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Bardic Dharma

by Barefoot Bran

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1.
Metta 03:39
May all beings be happy May all beings be free May all beings be healthy May all beings be at peace Be at peace (X5) May you be happy May you be free May you be healthy May you be at peace Be at peace (X5) May all beings be happy May all beings be free May all beings be healthy May all beings be at peace May I be happy May I be free May I be healthy May I be at peace Be at peace (X5) May all beings be happy May all beings be free May all beings be healthy May all beings be at peace (X2)
2.
What is life? What is change? What is sickness? What is death? I relinquish my worldly life Born a prince, but not a prince I’ll die I set out at twenty nine Looking for answers, oh the answers of life Life was hard as a mendicant But I learned a lot as an ascetic But hey, life was hard, and extreme Self-mortification, and nothing to eat I almost died, as we all do But a blessed woman, she brought me food How could I reach any sort of goal If I didn’t eat from my bowl Under that tree I vowed to sit Until I found the key To Enlightenment Thus I sat, and thus I sought But the armies of Mara, how they fought Oh how they fought, how they fought Oh Mara, send me your daughters and monsters, Seduce me, reduce me to a mess Oh Mara, send me delusion, confusion Make me doubt, send your very best I shall remain here, in deep meditation Untangling the truth, realizing cessation You question my attainment, “Oh who will be your witness?” I touch the ground, the Earth my witness I touch the ground, the Earth my witness (spoken outro) Through many a birth I have wandered in samsara in vain In search, but never finding, the builder of this house To be born again and again is indeed suffering! Oh house builder, you are seen! You shall not build this house again. Your rafters are broken, your ridgepole shattered, The mind has attained the Unconditioned
3.
Goldilocks was a Buddha She practiced the Middle Way Not too hot and not too cold Was the name of her game Name of her game An empty house, an empty mind Oh, Goldilocks had a choice One bowl would burn her up The other would numb her mind Oh, the other would numb her mind “Why should I starve myself? But why should I always feast? It does no good to feed off of Negative energies Negative energies.” An empty bed, a tired mind Goldilocks had to choose A bed so hard it would break her back Or a bed too soft and loose Which one would she choose? “A bed of great luxury Only feeds my greed But a bed of needles would prick my heart And leave me in defeat Leave me in defeat.” There must be a better way A better way to live my life Not too hot and not too cold Not too dark and not too light Something just right Oh you can’t play that guitar If the string’s strung too tight It might snap and whack your hand And that’s just not right And you can’t play that guitar If the string’s strung too loose No sound it’ll make, no song you will play Gotta keep it in tune Gotta keep it in tune Goldilocks was a Buddha She practiced the Middle Way Not too hot and not too cold Was the name of her game Was the name of her game
4.
I am like a cloud Flying high in the clear blue sky I am like a cloud Flying high in the clear blue sky I am like a cloud Flying high in the clear blue sky I am like a cloud Just a cumulus drifting in the clear blue skies I am unattached To all the worries of all my life I am unattached To all the worries of all my life I am unattached To all the worries of all my life I am unattached Just a cumulus drifting in the clear blue skies (Ooooooooooooh) I am like a mountain Unaffected by all the winds I am like a mountain Unaffected by all the winds I am like a mountain Unaffected by all the winds I am like a mountain Like a cumulus drifting upon the winds
5.
Your fist has been clenching For far too long It’s long turned white and holding tight Because you have to feel strong If only you loosen Feel the blood rush back in Open our palm to the sky Discover what was hid (chorus) You are enough You’re all that you need When you feel there’s something missing It’s just underneath All that you cling to All you don’t need Learn to let go of Anger, fear, and greed It’s been there from the start It’s been there the whole time Like a treasure under rags Unable to shine It’s time to uncover And to pull the rags back Perfection is within you Not in what you lack chorus It’s your basic goodness Your original face Your Buddha Nature Nothing else to seek Right here in the present moment In this very place It’s your true nature Go ahead, take a peek chorus
6.
Hot Coals 05:18
He said she said they said Something mean about me Now I’m way more angry Than I oughtta be The passion burns inside me A craving for revenge But history will show ya It never works in the end Cuz anger’s just like a hot coal That you just wanna throw Oh, no matter where it lands You end up burning your hands (X2) Anger gets to all of us Sometimes we want to make a fuss We go off like an unaimed rocket An out of control electrical socket Whoa-oh, I’m not saying anger is bad It’s only when we start to react So, hold anger at arm’s length And see the pain that it creates Cuz anger’s just like a hot coal That you just wanna throw Oh, no matter where it lands You end up burning your hands (X2) Keep your seat, that’s all you’ve gotta do Be there for the anger rising up in you You don’t gotta bottle it up, but don’t let it erupt See it for what it truly is, and no matter what happens, sit with it Cuz anger’s just like a hot coal That you just wanna throw Oh, no matter where it lands You end up burning your hands (X2) Cuz anger’s just like a hot coal That you just wanna throw Oh, no matter where it lands You end up burning your hands (X2)
7.
In the face of the angry, shine with loving-kindness In the face of the harsh, be gentle In the face of the greedy, share with them generosity In the face of the false, be true
8.
The green grass Contrasts the pastel hues Of all of the flowers In their Springtime bloom The blue sky Caresses the clouds as they sail And I can’t help but wonder At the beauty of it all Is the cloud in the rain as it falls? Is it in the flowers that bloom? When you look at mountains so tall, Do you feel fragile? Does it all unravel? Is the cloud in me and you? There is consequence To every thought and intention Every dream ever dreamt Every man’s inventions But there is love to give A heart in every song Enough to combat the ill will And hate in every bomb Is the cloud in the rain as it falls? Is it in the flowers that bloom? When you look at mountains so tall, Do you feel fragile? Does it all unravel? Is the cloud in me and you? What do we do With all that hate? Do they think their mushroom clouds Will deliver healing rain? But their rain can’t give rise to flowers No bouquet of condolences, In their darkest hours Is the cloud in the rain as it falls? Is it in the flowers that bloom? When you look at mountains so tall, Do you feel fragile? Does it all unravel? Is the cloud in me and you?
