Hello Friends,
‘Kokūzō’ – Space Treasury’ feat. Ayla Schafer is the fourth single to be released from the upcoming album of Mantra Songs ‘One Thousand Petals’.
It weaves together a Japanese mantra with English lyrics describing the benevolent qualities of Kokūzō Bosatsu, one of the five great wisdom Bodhisattvas of Esoteric Buddhism. Kokūzō’s name translates as “boundless space treasury” and his wisdom is said to be as vast as space itself.
Like all the Esoteric Buddhist deities, Kokūzō represents an aspect of our own selves – that part of us that is unattached to the trials and triumphs of our personal and collective drama, and is able to connect with the cosmic reality of the universe and to the timeless essence of the heart.
It was a joy to collaborate with Ayla Schafer on the track. We’re are old friends that have collaborated on several recordings and gigs in the past. I played shakuhachi flute on her beautiful song ‘Vuela Con El Viento’ from the 2017 album Dive Into Water, and Ayla sang on my song ‘Astral Dawn’ from the 2021 album Kindred Souls. Her voice carries a such a quality of enchantment for me. When she sings there is a soft, ephemeral quality, and yet the true depths of her soul can always be felt, alongside an expansive sense of connection to the invisible worlds
‘Kokūzō’ – Space Treasury‘ brings together other musicians from the UK as well as Brazil and Italy: Michael Stanton octave guitar, George Fogel keyboards, Susie Ro backing vocals, Txai Fernando, percussion, and Antonio Moscato bass.
The cover painting is by Clive Hedger, designed by Emanuela Belarovski.
There is also a very beautiful animated lyric video created by Jonathan Orting.
KOKŪZŌ (Lyrics and chords)
Boundless Space is the ground of being
Wherein all phenomena rise and fall
Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is form
Nōbō akyasha kyarabaya
On ari kyamari x 3
Bori Sowaka
Kokūzō Bosatsu, Supreme Bodhisattva
Lord of the sacred treasury
Of boundless endless space
Of universal wisdom and universal grace
Nōbō akyasha kyarabaya
On ari kyamari x 3
Bori Sowaka
Universal mantra, universal sound
Universal mandala of sacred space unbound
Comes with the morning dawning star
Akyasha kyarabaya
Nōbō akyasha kyarabaya
On ari kyamari x 3
Bori Sowaka
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Verse 1
6 2
||: Bm | Bm | D | A | Bm :||
||: F#m | F#m | D | Bm :||
Chorus (Mantra)
||: Em | Em | D | D | D | Em :|| x 3
| D | Em | Em |
Verse 2
||: Bm | Bm | Bm | Bm :||
||: Bm | D | A | Bm :||
||: F#m | F#m | D | Bm :||
Verse 3
||: Bm | Bm | Bm | Bm :||
||: F#m | F#m | D | D Bm :||