Our Journey
It was late 2015. After receiving approval from the Private Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, Junelle Kunin waited nervously for her meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader. Ready with her dictaphone, her plan was to record him reciting mantras for an album she wanted to create.
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Four months earlier, in July 2015, she had been sitting at her desk at the headquarters of a major bank in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), when she realized she was overwhelmed by the stress, pressure and expectations of the corporate world. She knew that she needed something to help her. She had been a practicing Buddhist for ten years, but at moments like this, she wanted the immediate blessing of mantras and prayers combined with music.
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Convinced that someone must have already produced an album of the Dalai Lama’s powerful voice chanting mantras and prayers set to music, she turned to her computer and began searching. But there was nothing. She was surprised and realized that if she wanted such an album, she would have to organise it herself.
Because His Holiness is known and loved by millions of people worldwide, she was confident that this album, by such a compassionate and wise being, would bring endless blessings, joy, and peace, especially to people who might not have a spiritual practice, but who did love music.
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A longtime student of His Holiness, she wrote to him, fervently explaining her feelings and requesting his participation. She knew that the Dalai Lama, known and revered well beyond the world of religion, was in constant demand and that her request was ambitious. A Nobel Peace Laureate, he has more than one hundred books in print, in English alone. His sincere endeavor to find the common ground of all religions is renowned. His in-depth discussions with neuroscientists have been a revelation to modern thinkers and a source of groundbreaking discoveries about the mind. He has profoundly touched the lives of millions of people.
His Holiness received Junelle’s letter and was enthusiastic. His attendant told her that he waved the letter in the air and said, “This will benefit many people!” Two days later, there she was, with a list of mantras, ready to record. “Music can help people in a way that I can’t,” he told her. “Music has the potential to reach many more people with the message that the real source of happiness is warm-heartedness and a concern for others.”
It became clear to Junelle and her collaborator, Abraham Kunin, her husband and producer of the album, that they had to make the music accessible to as many people as possible. This guiding principle informed all their decisions. “We wanted to create a place of peace, stillness, and refuge for the listener, especially for people who might not have meditation tools or a spiritual practice.”
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After almost five years of work, and countless challenges, the end result is a combination of many musicians around the world, using at least thirty different instruments in synergy with the programmed foundations. For the couple, the process of creating this work has been an auspicious journey. “It is the result of the collective efforts of so many precious friends, new and old. Understanding the importance of it, they opened their hearts, picked up the baton at crucial stages, and passed it to the next angel.”
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At some point, Junelle asked His Holiness why he accepted her request to make the album. He answered simply, “The very purpose of my life is to serve as much as I can.” Her own heartfelt wish, she says, “is that this album creates, even for a moment, a sense of safety in times of anxiety and fear, giving people the courage to never give up hope.”