When it seems like all people hear these days is bad news, the Dalai Lama has come to help bring peace of mind. In early July, the Lama dropped his eleven-track album, “Inner World.” The album features prayers, songs, and meditative beats and rhythms to help soothe the soul. It’s a little unusual for the leader of Tibetan Buddhism to release his own music, but then again, we live in some unusual times. His Holiness surprisingly stays up to date with pop culture. In addition to his own music, he has a Twitter account (where he is very active) and a website. Here are the tracks of his fire mixtape:

One of My Favorite Prayers

“Inner World’s” first track starts off subtle and acoustic with guitar accompanied by soft wind instruments, which provide a calm and peaceful setting. The Dalai Lama’s prayer reminds listeners of Buddhist fundamentals. It encourages listeners to “dispel the misery of the world.” A task much easier sung than done. A pretty good intro track. 

The Buddha 

“The Buddha” starts out with a soft beat where several different instruments can be heard. The song simply repeats “Om muni muni maha muniye soha.” The Dalai Lama repeating this famous Buddhist mantra could almost put me to sleep if I listened long enough – not really my taste. 

Compassion

Undoubtedly the most popular song from the Lama’s 2020 playlist, “Compassion,” includes more Buddhist mantras being “sung” by the world’s most peaceful man. I have absolutely no idea what he is saying, but it makes me feel as if I’m a gardener trimming bonsai plants that have been around longer than rocks, and that is my sole purpose in life. Definitely a go-to for when the coronavirus or school has you stressed out and one of my personal favorites. 

Courage

“Courage” begins a little ominously, but transforms into another adage-repeating masterpiece. Backup vocals make listening to it sound like the end of a movie. “Courage” takes the crown for one of the more relaxing tracks, and the backup vocals make all the difference. 

Ama La

“Ama La” is mostly in English, thankfully. His Holiness discusses life and reincarnation, and how each and every one of us can benefit from practicing mindfulness and being compassionate – advice that has never been more relevant. Also, he claims that the mother is the first love in this world, something I can definitely understand. This is your reminder to call your mom and tell her you love her. Because I know you have time during quarantine. 

In addition, he strongly emphasizes the need for parents to spend more time with their children – something that has faltered in the digital age. Thankfully (I suppose), quarantine gives parents that opportunity to catch up on time lost with their kids. The Dalai Lama’s teachings throughout his album, specifically “Ama La”, are universally applicable to all types of people, and should certainly take more of a place in our society, now more than ever.  

Healing, Wisdom, Purification and Protection

These three songs are fairly similar – they all feature His Holiness repeating Buddhist Mantras over soft piano, classic guitar and relaxing wind instruments. Not really my thing, mostly because I can’t understand it, but I can see how those who are familiar would enjoy it. 

Children

The Dalai Lama reiterates his love for children in this song. He lectures that children are the future, and we must all ensure they are prepared to create a happier world, through teaching them compassion during their childhood. I think most people can agree with this belief, and I know I can. He also discusses the power of the smile, something a little more difficult in our current world situation with masks on. The song itself is very pleasant to listen to with the sound of children accompanying the Dalai Lama’s soothing voice.  

Humanity

His last song calls for an end to violence and killing, and he provides a simple explanation for these heinous acts – unsurprisingly and understandably, a lack of compassion. In his eyes, we are all brothers and sisters and should treat each other as such. I am having a hard time finding something to disagree with. His wise words are over a nice melody, but the message itself is better than the actual song of “Humanity.”

In summary, all his songs are quite good – I don’t understand about half of them, but I’m sure they have something to do with being compassionate. That being said, the rhythms and melodies are all incredibly soothing. The Lama truly created music that relaxes the soul and eases the mind. I think it’s safe to say His Holiness is not only more technologically savvy than me at this point, but also has a very promising musical career ahead of him. So, if you’re looking to open your third eye or become a better person, “Inner World” is definitely the album for you.