Camille will facilitate with special guest singer/songwriter Samantha Rise on Monday night, Sept 14.
Music is a major part of the Plum Village tradition. Whether it is in singing, chanting, humming, drumming, instrumentals, music is practiced lovingly by monks, nuns and lay people in Plum Village, in retreats, in sanghas, and also of course with families, in ceremonies, in nature with the birds and wild animals, and just about everywhere. When people sing on the streets it brings us together and sustains our energy.
At Plum Village retreats, we sing songs to help us cultivate joy and peace, and remember to be mindful. As our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh says a song can help us to remember to "take refuge in ourselves by using our breathing to come back to a place of calm and stability".
During these challenging times, music can be very healing. Scientifically "music and musical elements of rhythm, melody, harmony and tempo stimulate a cognitive and emotional response that comprises the affective component of pain, which helps to positively affect mood and results in improved healing". The bottom line is that in all cultures and all over the world music has a special place among all people and animals as well, and it affects us in very positive ways. We don't need science to tell us this. Music helps foster change and has a unique ability to inspire changes in individuals and society. The singer/songwriter Jimi Hendrix says "music doesn't lie. If there's something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music".
In my life and practice when I am feeling down - I often notice I begin to hum - and usually unconsciously. My kids (or whoever I might have had an unpleasant encounter with) will often ask with confusion - "why are you singing aren't you angry?" Somehow that humming brings some kind of change or resilience in me where I can begin to recover more easily.
The amazing singer, songwriter, and songcatcher, Samantha Rise (they/them) believe that joy is a revolutionary force, and music is a transformative force. Samantha lineage is in the confluence of music and mindfulness, performing and teaching songs to support collective liberation. In their words, music grounds and stabilizes is in a way that few practices can, and reconnects us to one another, across physical— and digital— divides. We can’t sing and be afraid at the same time.
I shared in a webinar with the Lotus Institute earlier this year called "Music is Your Birthright". It was quite powerful. We had a chance to touch the well of grief of our land ancestors as we sang and listened, offering that when we sing from our heart, "we sing and the universe hears us.” We’re excited to Invite Samantha for our own singing practice together this week.
I invite you all to join us this Monday evening to come together in a shared practice of music - singing together mindfully and creating our own melodies. The practice can be both joyful and helpful to touch the pain of suffering and work toward healing.
Things you might reflect on or share for Monday night:
How might music be alive in your practice or your life?
I invite you to bring a song or tune that makes you feel good and true to yourself.
Consider or think about ways that music might help you heal, how it might bring more peace to others, and how it might also help relieve suffering.
I look forward to seeing, humming, and singing with you.
Much love, Camille