As a follow up to the solemn beauty of her debut release, Mercy Songs, Mercedes Bahleda offers a rocking kirtan album that is as beautiful to the ear as it is a blessing to the heart and mind. On Path To Bliss, a handful of New York City’s finest musicians – recording live in-studio and employing an eclectic arsenal of instruments ranging from cello and steel guitar to African kalimba and hang (pron. hung) drum – construct a sonic temple enabling Mercedes’ exquisite voice to truly shine.
Applying dynamic, multi-textured arrangements to mantras and prayers learned from her Buddhist teachers, Mercedes and her co-collaborators have fashioned a rich collection of uplifting and inspirational music. The unique fusion of instruments and sounds give Path To Bliss a simultaneously traditional and modern feel, making it ideal accompaniment for your yoga practice and your daily routine.
Several of the songs on Path To Bliss are sung in Sanskrit, a holy language spoken by the Buddha and considered to have a unique blessing. In addition to well-known favorites such as “Om Mani Padme Hum,” the album contains deeper, more complex prayers taken from tantric traditions. These mantras, sung in Tibetan, are, according to Mercedes, “the most secret and advanced.”
The intention behind these mantras – as reflected by the album’s subtitle, “Chants of Tibetan Heart Yoga” – is to bring enlightenment by working with the inner body mentally (through meditation) while simultaneously using asana (yoga) to realize the physical aspects of one’s practice.
Music is an important part of Mercedes’ spiritual discipline. Through her practice and meditation, she has come to realize that “artists must have an opportunity to share their work with others; otherwise, something in them slowly starts to die.” She adds that “when I feel that what I’m offering has been received by another, and something within them moves in a beautiful way because of it, my life has meaning and I am happy.”
One listen to Path To Bliss will awaken your subtle body and stir your inner winds, moving you ever closer to a place of tranquil repose, and bringing meaning and happiness to your life as well.
TRACK LIST
1.) Kandroma -9:38
2.) Guru Naraya -6:27
3.) Wheel of Time -6:13
4.) Limitless Love -9:49
5.) The Diamond Cutter Chant -5:00
6.) Om Mani Padme Hum -6:31
7.) The Heart Sutra -14:57
Download Chant description and meaning.