Podcasts about kanzeon

Greetings Friends,As we begin this new year, I want to spend sometime with the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra. This chant is one that is chanted across Mahayana Buddhist traditions, within our own Zen school, it is chanted daily in most monasteries and regularly in many practice communities.It's a pithy teaching that cuts to the heart of our practice. And it starts with the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion (the archetype of compassion) practicing Prajna Paramita (which translates as wisdom beyond wisdom). Right here, in the first line of this chant we see a fundamental relationship between compassion and wisdom. Wisdom is the practice of Great Compassion. Great Compassion, the activity of wisdom beyond wisdom.There is a koan about the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion that I am quite fond of and would like to share.Blue Cliff Record Case 89—Hands and Eyes of Great CompassionYunyan asked Daowu, “‘How does the Bodhisattva Guanyin use those many hands and eyes?”'Daowu answered, “‘It is like someone in the middle of the night reaching behind her head for the pillow.”'Yunyan said, “I understand.”Daowu asked, “How do you understand it?”Yunyan said, “‘All over the body are hands and eyes.”Daowu said, “That is very well expressed, but it is only eight-tenths of the answer.”Yunyan said, “How would you say it, Elder Brother?”Daowu said, “Throughout the body are hands and eyes.The koan begins with two dharma brothers, two spiritual friends, walking together. One of the characters for friend in the Japanese kanji is the character for moon, twice. Two moons walking together. So intimate. The moon is a symbol we use in Zen to refer to our original, awakened nature. Two original humans, seeing each other's nature.I always think about this poem by Rumi called Sema, Deep ListeningThere is a moon in every human being, learn to be companions with itGive more of your life to this listeningIts like friendship is the act of seeing the awakened nature in another, nurturing their inner moon. And allowing our awakened nature to be seen by another. Letting them nurture our inner moon.And we also learn through friendship and through practice, how to companion ourselves—to nurture our own inner moons. To give more of our lives to this listening.Listening is an aspect of compassion. Kanzeon one manifestation of the bodhisattva of compassion hears the cries of the world.Listening is also a dharma gate to deep intimacy, wisdom beyond wisdom–many teachers awakened upon hearing a sound. Listening can help us move beyond the realm of concepts. We listen, and for many the sense of self expands. The whole body hears. Hearing open our awareness to the vast expanse of Mind's nature, spacious, without bounds.So we have two friends, two companions, the intimacy of friendship, deep listening, nurturing awakened nature in each other—And one friend poses a question—do you have friends like that? Who ask questions that draw you in? Ponder aspects of the dharma together? Ponder life together? Are you a friend like that? I think in Zen practice we are learning to be this kind of friend to ourselves, and others. We are practicing refining our questioning—and this can be playful.What do you think the bodhisattva of great compassion does with all those hands and eyes?In one depiction of Avalokiteshvara they have 10K arms and hands, in each hand sometimes they hold an eye (to see/bear witness to the suffering in the world) and sometimes they have a different kind of tool or instrument to help relieve suffering.Pause here—because we are learning more about compassion through these images, another facet of the jewel is being revealed. Compassion has this quality of bearing witness, of hearing, of seeing—of being present with. So often our attention—our kind, open attention is medicine—is healingAnd then another aspect of compassion is more active—taking the form of the medicine in the moment, responding as best as we can.In Shantideva's prayer, we become whatever is needed to relieve the suffering in the world, in others, in ourselves—may I be a bridge, a boat, a ship—may I be doctor, nurse and medicine.I like this question because they are playing in the mythology of buddhism, but they are also pondering it in real time. What is compassion? How does it function?So one responds—its like reaching back for a pillow in the middle of the night.Compassion is so natural—its happening even when we are unconscious or semi-conscious.When we are emptied out of the self who is trying to be good, to do it right—compassion, compassion.Here in the reaching in the darkness, there is something about spontaneity, uncontrivedness, naturalness.Is compassion our nature? How would we know? Can we even track all the moments of compassion that sustain our lives minute by minute, day by day?More immediate answer might have been reaching out and squeezing his hand, or scratching his back, or handing him a piece of fruit or some water—Don't just tell me about compassion being our nature—show me.But this image is good. Its an invitation. Something we can take with us and explore. How are your very own hands enacting compassion?What is your experience of letting the thinking mind get quiet, or open? What happens when you slip below the story of self?How does love arise? what does it look like now?