Bardic Dharma

Available April 2018

What is Bardic Dharma?

Since 2012 I’ve been practicing a heavily bardic-inspired spirituality revolving around the principle of spreading world-changing messages of peace, compassion, mindfulness, and love through music. This has been the largest motivating factor in creating music.

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 meets the teachings of wisdom and compassion to become the Bardic Dharma.

Music inspired by the Buddha’s teachings.

The Goal of Bardic Dharma.

It’s the goal of any musician to have their music change the world somehow. I’m no different. 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.

You see, 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.

The Rime Buddhist sangha is changing in exciting ways. They 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.

The Bardic Dharma Experience.

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.

Track List

Metta

The Well Gone One

Goldilocks Was a Buddha

Cumulus Drifting

Hot Coals

You Are Enough

Be Kind, Be Gentle, Give, Be True

Clouds in Every Flower

I Am Awake

Only Love

Angulimala

Vajrasattva

Change

Lend a Hand