My music creativity has been pretty dried up lately, with the exception of a musical project I've been working on for the last few years. I've been turning the Buddhist book of scared verses The Dhammapada into song.
I just finished up chapter 9, which touches on topics of Evil. Evil in Buddhism doesn't carry the same connotations as monotheistic religions. Instead, evil from a Buddhist standpoint covers a wide range of "unskillful" behaviors that inhibit one from fully liberating oneself from suffering and its origins of craving, ill will, and delusion.
For this project, I look to several different translations of the Dhammapada to taste a larger variety of wording and translation choices. I try to maintain the meaning of each line, but use some artistic licensing choosing words that might flow better in song. I mostly err on the side of accuracy vs. rhyming schemes, though.
Musically, I obtained an electric guitar last year, so that has made its way into a large majority of my music....
Hasten to do good!
Restrain your mind from evil
One who is slow to do good
Their thoughts delight in evil
If you do something evil
Do not do it again
Do not wish for it
Piling up evil brings suffering
If you do something good
Do it again and again
Set your heart upon it
Piling up goodness brings joy
One who does evil thinks “It is well!”
When the evil has not yet ripened
But when the evil matures
They’ll see the results of the evil actions
One who does good may think “It is ill!”
When the good they have done does not yet ripen
But when the good matures
They’ll see the pleasant results of their good actions
Don’t think lightly of evil, thinking “It will not come back to me!”
Drop by drop, the pot is filled
Little by little, the fool is filled with evil
Don’t think lightly of good, thinking “It will not come to me!”
Drop by drop, the pot is filled.
Little by little, the wise one is filled with good.
Just as a merchant with a great caravan
Avoids a dangerous route
One who loves life avoid poison
Even so, should you avoid evil
A hand with no cuts can carry poison without harm
Poison does not enter without a wound
For one who does no evil
there are no ill consequences
Like dust upon the wind
evil falls back into the face
Of the fool who
who harms an innocent
Some are born in the womb
Evil is reborn in hell realms
People who do good are reborn in heavenly realms
The stainless are fully released in Nibbana
In Nibbana
Not in the sky or the oceans, not a deep mountain cave
There’s no place in the world from your evil actions can you escape
Not in the sky or the oceans, not a deep mountain cave
There is no place in world where death can be escaped
@tamsnumber4 Feb 2022
Wow, what a production Bran! Amazing vocal, very emotive, you are fully connected to what you are singing and I really like the electric guitar, some really interesting ideas, written to flow for the music, very nice, you sound great on this, what a huge project to take on!
@mikepalmu Feb 2022
Oh what a multi-chord song, ahh, what a voice, what a mix!