…I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, budding Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions in the styles of IFS and somatic mindfulness. I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more.Below you can find a list of weekly and monthly online and in-person practice opportunities. I will be traveling to Oregon in February and will be facilitating three events of varying lengths while I am there (most of which are taking place at Great Vow Zen Monastery.)Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Feel free to join anytime. Event last about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKMonthly Online Practice EventSky+Rose: An emergent online community braiding spirit and soul First Sundays10:30A - 12:30P PT / 1:30P - 3:30P ETnext Meeting March 2ndIn-Person in OregonFeb 1 — Sky+Rose Daylong Retreat: The Strange Garden of DesireThe strange garden of desire: wandering, dreaming, feasting, tending, destroying.In this daylong workshop each person will explore their singular Strange Garden of Desires, taking a fresh look at what loves, longings, obsessions and obligations live within us.Through parts work, meditation, and practices of somatic expression we will engage our gardens in five distinct ways: wandering, dreaming, tending, feasting and destroying.Feb 2 - 9 — Pari-Nirvana Sesshin: A Meditation Retreat exploring Life, Death & the UnknownFeb 13 - 16 — Emergent Darkness – A Creative Process, Parts Work and Zen RetreatIn-Person in Ohio(See Mud Lotus Sangha Calendar for weekly meditation events, classes and retreats) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Returning to the twists and turns of the endless, meandering 2024 campaign for POTUS, and looming uncertainty of threatened challenges to the vote promising to bollix up the results, the question arises as to what this may have to do with Zen. The dedicated Zen guy who produces the UnMind podcast suggested that we take up the premise of the “Bodhisattva ideal” in Buddhism, comparing and contrasting behaviors and apparent attitudes of the candidates — and politicians in general — to this lofty ideal and aspiration. Somewhere in the copious Zen literature I came across the proposition that governmental leaders find themselves in positions of power owing to karmic merit accumulated in past lives, apparently whether they know it or not. We can suppose that this quaint notion arose in the context of predominantly Buddhist societies, such as that of Ashoka the Great in India, or in the later empires or principalities in China. It requires quite a stretch of the imagination to interpret our current political situation from that standpoint, though an online meme that one of the candidates is the “chosen of God” is even more ludicrous to contemplate. Looking at the meaning of “Bodhisattva” thorough the eyes of Google, the first hit that comes up is from the University of Washington, Seattle-based home of the Huskies, the first thing that comes up on their homepage. We will defer any consideration of college football as the key branding element of UW, and higher education in general, for a later segment. Their more-or-less traditional definition of the Bodhisattva assumedly comes from their comparative religion department: Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have put off entering paradise in order to help others attain enlightenment. There are many different Bodhisattvas, but the most famous in China is Avalokitesvara, known in Chinese as Guanyin. Bodhisattvas are usually depicted as less austere or inward than the Buddha. — https://depts.washington.edu Parsing this definition, I have a few quibbles. We prefer the use of “enlightening” beings as it indicates a process in which all of us comprise a work in progress, whereas “enlightened” indicates a state of completion. No true bodhisattva would ever claim to be enlightened in that sense. In the sense of enlightened self interest and the best interests of others, yes. Then there is the idea of “entering paradise.” The Buddhist term “Nirvana” is not pointing at another dimension or plane of existence, but the true nature of this world in which we find ourselves — so-called “Samsara.” As Master Dogen reminds us, “actually, the Other Shore (of Nirvana) comes to us”; we do not go to it. As Shohaku Okumura-roshi once mentioned, “Everybody says