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I answered a call from deep inside
A promise made in another life
I packed my bags not knowing why
And I crossed the mountains east to the other side

I traveled far and I traveled wide
Through the dark night with the stars my only light
I heard it said somewhere along my way
That the journey ends where it all begins

I search my soul for something more to say
No sign around of yesterday
Words like dry leaves fall away
Feel like I’ve lived my life in a single day

I die to the past and I have to laugh
Why the best things in life never seem to last
All we can do is help each other see
And the truth will set us free

Carry me, river of grace
From the mountains to the sea
Carry me, river of grace
Baptise me in love and devotion

World keeps turning and the towers are burning
The road goes on forever
The song I have inside me goes stronger
With each passing year

Enjoy a free download of the song, ‘River of Grace’ (track #4 from the album “Daydreams”).

A Zen initiate was meditating for years. And whenever he would come to his master, whatsoever experience he would bring, the master would reject it saying, “This is all nonsense. You go back and meditate again.” 

One day the master came to the hut of the disciple. He was sitting in a perfect buddha posture. The master shook him and said, “What are you doing here? If we need stone buddhas here, we have many in the temple. Just by sitting like a stone buddha, you will not attain meditation. Just by stilling the body, your mind is not going to disappear because it is through the mind you are enforcing a certain discipline on the body. And anything done by the mind is only going to strengthen the mind. It will be nourishment for the mind.” 

A year passed and the master came again. He found the disciple sitting under a tree. He was almost in a kind of euphoria: enjoying the morning breeze, and the sun, with closed eyes, thinking that he is meditating. The master picked up a brick and started rubbing it on the stone in front of the disciple. It made such a disturbance! At some point, the disciple could stand it no longer. He opened his eyes and shouted, “What are you doing? Are you trying to drive me crazy?” 

The master said, “I am trying to make a mirror out of this brick. I think if I go on rubbing it enough it will become a mirror.” 

The disciple laughed. “I have always suspected you are a little mad. Now it is proved! A brick can never become a mirror. You can go on rubbing it on a stone for lives together, but the brick is going to remain a brick.” 

The master said, “This shows some intelligence. Then what are you doing? For years you have been trying to make meditation out of the mind. It is just like me trying to make a mirror out of this brick.” 

Suddenly the master threw the brick into a pond just by the side of the disciple. It made a great splash, and the very sound of it was enough to do the miracle. Something awakened in the disciple – a sleep was broken, a dream was shattered. He became alert. And for the first time, he tasted something of meditation. 

The master immediately said, “This is it.”

Enjoy a free download of the song, ‘Stone Buddhas’, from the album, “Daydreams”.

The full album can be purchased via the shop (browse ‘Celebration’).

Up in the blue sky
Can’t seem to find my mind today
Up in the blue sky
Nothing much to do or say

Up in the blue sky
A million miles from anywhere
Up in the blue sky
Not a worry in the world or care

I dreamed I was a butterfly
I woke up wondering who am I
Should I laugh or should I cry?
Or just fly away

Up in the blue sky
Nowhere else I’d rather be
Up in the blue sky
Clear as far as I can see

I search the mirror for a face
But the man I was has left no trace
I watch the clouds come and go
I don’t know anymore

Up in the blue sky
Endless love surrounding me
Up in the blue sky
No boundaries of you and me

Enjoy a free download of the song, ‘Blue Sky’, from the album, “Daydreams”. The full album can be purchased via the shop (browse ‘Celebration’).

These enlightened words of the recently-transitioned Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, resonate with me:

“The fact is that nothing is born, nothing dies…. It is impossible for anything to die, to become nothing. That is why meditation on death is so helpful. Meditation on death helps you to see that there is no death. There is no birth and death. There is only transformation. Nothing can be lost… The meditation on death is a very important meditation. When you meditate on death, you love life more; you cherish life more. And, we can learn many lessons. Mindfulness allows us to recognize, cherish, and treasure what is still available so that in the future we will not say, “While that person was still alive, I was not aware of his or her precious presence”. That is why it is so important to go home to the here and the now and recognize, and cherish, all the positive elements that are still available. With the practice of mindfulness, we can look deeply, and we can discover the nature of no birth and no death, and we can find out that nothing can die and nothing can be lost… “ *paraphrased from this wonderful short clip https://youtu.be/S4LhQNsrI5A.

