From the recording TIBET Land of My Tears
Deborah Schmidt: Classical Guitar, Lead Vocals
Billie Woods: Native American Flute, Harmony Vocals
We visited the Manjushri Di-Chen Buddhist Learning Center in the Kathmandu Valley. The abbot warmly greeted us in his office with his radiating smile. Some students offered us our first taste of yak butter tea. After tea, we were led into their beautiful temple. We sat on the periphery as the various aged students, seated around a low rectangular table in the middle of the temple, offered us a prayer which lasted about 30 minutes. The prayers were led by their teachers, and as they recited from the sacred narrow horizontal Buddhist texts, their bodies rocked gently to the rhythmic ceremonial cymbals and drums. Many of us wept.
Later we learned these young monks had also been praying for our safe journey everyday for three weeks prior to our arrival! We felt so honored to be the recipients of these unknown blessings!
Lyrics
Stars above us twinkle, they put on quite a show
They say the light that meets our eyes today was born a million years ago
And it spells out quite a story in strands of DNA
Same spark that birthed our universe, is born in us today
And they’re already on their way, already on their way
Thanks for unknown blessings already on their way
This world is a fun house mirror, sometimes you feel just like a clown
Yeah everything’s distorted, everything feels upside down
And the truth it just gets twisted, like a rope that’s torn and frayed
And you feel like you can’t hold on no more, you just might slip away.
And they’re already on their way, already on their way
Thanks for unknown blessings, already on their way
Already on their way, already on their way
Thanks for unknown blessings, already on their way
History is a spiral. Sometimes it’s hard to see
Through the smoke and the blood and the tear gas, a path of victory
It’s a crooked road we all walk on, strung with miracles along the way
Like raindrops to the ocean we’ll make it there someday.
And we’re already on OUR way already on OUR way
Thanks for unknown blessings, already on their way
Already on their way, already on their way
Thanks for unknown blessings, already on their way.
Giving thanks for unknown blessings, already on their way.