they want to go to Nirvana. But when you go there, there is nobody there. Only bodhisattvas can go to Nirvana, and they choose to stay here. So our charge is to change Samsara into Nirvana.” This is what Dogen means by saying the other shore comes to us. The reference to “many different Bodhisattvas” and the most famous being Avalokitesvara, Guanyin in China, or Kanzeon in Japan, reinforces the notion that bodhisattvas are a special class of beings, outside the kin or ordinary mortals — much like the icons of other religions, such as canonized prophets, saints and saviors, or demigods. My understanding of the Zen ideal is that we are all bodhisattvas, whether we know it or not. And finally, the reference to their relatively diminished austerity seems somewhat overwrought. My reading of the original teachings attributed to Shakyamuni reveal a profound humility and accessibility, and a remarkable empathy for his audience, that any bodhisattva would aspire to emulate. Awakening of the Bodhi mind is concomitant with the Bodhisattva vow — to help all others before reaching the other shore — according to Dogen, who should know. So how do our current carriers of partisan banners stack up against this image? I would suggest that their motivations have little or nothing to do with entering paradise, for one. So in that, they are like bodhisattvas — but focusing their efforts on the present and immediate future of prosperity in the secular sphere — not the spiritual realm. In American politics, and perhaps that of Western countries in general, there is an underlying implication that behavior in the societal sphere is indicative of one's “values,” which tend to land in the ethical, moral, and spiritual column. This may be a vestigial remnant of the puritan ethic that pervaded the early migrants to these shores, the after- effects of which we witness today, including in the performative permutations of partisan politics. But, quoting myself in an earlier UnMind segment, there are brute behaviors of our fellow-travelers in this particular time and space that cannot be excused as politic: When it comes to indiscriminate bombing of civilians and children, we are no longer in the realm of “politics.” If we are silent, we become complicit. Buddha, I believe, would have spoken out against this betrayal of compassion and wisdom. As did Matsuoka Roshi, concerning the corrupt regime in Vietnam, and other atrocities of his time. We can look to the teachings and meditation practice of Zen Buddhism to find a degree of solace and sanctuary from these insults to humanity, but we cannot run, and we cannot hide from them, ultimately. But we do not have to join the partisan divide, either. In the same episode, we provided some historical context by referring to the foundational documents of the Founding Fathers, including the Declaration of Independence, with particular attention to the second section: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. This begins to sound a lot like the Bodhisattva ideal applied to the salvation of others, at least in the secular realm. If we are all equal, we all have equal potential to wake up in the most comprehensive sense, as did Shakyamuni Buddha. We also innately deserve to be treated with the highest degree of respect from our peers. And each and all have equal claim to life — within the realistic constraints of aging, sickness and death; to liberty — in the sense of true liberation from our own ignorance, and the imposition of that of others upon our lives; and the pursuit of true happiness, which does not derive from materialistic sources. Perhaps our political leaders are doing their level best to secure the rights, at least in their secular manifestation. But compare to the Bodhisattva vows, which address serving, or saving all beings, on another scale altogether; two translations give us a better insight into their broader and deeper meaning: Beings are numberless I vow to free themDelusions are inexhaustible I vow to end themDharma gates are boundless I vow to enter themThe Buddha way is unsurpassable I vow to realize it However innumerable all beings are I vow to free them allHowever inexhaustible my delusions are I vow to extinguish them allHowever immeasurable the dharma teachings are I vow to master them allHowever endless the great way I vow to follow it completely I leave it to you to decide whether or not, and to what degree, your candidate for the highest office in the land, the most powerful secular position on Earth, are in harmony with these compassionate aspirations. But remember that the teachings of Buddhism were never meant to be held up to criticize others, but to reflect back upon yourself and your own behavior. The mirror of Zen reflects all — the good, the bad, and the ugly — without discrimination. You and your behavior are also reflected in that Precious Mirror.

