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Sing Sing Sing
I am bliss!
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The song captures the pondering on the meaning of life for a musician, who is sitting in the hospital room, watching his dying mother's body fade and one filled with all kinds of tubes, catheters, and lights in her body. He grieves and composes.
The song is a dialogue between the higher self and lower self, 2 forms of intelligence lying close to each other in the brain/mind.
The world of 'Mahamaya' creates in people deep attachments to relationships and is one of the the strongest forces of one's mind, i.e, in the inability of not letting attachments go;
While the world of intelligence focuses on cultivating and strengthening resilience by constantly remembering and surrendering to the 'impermanence' that surrounds all of life.
The force of Maya wants mind's to cling to attachments and to control situations as it gives a Maya-centric mind strength.
Therefore High Power, the song, suggests that one way out of this Mind-Maya tussle is to accept what 'it is', and for one to surrender to the bliss of not knowing. Not knowing, therefore, and accepting 'not knowing' through the limited tools of mind paves way to the acceptance of any situation one faces, and to use a over used cliche by neo-Budhist teachers, allows one to be rooted in the present moment.
High Power, let it come through
Ranjit Makkuni
Instructions to the singer: Sing seeking, passionately, like a woman/ man in an anxiety/ hurry to know.
Sing with pathos, with empathy and offering compassion to the helpless situation of 'life'.
The song is sung in 2 voices and a third person looking at this conversation.
The song captures the meaning of life.
Mahamaya presents some of the most colorful, high energy, richly textured world music --pop rock and jazz -- emanating from South and South East Asia.
Mahamaya's music aims to restore happiness in a world hijacked by "ego!" They goad us to visualize how a world could look like if it did not have 'ego' as its base?
Its been clear that in the name of innovation, societies participating in and designing urbanization, and which have been primarily engaged in and immersed in the design nof media environments and economies --all fueled by ego-- have imposed their values on many in the rest of the world which live by ecological values, and whose world views have been centered in peace, non violence based happiness and transcendence.
The irony is that while the goals f the founding fathers of tech had been to produce peace, today, tech centered innovation based world view hasn't necessarily produced societal well being nor peace!
If, instead, the focus shifted from ego to non-ego, or a balanced ego, the Mahamaya project asks: can we not envision a world which focuses on compassion, and a sustainable technological innovation that lies in harmony with Nature and inner well being for all.
Lyrics Excerpt 1
*
Spoken Voice:
Listen to karma 101
Fleeting is the nature of all experi--ences
Surrender means
transition from resistance to acceptance.
When we accept we don’t know
That’s the gift that lets the high power come throu----------------gh
*Cross rhythms
Oooh, oooh!
So, surrender into the bliss of not know-- ing
Reality is beyond thought
Reality is beyond for--m
Reality is what it i---s
Its what it i-----s,
Its what it i---s!
Ranjit Makkuni (c)
Title: "High Power - It's What It Is" by Ranjit Makkuni featuring Shanah - A Spiritual Journey through Music
Ranjit Makkuni's
"High Power - It's What It Is" is a captivating blend of traditional Indian sitars and modern synthesizers, creating a unique and meditative listening experience. The vocals adds a layer of ethereal beauty to the track, making it a truly immersive experience.
The song explores the idea of surrendering to a higher power and finding peace in acceptance of life's impermanence. The lyrics, based on a conversation between the "Higher Power" and the "Lower Self," encourage reflection on one's own life and spirituality.
Overall, "High Power - It's What It Is" is a beautifully crafted song that seamlessly blends traditional and modern elements, while also delivering a powerful message about spirituality and self-reflection. It's a must-listen for anyone looking for a unique and meaningful musical experience.
Mahamaya presents some of the most colorful, high energy, richly textured world music --pop rock and jazz -- emanating from South and South East Asia.
Mahamaya's music aims to restore happiness in a world hijacked by "ego!" They goad us to visualize how a world could look like if it did not have 'ego' as its base?
Its been clear that in the name of innovation, societies participating in and designing urbanization, and which have been primarily engaged in and immersed in the design nof media environments and economies --all fueled by ego-- have imposed their values on many in the rest of the world which live by ecological values, and whose world views have been centered in peace, non violence based happiness and transcendence.