I met a young “Milarepa” a few weeks ago. He reminded me a lot of myself at that age: handsome, full of life, enthusiastic, positive, bright, and with an eye for the girls. He asked me, “I am just starting out with Osho. Can you give me any advice?” I replied, “Meditate, meditate, meditate.”

Some inspiring words to light the way forward…

“Life is so rich and so unbelievably beautiful. If you can relax with it you have reached the path of unexcelled liberation, you have reached to the very ultimate beyond which nobody has ever gone. And it is so simple: all that you need is to learn the art of acceptance, suchness, and the faith will arise out of it. With the faith arising, all the doors of existence are opened to you, inviting to you. The religious people of the world have destroyed the real and the essential meaning of religion. Creating rituals, prayers, statues, churches, synagogues, they have misled the whole of humanity. Nothing of that is needed; it is all junk. All that is needed is a small flame of love toward all, without any conditions, without any expectations – and whatever life brings, to accept it with gratitude.” Osho, Ta Hui, The Great Zen Master #29

If you follow the link below, it will take you to the oneskymusic homepage where you can download the audio clips from the last Satsang. Inside the file, you will find three high-quality mp3s: the dance stage, the music-silence stage with three drumbeats, and the song from sannyas celebration. Be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see the download link. It is a free sharing, but please consider a contribution of support. You’ll see the “Contribute” button in the top right margin of the page or use one of these convenient platforms: Paypal (https://paypal.me/oneskymusic), Zelle (oneskymusic@gmail.com); Enjoy the music and let me know if you have any issues downloading.

Satsang: No Goal But The Path

It has been a joy collaborating with the musicians for the recent Satsang that streamed via Zoom internationally, July 23-25, 2021. They have been so generous with their time and talents, supporting this project every step of the way. For more details about them, please visit their homepages below. Satsang is a free sharing, but please consider a gesture of support for the music. Contribute using one these convenient platforms: Paypal (https://paypal.me/oneskymusic), Zelle (oneskymusic@gmail.com); or the Contribute button on this homepage (www.oneskymusic.com). Thank you!

Atmo – trumpet (https://www.atmomusic.com)

Chandira – vocals (https://www.chandiramusic.com)

Chintan – bass, tablas (no homepage)

Dhwani – copper tin whistle (https://www.dhwani.space)

Nadama – keyboards (https://www.nadamamusic.com)

Nandin – flute (http://www.nandinmusic.com)

Milarepa – guitar, vocals (www.oneskymusic.com)

Raj Rishi – drums, percussion (www.happyliving.dk)

Rishi – drums, percussion (http://callofdrums.com)

Sudhananda – guitar, vocals (https://sudhananda.com)

The music clips can be viewed at www.facebook.com/oneskymusic or Youtube:

Stage 1: https://youtu.be/9ZopzM60R3s

Sannyas Celebration: https://youtu.be/mYFBGvWkfiA

This is the third music-silence meditation in this series. It has a slightly longer format than the previous two: thirty minutes instead of ten. Are you up for the challenge?

At the beginning, before the bell, I have added some words from Osho on listening. There are also some words from him after the ending bell, so be sure to stay alert for a few more minutes!

The technique is simple. Simply listen to the music with awareness and when the silent gaps come, relax into them and watch your inner landscape. See if you can resist the temptation to stop your thoughts! This is akin to swimming upstream against a current. Let go. Use this opportunity to practice watching them. See if you can let your Mind do its thing while simultaneously relaxing deeper in the gaps. At the end of the meditation, you are welcome to share your experience in the comments section below the post.

* Osho’s words from the discourse series “YAA-HOO! The Mystic Rose #28”