Alla fenomen uppstår i vårt medvetande, vårt sinne. Detta kan tyckas vara självklart och således onödigt att säga, men visdomstraditionerna menar att det är något vi djupt bör kontemplera. Detta tar sig bl.a. uttryck i olika s.k. sutror man reciterar inom t.ex. zenbuddhismen. Texten nedan är tagen från recitationshäftet som används i Zenbuddhistiska samfundet: https://zazen.se/ Kannon gyo Kanzeon!
 Prisad vare Buddha!
 Allt är ett med Buddha,
 allt vaknar upp till Buddha. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha – evighet, varande, klarhet och lycka. Genom dagen Kanzeon,
 genom natten Kanzeon.
 Detta nu uppstår ur Sinnet.
 Detta nu i sig är Sinnet. Andlighet på olika plattformar Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andlighet Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/se/podcast/andlighet/id1603002647?l=en Google podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy83OGI5MjVmOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CIB4x6sOyceoxShQvnKpZ?si=Hyo1wvOqTqCIKj5-BIXowQ

Ensinamento de hoje: "Relação entre Kanzeon Bossatsu, Koomyo Nyorai, Messias e Miroku"

佛教在约前公元六世纪从古印度印度河流域开始繁衍生花，梵呗便是由佛教发展而来的音乐：用清净的言语赞叹诸佛菩萨三宝功德，带给听者清净、离欲之感。对于非信徒来说，这些佛教音乐难免单调、枯燥，但随着现代音乐的普及与发展，也诞生了不少兼备佛性与可听性的优秀作品。本期 B 和框框将围绕佛教与音乐的话题展开一番讨论。 - 聊天的人 - B，「主唱死了」主播 框框，一个普通人 - 本期曲单 - Opening - 南无 - 往生净土咒 斯里兰卡寺庙祭祀 天声乐队 - 祷歌 希阿荣博 - 金刚萨埵百字明 王菲 - 心经 柬埔寨僧侣诵经 周磊（Leo Zhou） - 净三业真言 赤坂阳月 - Kanzeon ［延命十句観音経］ 薬師寺寛邦 - 大悲咒 Ending - 坂本龙一/うないぐみ - 弥勒世果報 - 参考资料 - 早期南亚佛教音乐初探 佛牙寺 《法歌》动与定- 柬埔寨佛教音乐的旋律与意义 赤坂阳月B站主页 - 支持我们的赞助商是对我们最好的支持 - JustPod 2022 广告招商现已全面展开，欢迎订阅微信公众号 JustPod，回复“广告”，了解详情。商务合作请洽询 ad@justpod.fm - 制作团队 - 剪辑混音 时峥峰 logo设计 框框 节目运营 小米粒 - 本节目由 JustPod 出品 ©2022上海斛律网络科技有限公司 - - 互动方式 - 商务合作：ad@justpod.fm 微博：@JustPod @播客一下 微信公众号：JustPod / 播客一下 小红书：JustPod气氛组

Julie Nelson gives an encouragement talk. We are told that Kanzeon "receives only compassion." Does this mean she blocks everything else out? (March 17, 2022)

H:89 The Hands and Eyes of the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion Automated transcript https://otter.ai/u/hFqPDZEkMk6QJXpipmyiSzDY9cU How do we act with wisdom and compassion? Is it possible to grasp the truth 100 per cent?

ADZG 954 ADZG Monday Night Dharma Talk by Beau Golwitzer

ADZG 953 ADZG Sunday Morning Dharma Talk by Shudo Paula Lazarz

Susan Seien Wilder, Senior Lay Student - Zen Mountain Monastery, Wednesday 08/26/2021 - Seien begins her heartfelt talk by inviting the Sangha to chant the Sutra of Great Compassion together. She goes on to ask who are we invoking? Who is Kanzeon? Who could it be but ourselves?

  --- CONNECT --- Learn More: https://www.asksenseitony.com Order Sensei Tony's New Book, The Three Principles of Oneness: How Embodying the Cosmic Perspective Can Liberate Your Life: http://bit.ly/senseitony   Subscribe to the Ask Sensei Tony Podcast: https://asksenseitony.podbean.com/ Become a Lion's Gaze Member: http://bit.ly/lionsgaze Visit the Dragonfly Store: https://www.asksenseitony.com/store   --- WHO IS SENSEI TONY? --- Anthony Stultz, aka ‘Sensei Tony’, is a recognized expert on the practice of Mindfulness. He is the founder and Director of The Dragonfly Sangha (1996), and The Blue Lotus School of Mindfulness Arts (1999). A leader in contemporary spirituality, his works on mindful living have appeared in both popular journals and academic books like Mindful Magazine, Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, and Engaged Buddhism in the West (2000). He is the author of the award-winning book, Free Your Mind: The Four Directions of an Awakened Life (2007), and his exciting new release, The Three Principles of Oneness: How Embodying The Cosmic Perspective Can Liberate Your Life (2019). 

How may I come to know the peace and strength of will to meet whatever arise, and live with a heart free of fear? On this May day when rain has softly soaked the earth, Rev. Clairissa reflects on the opening lines of our evening office scripture to Kanzeon, The Litany of the Great Compassionate One, as well as other teachings on becoming “the One Who leaps beyond all fear.”

Laura Wallace gives an encouragement talk. The texts are "Invocation of Kanzeon" from our Sutra book and "The Guest House" by Jalaluddin Rumi. (December 22, 2020)

“… dwelling in perfect wisdom, we too may begin to discover the eternally selflessly giving love that nourishes all of creation …” “… True giving must mean relinquishing control …” Description: The first line of the Heart Sutra invokes the bodhisattva Kanzeon, her name “Avalokiteshvara,” who represents infinite, boundless love and well-wishing for all beings. His/her name […]

A brief podcast from Trafalgar Square. I talk about how compassion is to be found everywhere and in all things.

