Dalai Lama
Image: Angela Weiss/Getty

The Dalai Lama Is Releasing His First Album Next Month

The Dalai Lama has announced he’ll release his first album, titled Inner World, on Monday, 6th July, coinciding with his 85th birthday.

The album is set to include mantras and teachings by the Dalai Lama paired with music by New Zealand composers Junelle and Abraham Kunin. You can listen to the first track (titled ‘Compassion’, one of the most famous Buddhist prayers) below, to get an idea of the sort of the material the 11-track release might include.

Junelle Kunin pitched the idea of an album to the Dalai Lama back in 2015, delivering a handwritten letter to one of the spiritual leader’s assistants. The album will also feature contributions from sitar player Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of the legendary Ravi Shankar.

“Music has the potential to reach many more people with the message that the real source of happiness is warm-heartedness and a concern for others,” commented the spiritual leader on the decision to release music. “The very purpose of my life is to serve as much as I can.”

Proceeds from Inner World will go towards the Mind & Life Institute as well as Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning, an international education program developed in partnership by Emory University and the Dalai Lama.

Image: Angela Weiss/Getty

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