"Wisdom", "Compassion", "Courage" ... The Dalai Lama celebrated his 85th birthday on Monday by publishing his first album, "Inner World", where he recites mantras and Buddhist teachings against a background of meditative music. Available on YouTube and online music platforms, this eleven-track album, alternating between Tibetan and English, is the fruit of five years of work with the New Zealand musician Junelle Kunin, a disciple who persuaded him. to embark on this project.
"Music can help people in ways I can't"
The recording sessions took place between the artist's domicile in Auckland and the Dalai Lama's residence in Dharamsala (northern India), where the Tibetan spiritual leader has lived in exile for 60 years. "The goal of my life is to serve as much as I can," said the Dalai Lama on the official website for his album. "Music can help people in ways I can't," he adds.
The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner has written many bestsellers and has been featured in multiple Hollywood films. But he had still barely ventured into the world of music. "He had a very clear vision of this project and was very involved in it," said Junelle Kunin, who co-produced the album with her husband Abraham, at Radio New Zealand.
"A work to do good to people"
“It is not a religious project although there are mantras. It is really just a work to do good to people. So I thought about what we need in our daily lives - courage, healing and so on - and that is the path we have taken, ”she said.
The album includes a collaboration with Indian sitarist Anoushka Shankar, his proceeds will go to a foundation of the Dalai Lama. The CD version, which will include a booklet, will be released on August 28.
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