Opening Chant
This chant has been used by many Buddhist teachers, including Ruth Denison who recently passed. The chant was taught to me by a friend as an assignment to sing 1-3x per day for 100 days, after which a small gathering was held to bless my journey. I couldn't remember how it went at first, and so the melody morphed a little into how I thought it went - and it turns out my version is a little different from others. I like my version because it is simple and harmonic. Not being a person of regular habits, I found that singing it in the morning shower helped me to be most consistent with my daily song practice to sing the chant. The benefits of this piece include new neural pathways to wholeness. Years later, I still sing this song as a daily exercise and continue to glean its positive benefits every time.
When you sing the words, let your awareness of each word emanate as simply as you can. In other words, sing sincerely and let the expression of each line come to life. If you are singing it multiple times, take liberty to experiment after your first time around - play with it's rhythm, counter rhythm and ornamental singing. Like gregorian chant, the more simply you can sing this - rather than ego, humility will express the songs gifts within and from the root of its intention. The purer its offering, the more benefit you will reap.
I recorded this lo-fi mp3 of the Opening Chant with Steve in the Key of Dm. It's very raw - a special version will become available on our soon-to-be recorded new album - but this will help you track how it goes. Sing it in whatever key your voice is most happy singing in.
| Opening Chant_Words.jpg |
