MUSIC

PEACEFULLY FREE
Sr. Trieu Nghiem (true morning light) & Br. Phap Bieu

I am so free

Because I can be me.

Look at the clouds at play,

Passing over everyday.

Inside, the sky so blue,

Immense, spacious, and true.

I'll be tall like the sky,

Wide enough to embrace what's inside.

Just like the clouds passing by, 

flying high in the grand -open sky.

Everything around me will be

Loved, embraced, and peacefully free

Everything inside me will be

Loved, embraced, and peacefully free

~*~

The Island Within
The Island within & Call me by my true names - Julian & Chad

Breathing in, I go back to the island within myself.

There are beautiful trees within the island

There are clear streams of water.

There are birds, sunshine,and fresh air.

Breathing out, I feel safe.

I enjoy going back to my island.

lyrics by Thich Nhat Hanh / music by Joseph Emet

~*~

I LOVE NATURE

I love nature. Nature is cool.

The forest is my classroom the earth is my school

Trees are my teachers. Animals are my friends.

And on this earth all life depends.

I love all of nature. Yes, it’s true. That means I love myself and I love you too. When I look around me, Nature’s all that I’m seeing – plants, animals, Earth, sky and human beings.

Nature is like one big community. Many animals might live inside just one tree. And that tree gives us oxygen to help us breathe. This whole interaction is called ecology.

I love nature. Nature is cool.

The forest is my classroom the earth is my school

Trees are my teachers. Animals are my friends.

And on this earth all life depends.

I love flowers. They are so pretty. I love them in the forest and I love them in the city. And I love mushrooms too on a pizza or in salad, but my favorite place for mushrooms is right here in this love ballad. I love children and I love H2O. And children who love nature can help the rivers flow by protecting habitats like wetlands and wet meadows. When we work together, we can all help Nature grow, so:

I love nature. Nature is cool.

The forest is my classroom the earth is my school

Trees are my teachers. Animals are my friends.

And on this earth all life depends.

So let’s love nature right now with all our hearts. That’s right, this present moment is a great place to start. We don’t need any money. It might take a little time. We need to open up our arms, hearts, mouths, and minds so we can see the gifts Mother Nature can bring. When we learn to appreciate it, it makes us want to sing. And when we are smiling and singing our song. Other people hear us and may want to sing along. They sing:

I love nature. Nature is cool.

The forest is my classroom the earth is my school

Trees are my teachers. Animals are my friends.

And on this earth all life depends.

Additional Song LYRICS

Many Hands

by Rev.Jody Kessler

On this plate there are many hands

The Hands that sowed the seeds

The Hands that plowed the land

The Hands that worked the harvest

And brought it to the stands

Yes, on this plate are many hands

In this bowl are sun, and rain, and air,

The garden soil,

and all the tiny creatures that live there

A delicate balance

of beings great and small

Yes, in this little bowl we have them all

In this meal are many hearts and souls -

Some may be our families

who served it in our bowls

Some may be migrant workers

whom we will never know

who can’t afford to buy the food they grow

In this room there are many hands

Lets join them all together in a circle, if we can

And in this sacred silence, let there be gratitude

For the many hearts and hands that made this food

For the many hearts and hands that made this food

THERE'S OL' BUDDHA

by Rev. Patricia Dai-En Bennage

                   There's ol' Buddha, sittin under the bodi tree (echo) bodhi tree

There's ol' Buddha, his (her) mind as quiet / empty / peaceful 

as it could be (echo) it could be

Sittin' like a wise ol' frog (echo) frog

Sittin' like a bump on a log (echo) log

Sittin' with a smile on his face, kinda like empty space.

                                    Doesn't mind rain, doesn't mind thunder.

What could bother ol' Buddha I wonder?

                    He wasn't bothered by __(child's suggestion)_. He wasn't

bothered by __(child's suggestion)_.

He let that__(child's suggestion)_ just roll on by (echo) just roll on by.

                                                   GREAT BIG SMILE

by Gregg Hill & Jamie Rusek

                                            I am a bird, a beautiful bird.

I am the sun, the golden sun.

I am the wind blowing in

The beautiful bird in the sun.

We are one in a wonderful world.

I am a seed, a tiny seed.

I am the rain, gentle rain.

I am a stream carrying

the tiny seed in the rain

as we change in a wonderful world.

I am a note, a simple note.

I am a song, a peaceful song.

I am a child, great big smile.

I'm a note in a song, sing a long in a wonderful world.

I FOLLOW MY BREATH 

by Jerusha (Harriet Korim Arnoldi)

When I'm feeling lost and

lonely, and I don't know

where to go, I

follow my breath, and my

breathing takes me home.

I follow My breath

Some people call it spirit,

some people call it soul.

I just know that there's a

thing that keeps me whole

I follow my breath

I put my hand right on my

belly, feel my breath go up

and down,pouring fresh air

everywhere from my toes

up to my crown.

I follow my breath

Oxygen comes from the

trees, from the grasses

and the leaves, from the

ocean and the rain, blows

through us and back again

I follow My breath

Always changing, always moving,

always blowing in and out,

always coming, always going,

that's what breathing's all about

I follow my breath

You can try it when your happy,

then you try it when your not.

You don't have to go and find it.

Breath is something we have got

I follow my breath

If I forget about my breath, my

thoughts can take me far away

from what's inside and all around

me in this moment, on this day.

I follow my breath

Breathing out and breathing in,

and knowing what your doing

when

isn't easy as it sounds, but it

always calms me down.

I follow my breath

So when I'm feeling hurt or angry,

and I don't know where to go,

I follow my breath, and my

breathing takes me home.

I follow my breath

LISTEN LISTEN

lyrics by Thich Nhat Hanh, music by David & Tamara Hauze

Listen, listen... This wonderful sound

brings me back to my true self.

BREATHING IN, BREATHING OUT

lyrics by Thich Nhat Hanh, music by Betsy Rose

Breathing in, Breathing out... (2x)

I am blooming as a flower.

I am fresh as the dew.

I am solid as the mountain.

I am firm as the Earth.

I am Free.

Breathing In, Breathing Out...(2x)

I am water reflecting what is real, what is true.

And I feel there is space deep inside of me.

I am free, I am free, I am free.