In “Kanzeon's Gentle Arms” we follow Rev. Clairissa on a circumambulation through the Temple of the Heart of Compassion, on the occasion of the thrice-yearly Festival of Avalokiteshwara, the Bodhisattva whose name means “The One Who Hears the Cries of the World.”

A guide to this poem (with a little help from Wiki): Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. This bodhisattva is variably depicted, described and portrayed in different cultures as either male or female.In Tibet, he is known as Chenrezig, and in Cambodia as Avloketesvar. In Chinese Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara has evolved into the somewhat different female figure Guanyin, also known in Japan as Kanzeon. The Master the poem speaks about is Ramakrishna, the Bengali teacher who died in 1886. In many ways, he united the dual, theistic path with the avaitic or nondual path. The weeds and the little Rockaway river are all found around my home in New Jersey. -Jason Shulman

Join Rinsen Sensei as he discusses joriki (self power), tariki (other power), and the nature of Kanzeon Bodhisattva - the Bodhisattva of Compassion.  

Also celebrating Tatsumi's forthcoming visit to the UK, we are making the film KanZeOn available to watch online for free for the first time - Tatsumi is one of three main characters in the film, which is part documentary and part a sensory exploration of sound, so anyone wanting to find out more about his fascinating double-life as a Buddhist priest and DJ/producer can do so via the following link. https://vimeo.com/103341775 This podcast provides an introduction to the sonic character of the film, consisting of selections from remixes of the film's soundtrack by the following artists: woob dj tatsuki kidkanevil manone shinekosei TA2MI escalade as part of KanZeOn ReIndications, which is available via the following link. https://kanzeonreindications.bandcamp.com/album/kanzeon-reindications  

Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion (also called Guanyin, Kannon, or Kanzeon), is hands-down the most popular of the Buddhist archetypal bodhisattvas. The many teachings and stories around Avalokiteshvara express the Buddhist view that compassion is a force unto itself; it isn’t merely a feeling or an ideal for personal conduct, it’s a reflection of universal interdependence and something that functions freely when we simply get ourselves out of the way.

This Dharma Talk was given by Jay Rinsen Weik Sensei at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo.  In this talk, Rinsen Sensei examines the role of Kanzeon Bodhisattva.  This traditional Buddhist manifestation of compassion is more than a statue, but is embodied the various aspect of yourself.  How is that the Bodhisattva of compassion moves through the world?  How do you move through the world dear one? To learn more about the Buddhist Temple of Toledo or to make a donation in support of this podcast, visit buddhisttempleoftoledo.org 

Following a break last week for our event at Cafe Oto, the podcast returns with another trip through our Sound Map of Kyushu https://www.japansoundportrait.com/sound-map in anticipation of returning there next month. Featuring an array of field recordings from the shooting of KanZeOn http://www.kanzeonthemovie.com/ and an unreleased track by TA2MI... https://ta2mi.bandcamp.com/  

*Long Election Intro Alert* Come hang out in the fledgling Synchronicity Facebook Community. A community for cool people by cool people.   Genpo Roshi stops by Synchronicity. Dennis Paul Merzel, also known as Genpo Roshi, is a Zen Priest, a teacher in both the Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen Buddhism, Abbot of Kanzeon since 1988, and creator of the Big Mind Process in 1999. From his initial awakening in 1971 his purpose and his passion have remained the same: to assist others to realize their true nature and to continuously deepen his own practice as well as assisting others in carefully reflecting on this life and clarifying the Way. He has a new book out now called Spitting Out the Bones: A Zen Master's 45 Year Journey Topics Discussed Zen Meditation The Monastic Life Not getting caught up in rituals N0-Self Experiences Non-experience Becoming a non-returner The Bodhisattva Vow

This week's podcast is specially devoted to TA2MI - our friend Tatsumi Akinobu, a Jodo Shinshuu Buddhist monk from the countryside outside the city of Kumamoto in the South of Japan. This mix shows off the full range of his musical talents, taking in: A track from a new release with Cheese N Pot-C for blocsonic http://blocsonic.com/releases/bsmx0145 A preview of TA2MI's remix of Jalal Salaam's 'Ignorance is Bliss', from a forthcoming collaborative release https://jalalsalaam.bandcamp.com/track/ignorance-is-bliss-prod-l A new instrumental track, To look up at The Night Sky https://ta2mi.bandcamp.com/track/to-look-up-into-the-night-sky Blended with an array of field recordings that Tatsumi has shared with us... Followed by Tatsumi beatboxing an old children's song from the Kumamoto region https://japansoundportrait.bandcamp.com/album/antagata-dokosa-where-are-you-from Finishing up with the audio of unreleased footage from the film KanZeOn, showing Tatsumi getting busy in his record room https://vimeo.com/102877002 Lots more information about TA2MI here https://www.facebook.com/ta2mitravelthroughworlds/  

