Gaté, Gaté

CHANT

In our last post, we forgot to add the prayer, relating to Buddha and, indirectly, to Kwan Yin. From the CD jacket insert, (Heart of Perfect Wisdom - A Sufi Song of Love), Robert Gass* writes:

"...Beyond The Beyond draws upon the sounds and tonalities of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, using both overtone chanting and Tibetan bells. On Gate Gate, these Eastern timbres are woven with modern American folk idioms, classical choral realizations, and some jazz chording. The resulting tapestry is, I believe, unique but true to the spirit of the chant and the lineage.

The primary chant is adapted from the famous "Heart of Perfect Wisdom" sutra. Also called the "Heart Sutra", it is chanted daily in Buddhist centers throughout the world. In this sutra, the Buddha is speaking to one of his chief disciples. The text is said to contain the essence of the Buddha's teachings. As one recites or listens to these sacred sounds, it is possible to pierce the delusive mind and open the to wisdom of the heart."

Gaté, gaté

para gaté

para sum gaté

bodhi, svaha!

Gone, gone

gone beyond

gone beyond the beyond

hail to the awakened one!

*Many musicians have performed this prayer. One of the most beautiful (not having heard all), in our opinion, is performed by, "On Wings of Song and Robert Gass". Also included within this CD is, A Sufi Song of Love.

Enjoy.