Meet The Rock Star Buddhist Nun Who Sings for Spiritual Freedom [View all]

Ani Choying Drolma talks to Lilly Greenblatt about the journey that brought her to international fame, and the real meaning behind her music.



BY LILLY GREENBLATT|
MAY 5, 2017

Ani Choying Drolma is known as Nepal’s “rock star Buddhist nun,” but her music isn’t meant to simply entertain or get your head banging.

“There are two kinds of music,” says Drolma, “one that makes your mind jump out of itself, fly around, and shake your body. Then, there’s another kind of music — music to come back home. Home is where you can relax, where you can be yourself, be free from the hope and fear of what people think of you — about the way you sit, the way you eat, the way you dress. Being home means you can be yourself.”

Drolma’s music, comprised of ancient Buddhist hymns and melodies, is a meditation practice in itself, a practice she describes as a union of the mind with the sounds of the mantras she sings. The pairing of the lyrics and melody of her music, says Drolma, can bring your mind back to its calm, natural state, one “where you can be free.”

“Melody has its own inherent ability to soothe a very disturbed mind,” she says.

https://www.lionsroar.com/meet-the-rock-star-buddhist-nun-who-sings-for-spiritual-freedom/