9.
I Am Awake 04:02
I went a walking the other day Just like I do I met a strange individual I asked him who are you? He shone with the brilliance Of a million suns His peaceful gaze full of wisdom There was no way he could be a mortal man, I thought So I asked him then what are you? Are you some sort of god? He smiled then and he told me no Though he'd heard that one a lot I asked him then “well are you a wizard, With powerful abilities?” He smiled then and he told me no Though he could clearly see I asked him then “well are you man? You look just like I do.” He smiled at me and he told me no I asked him what are you? He said: I am awake I am awake I am awake He told me how he had sat Underneath that tree For a day, for a night Til he could clearly see He told me how he had learned To break free from the chains That bind us all to our lives The chains of Ignorance, Greed, and Hate I asked him then how I could Achieve such clarity Oh, ’tis a simple task But one of great difficulty He said, “Do no harm onto yourself Or any other being Do only good for the world Subdue your mind thoroughly.” He said: I am awake I am awake I am awake To the suffering of the world I am awake I am awake I am awake Free from the attachments I used hold I went a walking the other day Just like I do To sit underneath that Bodhi tree For my mind to subdue
10.
Only Love 03:38
You can make martyrs of us But we won’t stop now We shall not Let hate win We will march through the clouds Of tear gas and vitriol We find solace In the progressing winds That bring with it a song So sweet and so true Can you hear The song on the wind? A song transcending time An ancient truth That screams out loud Love always wins There are those who’ve been to the mountaintop And seen the land Of the Promised Truth And there are those, the jealous ones Who, fearful and full of hate Will tremble at the sight Of the coming truth They’ve struck us down With thunderbolts To try to silence The song on the wind But just like the mountaintop We shall not be moved We will see Love always wins They will sing their songs Of oppression and hate A feeble attempt At drowning us out But we shall overcome They shall grow weary And they will succumb To the power of our love And the winds will come A howling gale Feeding the fires Fanning the flames And together we will roar A burning sun Driving the darkness Away Darkness cannot Drive out Darkness Only Light Can do that Hate cannot Drive out hate Only love Can do that
11.
Angulimala 04:05
Angulimala was a murderer Who hung the fingers from his neck The fingers of his victims, yeah You never know who’s next Born as the Harmless One he never sinned But jealousy rots, and rumors flew Lies spread like wild fire to his teacher Who knew just what to do You see, the harmless one was the best of pupils But his peers found him insufferable They spread the lies that he’d slept with the wife Of their great teacher, their guru His teacher instructed the Harmless One To deliver him a final gift Of one thousand fingers, each one a life Only this his teachings would complete Such a road could prove to be fatal For the seeker of one thousand digits But the guru was well aware And thought death a good consequence And the Harmless One, none the wiser Did as his master demanded so bold Anything to please his teacher He’d do anything he was told He killed and thieved his life away The fingers hanging from his collar Hunting that most precious gift That’s how he gained the name Angulimala Nine hundred ninety nine, oh they came And all he had left was one more prize He spied his last long awaited target Twas his own mother he realized. Sword unleashed, oh wild eyes He charged his target furiously When out stepped a beggar robed all in rags The Buddha smiled curiously He focused now on the Buddha now Such a noble, willing victim A fitting way to end his tirade No better target if he had picked ‘im. He ran and he ran and the Buddha moseyed No matter how fast Angulimala ran He never seemed to catch the pace Of the old Enlightened One Bewildered, Angulimala panted “Oh I can’t catch you, please wait stop!” The Buddha turned and said “I have stopped, “It is you who have not.” He explained when Angulimala halted He said, “I have stopped all killing and harm.” It is you who have yet to cease what you are doing Tearing those fingers from their arms.” He threw down his weapons and fell to his knees “I relinquish my quest,” Angulimala spoke He became a monk right then and there Devoted to letting go. People change, even the most extreme Violence, desires, and defilement It just goes to show that anyone can Find Enlightenment Angulimala was a murderer Who saw the error of his ways No longer a slave to violence He walked the middle way
12.
Vajrasattva 03:08
Om vajrasattva hum
13.
Change 03:02
The tick of the clock, the burning of fire The great expanse of space All share the same fate of falling apart All share the same fate of change Just as the seasons turn summer to fall Just as the night into day Try as you might you can’t hold nothing at all Try as you might it’s called change Born out of dust, we’re already running Through blinding fear and pain Birth and sickness, old age and death All in the name of change Just as the seasons turn summer to fall Just as the night into day Try as you might you can’t hold nothing at all Try as you might it’s called change The things we hold dear, the loves of our lives They are not in vain Things are not things, only conditions entangled The only thing constant is change Now is the time, relinquish the grasping The wanting, the fear, the pain Open yourself to the present moment Open yourself to change Just as the seasons turn summer to fall Just as the night into day Try as you might you can’t hold nothing at all Try as you might it’s called change
14.
Lend a Hand 04:40
We live each day with each other All our sisters and all our brothers We act like no one’s there We act like oh we don’t care But do we really? Lend a hand To every creature Of every land And every feature Lend a hand, yes lend a hand We are the teachers We live each day, just trying our best But sometimes we face unrest They might try to force our cards Sometimes it just gets too hard Can anyone hear them? Lend a hand To every creature Of every land And every feature Lend a hand, yes lend a hand We are the teachers Lend a hand When we can’t stand tall Lend a hand When we start to fall Lend a hand, yes lend a hand For the good of us all Injustice will break our hearts And sometimes we will fall apart But we have the choice to make To lend a hand and to make a change Lend a hand To every creature Of every land And every feature Lend a hand, yes lend a hand We are the teachers Lend a hand When we can’t stand tall Lend a hand When we start to fall Lend a hand, yes lend a hand For the good of us all

