguru

Shamon (沙門) - Futuristic Buddhist Pop (進化系仏教ポップ), a band of Buddhist priests from Japan, they also have some songs in English
Youtube channel / 沙門チャンネル
Sample English song: Four vows Sutra

Nam Jazz Experiment (南無ジャズ・エクスペリメント) - Sutra chanting combined with Jazz from Japan
Videos available at PolystarTube (Playlist)
Sample song: Shudara -咒陀羅
Let's not and say we did.
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cyril
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by cyril »

Chthonic is another Taiwanese band that occasionaly uses Buddhist elements in their lyrics/ imagery.





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Astus
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Astus »

Malcolm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:46 pmLet's not and say we did.
You don't like the genre? Maybe some original Tibetan by Alan Dawa Dolma: Karma? Or the Narasīhagāthā නරසීහ ගාථා (the paritta) as sung in the movie Yasodhara (බිම්බා දේවී හෙවත් යශෝධරා)?
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Malcolm
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Malcolm »

Astus wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:27 pm
Malcolm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:46 pmLet's not and say we did.
You don't like the genre?
You might say that.
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

https://www.yamantakasonictitan.com/


There's lots of interesting non-mainstream Buddhist music out there, some better than others. These guys are pretty interesting.

The thing with using Dharmic themes in music is that it can get cheezy and/or appropriative fast.

To be fair though, plenty of overtly Buddhist pop music is, to my ears, more offensive than this stuff. Sugary sweet mantra recitation, etc. tastes vary widely.

There is "Buddhist inspired music" all over though..Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson...if experimentally inclined Pauline Oliveros is interesting, and has actually made pieces around Tara mantra.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
Malcolm
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Malcolm »

Johnny Dangerous wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:30 pm The thing with using Dharmic themes in music is that it can get cheezy fast.
Actually, it is primordially cheesy.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

Malcolm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:35 pm
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:30 pm The thing with using Dharmic themes in music is that it can get cheezy fast.
Actually, it is primordially cheesy.
Well ymmv but I find the syrupy, poppy versions of Dharanis and such harder to deal with than this stuff.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
Malcolm
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Malcolm »

Johnny Dangerous wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:39 pm
Malcolm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:35 pm
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:30 pm The thing with using Dharmic themes in music is that it can get cheezy fast.
Actually, it is primordially cheesy.
Well ymmv but I find the syrupy, poppy versions of Dharanis and such harder to deal with than this stuff.
This is more my style:

Malcolm
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Malcolm »

Just to add to my general dislike of so called "Dharma music," I think Hindus do a better job of it without cheesing out, since they have the raga thing going for them.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Norwegian »

Malcolm wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 10:18 pm Just to add to my general dislike of so called "Dharma music," I think Hindus do a better job of it without cheesing out, since they have the raga thing going for them.


I would listen to this a hundred times before listening to any of the overly saccharine Chinese Buddhist songs out there that are so widespread.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Budai »

This is an album I have liked for a number of years. It has very good chants by Tibetan Buddhists, and a female singer, Deva Premal. Tibetan Mantras for Turbulent Times.

It can be found here: https://devapremalmiten.com/tibetan-man ... ent-times/

For free there.

It can also be found on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music for streaming.

It’s great because it has very advanced Tibetan chanting and at the Same time has someone who modernizes their chanting. It is great music in my opinion, and there’s no reason not to call it perfected, because it comes from a good heart in order to progress the Dharma.

The chants and mantras are Sutric/unrestricted.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Malcolm »

Könchok Chödrak wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:41 pm It’s great because it has very advanced Tibetan chanting
No, actually it doesn’t, sorry.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Budai »

Malcolm wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:50 am
Könchok Chödrak wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:41 pm It’s great because it has very advanced Tibetan chanting
No, actually it doesn’t, sorry.
Well I’m not going to argue about it. Chant Om Mani Padme Hum. You are Advanced.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by PeterC »

Johnny Dangerous wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:30 pm To be fair though, plenty of overtly Buddhist pop music is, to my ears, more offensive than this stuff. Sugary sweet mantra recitation, etc. tastes vary widely.
I feel very conflicted with that stuff. I think it sounds horrible. But there are people who really enjoy it and find it meaningful and beautiful. De gustibus non est disputandum.
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by SilenceMonkey »

cyril wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:04 pm Chthonic is another Taiwanese band that occasionaly uses Buddhist elements in their lyrics/ imagery.
The lead singer of Cthonic, Freddy Lim, is a Taiwanese icon. He founded his own political party (The New Power Party) then ran for office in 2016 against the KMT and was elected into the legislative Yuan. He was head of Amnesty International Taiwan from 2010-2014 and is a friend of the Tibetan cause. "Lim favors the abolition of capital punishment, and supports the legalization of same-sex marriage and marijuana use in Taiwan." (from his Wiki)

Dude named himself after Freddy Krueger.
Last edited by SilenceMonkey on Fri Apr 09, 2021 2:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

PeterC wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 3:20 am
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:30 pm To be fair though, plenty of overtly Buddhist pop music is, to my ears, more offensive than this stuff. Sugary sweet mantra recitation, etc. tastes vary widely.
I feel very conflicted with that stuff. I think it sounds horrible. But there are people who really enjoy it and find it meaningful and beautiful. De gustibus non est disputandum.
Well I mean, everyone has different tastes, it's just terrible to my ears. I also listen to and make stuff that most people don't even consider music, so it's not like my preferences are some kind of standard.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by SilenceMonkey »

The best western Buddhist music I ever heard was Ven. Heng Sure's "Paramita: American Buddhist Folk Music"
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Re: Buddhist Rock & Metal

Post by reiun »

cyril wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:04 pm Chthonic is another Taiwanese band that occasionaly uses Buddhist elements in their lyrics/ imagery.
If caskets were invented to bury the dead, would that be a cthonic use?
(Sorry!)
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