Dalai Lama: “From the first day of our life until our last breath, the very foundation of our existence is affection and human warmth.” . . . . . . . Lucinda Williams: "You were born to be loved."
The following three songs “Awakening,” “Blessed” and “Born to Be Loved” are taken from Lucinda Williams newest album, Blessed (2011) and each exhibits elements of the Dharma.
Awakening is one of the primary concerns of Buddhism. In the song, “Awakening,” Lucinda Williams describes various aspects of becoming fully awake, from taking full responsibility for our lives to being fully present, from towering gratitude to the importance of the enduring quality of love.
Awakening
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will shoulder my troubles and
harness my ride
In the awakening, in the awakening
I’ll roll nothin’ but doubles,
sevens and nines
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will lick my wounds, I will kiss the sky
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will kick the shoulds, I will not ask why
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will pray for nothing,
I will stay up ’til the end
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will say what I want to,
I will not make amends
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will honor the mistaken,
I will honor the truth
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will honor the forsaken,
I will not mourn my youth
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will not mourn my losses,
I will not mourn the dead
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will have no bosses,
I will not bow my head
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will want for nothing, I will give you a gift
In the awakening, in the awakening
I will always love you,
I will give you my kiss
The song, “Blessed,” calls to mind the Beatitudes spoken by Jesus in Matthew 5:3-12 describing the character of those imbued with the spirit of love. A critical element of enlightenment is gratitude with the realization of how blessed we are to be alive, here and now in our fortuitous human form. Many of the blessings Lucinda describes here are handed down by those in direst need of the gift they offer. She cites for example, the vision offered by the blind man, the prisoner who showed the way to freedom, and the poor man who points out the riches of heaven within reach.
Robert Bly writes, “The gold comes to the place where the injury was and is… I find this idea to be a truly amazing concept. I mean, the idea that the human being’s wound and genius are located at the same place. It is from this spot where we are wounded that we will give our main gift to the community and the world.”
Perhaps this is why so many people undergo hardship before they discover their true calling and place in the world. After all, it is some kind of struggle that makes a book worth reading. It takes some kind of struggle to gives life meaning. Struggle is a kind of crucible that tempers the soul. According to Horace, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.” For example, without exile, it is highly unlikely that the Dalai Lama would have so traversed the globe and spread the Dharma to the world.
Blessed
We were blessed by the minister
Who practiced what he preached
We were blessed by the poor man
Who said heaven is within reach
We were blessed by the girl selling roses
Showed us how to live
We were blessed by the neglected child
Who knew how to forgive
We were blessed by the battered woman
Who didn’t seek revenge
We were blessed by the warrior
Who didn’t need to win
We were blessed by the blind man
Who could see for miles and miles
We were blessed by the fighter
Who didn’t fight for the prize
We were blessed by the mother
Who gave up the child
We were blessed by the soldier
Who gave up his life
We were blessed by the teacher
Who didn’t have a degree
We were blessed by the prisoner
Who knew how to be free
We were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed
We were blessed by the mystic
Who turned water into wine
We were blessed by the watchmaker
Who gave up his time
We were blessed by the wounded man
Who felt no pain
By the wayfaring stranger
Who knew our names
We were blessed by the homeless man
Who showed us the way home
We were blessed by the hungry man
Who filled us with love
By the little innocent baby
Who taught us the truth
We were blessed by the forlorn
Forsaken and abused
We were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed
Mnn, we were blessed
Yeah, we were blessed
We were blessed
The Dalai Lama writes, “Human beings are social creatures, and a concern for each other is the very basis of our life together.” He continues, “From the first day of our life until our last breath, the very foundation of our existence is affection and human warmth.” By nature, human beings are made for love and co-operation. We are born indefensible, without fur or hide and throughout life we have no claws or fangs to defend ourselves. Truly we are born to love and be loved.
Born To Be Loved
You weren’t born to be abandoned
You weren’t born to be forsaken
You were born to be loved
You were born to be loved
You weren’t born to be mistreated
And you weren’t born to be misguided
You were born to be loved
You were born to be loved
You weren’t born to be a slave
You weren’t born to be disgraced
You were born to be loved
Hmm hmm, you were born to be loved
You weren’t born to be abused
You weren’t born to lose
You were born to be loved
You were born to be loved
You weren’t born to suffer
And you weren’t born for nothing
You were born to be loved
Hmm hmm, you were born to be loved