In this installment, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach/journalist Jo Confino are joined by musician/producer Jack Peñate and frequent guest Brother Phap Linh, Dharma teacher/musician. Together, they talk about the release of A Cloud Never Dies, the debut album by the Plum Village Band – a musical meditation on love, continuation, and non-fear, inspired by and dedicated to Thich Nhat Hanh.
The album was produced by Jack, with the two monastics joining the conversation as co-creators of the album and representing the Plum Village Band: a collective of Zen Buddhist monks and nuns from Plum Village Monastery, France, plus musician-meditator friends from around the world.
In the first part of the episode, the guests discuss their musical journeys, from childhood to this point; the power of music as a portal to share the Dharma; music and Buddhist tradition; making music as a spiritual form; art as a Zen practice; and more.
In the second part, they share songs from the album and discuss their origins, meaning, creative process, and production stories. And we get to listen to the discussed songs too.
Listen to the album and find out more about it here.
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Quote
“Music not as a performance, but as an invitation to touch the present moment.”
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🔔 The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living is a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.
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🎙️ The podcast is co-produced by the Plum Village App and Global Optimism with support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.
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Resources
Interbeing
Sister Chan Khong
Jack Peñate
Brother Phap Linh (Brother Spirit)
Album: A Cloud Never Dies
‘Recommendation’
The Way Out Is In: ‘Regeneration and Musical Inspiration: The North American Tour (Episode #53)’
Pirates Blend
‘The Four Dharma Seals of Plum Village’
Aretha Franklin
Billie Holiday
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
Narcissus and Goldmund
The Glass Bead Game
Hermann Hesse
Bhagavad Gita