The irony is that while the goals f the founding fathers of tech had been to produce peace, today, tech centered innovation based world view hasn't necessarily produced societal well being nor peace!
If, instead, the focus shifted from ego to non-ego, or a balanced ego, the Mahamaya project asks: can we not envision a world which focuses on compassion, and a sustainable technological innovation that lies in harmony with Nature and inner well being for all.
Sitting in the hospital bed, the musician watches his dying mother with all kinds of tubes, catheters, and lights in her body, grieves and composes High Power.
Review
The song High Power is a musical exploration of the existential dilemma faced by a musician who witnesses his mother's impending death in a hospital. The song is structured as a dialogue between two aspects of the musician's self: the higher self, which represents the rational and transcendent dimension of human existence, and the lower self, which represents the emotional and immanent dimension of human existence.
The song draws on the concept of Mahamaya, a Sanskrit term that denotes the illusory nature of the phenomenal world and the attachments that bind us to it. The song contrasts the force of Mahamaya, which fuels the lower self's desire to cling to the past and control the future, with the force of wisdom, which guides the higher self's acceptance of the present and surrender to the unknown. The song thus poses a fundamental question: how can we cope with loss and find meaning in a world that is constantly changing and beyond our comprehension?
The song is a remarkable example of how popular music can engage with philosophical themes and express complex emotions. The song uses various jazz musical elements, such as harmony and cross - rhythm to create a contrast and a dialogue between the two selves.
The song is not only a personal tribute to the musician's mother, but also a universal reflection on the human condition and the role of music in it.
High Power – Mahamaya Experience (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
July 15, 2024
Ranjit Makkuni might lean into some timeless and traditional sounds with his Mahamaya Experience music, but he is still a musician of the modern age. Even when working with the authentic sounds of the past, he often uses digital sounds and modern instruments to enhance and empower his music.
High Power is a mercurial mix of the past and the present, the authentic and the experimental, seemingly born in a place where world music crosses progressive rock in one direction and jazz cuts through avant-garde pop in the other. It’s a strange mixing of sonic minds but the result, as you might expect from such creative threads all being knotted together, is both odd and ornate. And I mean odd in the most complimentary sense of the meaning.
Odd is, after all, synonymous with being unique and different and outside the conventional. It is the opposite of mainstream; it defies fad and fashion. It is the music of the here and now rather than resting on the laurels of the past. And whilst the music of Mahamaya Experience always embraces such anomalies, to some degree, never has Ranjit Makkuni done so to such a glorious extreme here.
This ten-minute track is a strange, stomping, jazz-infused chant, angular and meandering, rather than the usual deft and delicate fast-paced pieces that are the norm. But that shows you what Ranjit and Mahamaya Experience is all about. Just when you thought he had no more sonic worlds to conquer, he can still find, expore and even build unexpected musical otherworlds to call his own.
As I sit by your bedside, watching you fade away
I wonder what's the meaning of this life that we play
You gave me music,
But now I feel so helpless, I can't do anything.
I hear two voices in my head, they argue and they fight
One is my higher self, the other is my lower plight
One tells me to let go, to trust the cosmic flow
The other clings to you, to what I used to know.
They call it Mahamaya, the illusion of this world
It makes us feel attached, to every person, thing and word
It makes us want to control, to shape our destiny
But in the end we realize, we're not the ones who see.
The other voice is wisdom, it speaks of impermanence
It reminds me of the truth, that nothing here makes sense
It tells me to surrender, to the mystery of life
To embrace the unknown, to find the peace in strife.
The song is called High Power, it's a dialogue of the soul
It's a way to cope with loss, to heal and to be whole
It's a way to say goodbye, to the ones we love and miss
It's a way to say hello, to the bliss of not knowing.
The poignant story of a grieving son at his dying mother's bedside is the backdrop for this soul-searching song, as he grapples with the paradox of life and death, attachment and impermanence.
The song represents a dialogue between the higher self, the wisdom that transcends Maya, and the lower self, the mind embroiled in the illusions of Maya.
The world of Maya, where attachments bind us, strengthens the ego, leading to a futile struggle for control