by Paul Griffin

As music director of the Milarepa Children’s Chorus, I thought it was about time I shared a poem, a doha, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche that my kids sing in the chorus.  What is the Milarepa Children’s Chorus?  Here is our mission statement:

The Milarepa Children’s Chorus sings traditional songs of realization in English as taught to us by the great Tibetan yogi and scholar Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.  For years Khenpo Rinpoche has been teaching students throughout the world these sacred songs which were sung by the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa who lived and practiced in the caves of Tibet most of his life.  Singing songs follows the doha tradition dating back to the Buddha himself who used songs to teach the path of awakening.  The members of the chorus are Tibetan and Western children living in New York City. 

The following video was taken during our rehearsal on October 16th, 2009 at the Nalandabodhi meditation center in New York City.  The song is called All These Forms.

Read on to see the words to this wonderful dharma song…

All these forms–appearance-emptiness
Like a rainbow with its shining glow
In the reaches of appearance-emptiness
Just let go and go where no mind goes

Every sound is sound and emptiness
Like the sound of an echo’s roll
In the reaches of sound and emptiness
Just let go and go where no mind goes

Every feeling is bliss and emptiness
Way beyond what words can show
In the reaches of bliss and emptiness
Just let go and go where no mind goes

All awareness–awareness-emptiness
Way beyond what thoughts can know
In the reaches of awareness-emptiness
Let awareness go–oh, where no mind goes