featuring: Forest Whitaker reciting a quote from the Hagakure in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, discussing the central tenet of the Hannya Shingyo / Heart Sutra that form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Field recordings from walking the 88 Temple Shikoku pilgrimage One of my favourite tracks that I ever made with my friend Koichi Yuasa, a tea farmer, as shinekosei Field recordings from Tom Swindell and Akinobu Tatsumi from the film they are currently shooting about the aftermath of the earthquake in the Kumamoto region A new track from TA2MI| Akinobu Tatsumi A recording of the Buddhist Nenbutsu chant at Tatsumi's temple Shosanji, as appears in the film KanZeOn. Part of the soundtrack for KanZeOn created out of field recordings by ManOne A rapped hagiography of the 8th century Esoteric Buddhist polymath Kukai, by GMC, over a remix of the KanZeOn soundtrack by shinekosei, featuring Eri Fujii. Finishing with a recording of shomyo chanting at Kongobuji temple on Mount Koya. Thanks to Elizabeth Tinsley on these last two tracks.

The second episode of the Japan Sound Portrait podcast, featuring sounds associated with an event we took part in at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge earlier this year - kotsuzumi performance by Akihiro Iitomi, taken from the film KanZeOn, and then sections of the soundtrack from our Virtual Reality Japanese Soundscapes.

Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to Swedish singer-songwriter Mattias Hellberg about his eclectic, genre-defying career as he finishes off the recording for his new solo album. It's a varied and exciting journey - from his early days in Karlstad putting on gigs in the college canteen for bands such as Union Carbide Productions to forming his own bands including the influential Nymphet Noodlers along with future Soundtrack of Our Lives members Martin Hederos and Mattias Bärjed and Free Fall bassist Jan Martens. Along the way we discover admirers like Wayne Kramer from the MC5, Van Morrison, Ryan Adams and Iggy Pop and his numerous collaborations and side projects. These include The Solution with Scott Morgan from Sonic's Rendezvous band, Kanzeon, The White Moose, Jaqee, Nationalteaterns RockOrkester, The Hellacopters, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and of course Hederos & Hellberg. If that wasn't enough there are also his two excellent solo albums... The Episode is generously soundtracked with lots of great music from a selection of his many phases. We're also honoured to have some superb exclusive and unreleased songs from his forthcoming album. I'd like to sincerely thank Mattias Hellberg for his generosity and time.

Flomotion loves KanZeOn  –  a brilliant and beautiful film revolving around the subjects of music and religion in Japan which explores the nature and essence of sound. The film focuses on three particular musicians on the island of Kyushu; Eri Fujii, who plays the sho, a rare and ancient Chinese bamboo wind instrument evoking the cry [...]

Taigen Dan Leighton writes, in his wonderful book Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and their Modern Expression ... One meaning of Avalokiteshvara's name is "Regarder of the World's Cries or Sounds," indicated in the Japanese name Kanzeon. A shortened form of this is Kannon (or the Chinese Guanyin), "Hearing or Regarding Sounds." Avalokiteshvara is the one who calmly hears and considers all of the world's sounds of woe. This name implies that empathy and active listening are primary practices of compassion. Just to be present, to remain upright and aware in the face of suffering without needing to react reflexively, is compassion. Kanzeon acknowledges beings and their cries, and responds when appropriate or when it would be useful ... Considering all the many manifestations encompassed by Avalokiteshvara, however, we might also remember to carefully regard our own cries, the suffering of all the beings included within us. We cannot offer compassion to others if we cannot be compassionate, accepting, and forgiving of ourselves. We can hear and acknowledge our own feelings of fear, frustration, and anger with calm uprightness, rather than needing to react externally and act them out inappropriately. I feel this is a wonderful reminder that we should offer Compassion and Loving Kindness to this Sentient Being, you and me, even as we reach out to help all Sentient Beings and the world (we are sentient beings in this world too!). Kannon is often depicted with 1000 arms and eyes, seeing and reaching out toward suffering wherever it manifests. Truly, those hands and eyes are our hands and eyes. Visit the forum thread here!