An album featuring teachings and mantras by the Dalai Lama set to music will be released on July 6, his 85th birthday.
Inner World features 11 tracks and will be released in conjunction with a companion booklet.
The religious leader recites the mantras of seven Buddhas on the album, discussing topics like wisdom, courage, healing and children. The track Compassion, one of the most famous Buddhist prayers, was released on Tuesday.
Grammy-nominated sitar player Anoushka Shankar makes a guest appearance on the record, playing on Ama La, a track honouring mothers. Shankar said being invited to perform on the album was “a huge honour”.
She first met the Dalai Lama as a child with her father, the revered musician Ravi Shankar.
For the new album, she said: “What I was given was a beautiful template of (the Dalai Lama’s) voice speaking … it was very evocative with his speaking. It’s so clear what the mood is about … that it kind of flowed quite simply to just play over that and try to add a musical enhancement to the words he’s speaking.”
Net proceeds from the sales of the album will benefit non-profit organisation Mind And Life Institute as well as Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning), an international education programme developed by Emory University and the Dalai Lama.