Bhumisparsha: Touching the Earth, the ongoing global Shakyamuni Mantra accumulation conceived by the revered Bhutanese lama, teacher, filmmaker, and author Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche and organized by Siddhartha’s Intent India, has announced a unique collaboration in the form of Shakyamuni Mantra performance by the celebrated Japanese Zen monk and musician Kanho Yakushiji, which will be released as a single worldwide today.

“Kanho Yakushiji’s mantra performance will be available as a download or as streaming audio on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp,” Prashant V, projects director for Siddhartha’s Intent India, told Buddhistdoor Global.

The worldwide cyber-gathering, Bhumisparsha: Touching the Earth, was launched on 24 July, dedicated to remembering Shakyamuni Buddha and his teachings for the benefit of “the Earth, for humanity, for animals, and for all sentient beings.” The project aims to reach at least 100 million global recitations of the Shakyamuni Mantra (also known as the Heart Mantra of the Great Sage) by 1 January 2021.* At the time of writing on 15 August, the initiative had already attained 10.3 million recitations.

Kanho Yakushiji, a priest of the Rinzai school of Jpanese Zen Buddhism, who hails from Ima-ji, a Buddhist temple in the city of Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, in southern Japan, has achieved renown in Japan and internationally for his Dharma-inspired performances as part of the musical duo Kissaquo, formed in 2003 with lay musician Satoshi Yamamoto.**

Siddhartha’s Intent India also announced that Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche will give an global online public teaching on Bhumisparsha on Sunday, 16 August, beginning at at 4:30pm India Standard Time (4:00am Los Angeles, 7:00am New York, 12:00pm London, 1:00pm Berlin, 7:00pm Singapore/Hong Kong, 8:00pm Seoul/Tokyo, 9:00pm Canberra). 

Siddhartha’s Intent, which first came to be in Australia in 1986, is an international collective of Buddhist groups supporting Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s Buddhadharma activities by organizing teachings and retreats, distributing and archiving recorded teachings, transcribing, editing, and translating manuscripts and practice texts, with a global community committed to continual study and practice.

Running in parallel with the mantra accumulation, Bhumisparsha: Touching the Earth also encourages people of all ages, from all over the world, to share their own stories of how they first heard the Buddha’s name, and about their connection with his teaching: through words, art, music, or any other means of expression.

Born in Bhutan in 1961, and now based in Himachal Pradesh, India, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche gives teachings all over the world. He is the son of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and was a close student of the Nyingma master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–91). He is recognized as the third incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, founder of the Khyentse lineage, and the immediate incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959). In addition to Siddhartha’s Intent, his projects include Khyentse Foundation, established in 2001 to promote the Buddha’s teaching and support all traditions of Buddhist study and practice; 84000, a non-profit global initiative to translate the words of the Buddha and make them available to all; Lotus Outreach, which directs a wide range of projects to help refugees; and more recently The Lhomon Society, which promotes sustainable development in Bhutan through education.

Rinpoche is the author of several books, including: What Makes You Not a Buddhist (2006), Not For Happiness (2012), and The Guru Drinks Bourbon? (2016), and has garnered renown within and outside of the global Buddhist community for the feature-length films he wrote and directed: The Cup (1999), Travellers and Magicians (2004), Vara: A Blessing (2012), and Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I wait (2016).

* Bhumisparsha: Global Shakyamuni Mantra Accumulation Reaches 4.7 Million Recitations (Buddhistdoor Global)

** Japanese Monastics Share Ancient Buddhist Sutras Through Modern Music (Buddhistdoor Global)

See more

Kanho Yakushiji / 薬師寺寛邦 キッサコ – Japanese Zen Music (Facebook)

Bhumisparsha: Touching the Earth (Siddhartha’s Intent India)
The Shakyamuni Mantra (Siddhartha’s Intent India)
Bhumisparsha (Facebook)
Bhumisparsha (Instagram)
Siddhartha’s Intent India
Siddhartha’s Intent