about

For several years I’ve found the teachings of the Buddha to be a foundational inspiration in my life, and like anything important to me, it started to make its way into my lyrics. Buddhism is such a beautiful, poetic, pragmatic, revolutionary way to live life, and I think its teachings can transcend religious tradition to offer honest, positive change. The Buddha Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, has much to offer regardless of what philosophy or religious tradition one follows.

And so the bardic inspiration of making music meets the teachings of wisdom and compassion to become the Bardic Dharma: Music inspired by the Buddha’s teachings.


This album, I hope, will leave a positive mark upon the world. Not just through the positive message, either. This album is different from my others in a huge way...

A large chunk of the profits of this album will go to a cause near and dear to me: The Kansas City Rime Buddhist Center. This spiritual community has been a refuge for me for the last several years. They offer many great teachings, classes, and retreats dealing with the teachings of the Buddha, as well as great social efforts such as their Homeless Outreach Program, refugee sponsorship, their involvement in interfaith work and social justice, and many other great opportunities at creating change in the world. Right now there are plans to create a community garden.

They also plan on moving out of the space they’ve been renting for the last several years…and hope to build a sangha-owned temple.

This community is really important to me, and I hope that the proceeds of this album can go to help fund the building of the new temple in any small way that it can.


What can you expect from this album? There’s quite a variety this album offers. There will be light-hearted stories like Goldilocks was a Buddha; epic songs of classical Buddhist stories like Angulimala, I Am Awake, and The Well Gone One; Buddhist chants and prayers like Metta and Vajrasattva; inspiring songs like Only Love, You Are Enough, Cumulus Drifting, and Lend a Hand.

There’s a variety of sounds, too, like the bluesy rocky Hot Coals, or the homespun folky Be Kind, Be Gentle, Give, Be True, or the intimate, personal guitar-and-voice songs like Clouds in Every Flower and Changes.

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released April 12, 2018

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Barefoot Bran Kansas City, Kansas

Bran crafts his unique, down-to-earth folk songs that tell stories that are fun, inspiring, insightful, and ofttimes humorous.

From heart-felt songs of world peace, to earthy tunes of Nature; from epic myths and stories, there’s sure to be something in Bran’s music for any groovy, tree-huggin’, peace-lovin’ soul!
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