Lion's Roar

  • Meditation
  • Buddhist Wisdom
  • Life & Culture
  • The Magazine
  • Buddhadharma
  • Store

Lion's Roar

DONATE SUBSCRIBE
  • Meditation
  • Buddhist Wisdom
  • Life & Culture
  • The Magazine
  • Buddhadharma
  • Store

The Seekers: Modern Classical & Buddhism

by Lion's Roar Staff| December 10, 2020

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Buddhism’s impact on the musical realm can be found in almost every genre – from classical to pop to experimental. In our survey of Buddhism’s influence on modern music, we look at how the dharma speaks through the compositions of some of music’s most innovative vanguards.

John Cage, Paris 1981

Meredith Monk, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, John Cage, Yoko Ono: These are the names that come to mind right away when we consider Buddhism’s influence on contemporary music. And rightly so; these composers have been instrumental in blending dharma and adventurousness from the get-go, seizing on the attitudes adopted by America’s Beat poets—Allen Ginsberg was only too happy to bust out his harmonium and perform his loving takes on Buddhist sutras—and applying them to a range of musical endeavors.

John Cage and Philip Glass are two prominent composers of the modern era linked to Buddhism. Glass is associated with Tibetan Buddhism; Cage, Zen. The Heart Sutra‘s core teaching – “form is emptiness, emptiness is only form” – served as the inspiration for Cage’s mold-breaking piece 4’33,” the score of which instructs the performer not to play their instrument for the entire four minutes and thirty-three seconds of the song.  The Kundun soundtrack and his Symphony No. 5 are fine examples of Philip Glass’ work and its dharmic content.

Other composers would join them in bringing a dharmic influence into so-called “serious music.” Avant-garde composers such as Eliane Radigue, Toshiro Mayuzumi, and Terry Riley harnessed orchestras and electronics alike to mimic Tibetan chants and drones and to create musical complements to actual Buddhist teachings. Many of Radigue’s works are openly Buddhist: Jetsun Mila, Trilogie de la Mort, and Songs of Milarepa in which texts by the Tibetan saint are spoken over her droning compositions.

Peter Lieberson’s Drala – “drala” is the elemental presence of the world that is available to us through our senses- was commissioned by the Boston Philharmonic and his opera based on a Tibetan epic, King Gesar, was recorded by Yo-Yo Ma. Buddhism played a significant role in the music of Catalan composer Ramon Humet, particularly in his tetraptych Música del Esse (Music of Non-being), and in other works such as Quatre jardins Zen (Four Zen gardens) and Jardí de Haikus (Garden of Haikus).

SIGN UP FOR LION’S ROAR NEWSLETTERS

Get even more Buddhist wisdom delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for Lion’s Roar free email newsletters.

Continue Reading our Fan’s Guide to Modern Buddhist Music

Discover more about the rich intersection between Buddhism and music with the following selection of articles:

Tina Turner’s Journey into Faith

January 10, 2021

A review of Turner’s autobiography, "Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good."

 

Musical Meditations

December 17, 2020

Lion's Roar magazine's associate art director Andrew Glencross looks at three bodhisattvas of the music world: Éliane Radigue, John Coltrane, and Philip Glass.

 

What Is the Sound of Buddhist Music Today?

December 14, 2020

The dharma speaks through music—it always has, it does today. From jazz to metal to rap to emergent hybrid forms, Buddhism’s influence on the musical realm can be discovered at almost every turn.

 

The Spark Is There All the Time

December 11, 2020

Forget the stereotype of the tortured artist, says Steve Silberman. For David Crosby and Becca Stevens, the Muse is happy.

 

Phoebe Bridgers: Her Music as Meditation

December 11, 2020

Ray Buckner on how Grammy nominee Phoebe Bridgers’ music is a spiritual friend, a path forward into the unknown.

 
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Can you help us at a critical time?

COVID-19 has brought tremendous suffering, uncertainty, fear, and strain to the world.

Our sincere wish is that these Buddhist teachings, guided practices, and stories can be a balm in these difficult times. Over the past month, over 400,000 readers like you have visited our site, reading almost a million pages and streaming over 120,000 hours of video teachings. We want to provide even more Buddhist wisdom but our resources are strained. Can you help us?

No one is free from the pandemic’s impact, including Lion’s Roar. We rely significantly on advertising and newsstand sales to support our work — both of which have dropped precipitously this year. Can you lend your support to Lion’s Roar at this critical time?

SUPPORT LION’S ROAR

Lion's Roar Staff

About Lion's Roar Staff

Lion's Roar is the website of Lion's Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun) and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, with exclusive Buddhist news, teachings, art, and commentary. Sign up for the Lion's Roar weekly newsletter and follow Lion's Roar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Topics: Music

Related Posts...

Tina Turner’s Journey into Faith
by Ralph H. Craig III
Musical Meditations
by Andrew Glencross
What Is the Sound of Buddhist Music Today?
by Lion's Roar Staff

Welcome to LionsRoar.com

By Lion's Roar Staff

We’re glad to have you here. But first: who are “we”? You may very well know us as the publishers of two Buddhist magazines, the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma. Then again, you may not know us at all. Either way, please allow us to re-introduce ourselves: We’re the Shambhala Sun Foundation. We [...]

  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscriber Services
  • Privacy
  • BUDDHIST DIRECTORY
  • About Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
TEACHINGS
  • Chan & Zen
  • Nichiren
  • Pure Land
  • Shin
  • Theravada & Insight
  • Vajrayana & Tibetan
  • More…
LIFE
  • Death & Dying
  • Difficult Times
  • Everyday Life
  • Food & Eating
  • Love & Relationships
  • Wellness & Psychology
  • More…
EXPLORE BUDDHISM
  • By the Numbers
  • FAQs
  • For Beginners
  • Glossary
  • How to Meditate
  • The Buddha
  • More…
NEWS
  • Breaking News
  • Climate Change
  • Contemporary Art
  • Current Events
  • Politics & Society
  • Teachers & Centers
  • More…

© 2021 Lion's Roar | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 902.422.8404 | Published by Lion's Roar Foundation