Sutras aren’t meant to die in dusty old books, they’re meant to be alive in people’s voices.
Reciting Buddhist sutras is part of the monk lifestyle, and many people find it relaxing simply listening to recordings of monks doing their thing while chanting and hitting the gong.
But others might like to add a bit more spice to their sutras. Japanese musician @KintetsuY recently did just that and uploaded a short video of Buddhist sutras with a slightly more modern beat, quickly racking in over 60,000 retweets. Click below to give them a listen:
▼ “We gave some harmony to a sutra.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m really feeling the chakra flow after listening to that! There’s just something about all those voices coming together in such a rhythmic way, saying things beyond my comprehension, that almost gives it a sense of mystical power.
Here’s how Japanese Twitter responded:
“Oh man I’d love to listen to this all the time.”
“This is like Japanese gospel music.”
“I love the beatboxing that starts halfway through.”
“Please put out a CD of this; I want to buy it.”
While @KintetsuY has no plans to release a CD anytime soon, he did refer people to his YouTube page if they want to see more of his music. So be sure to give him a follow there or on Twitter if you like what you’ve heard!
And if you want to hear more Buddhist sutras remixed into modern music, check out the group of motorcycle-helmet-wearing monks that have turned their chants into dance music. They want to help Buddhism and reach a wider audience via music, and with what they’ve created so far, they seem to be accomplishing just that.
Source: Twitter/@KintetsuY
Featured image: Twitter/@KintetsuY