Chants of a Lifetime
Lissa Coffey
India has given us many different practices through which we can learn more about ourselves and our true nature: meditation, yoga, vastu, and ayurveda are just a few. Krishna Das has written a wonderful new book that explains the practice most dear to his heart, chanting, or kirtan. “Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold” is autobiographical, with beautiful stories of his journey. This book is filled with wisdom. In one chapter he talks about Lila: “It’s very difficult for people like us, who are identified with our bodies and minds, to understand the concept of lila – the divine play. It’s called “play” because there’s no selfish motive in the action. God’s lila or the lila of a great saint, his or her action in the world, is done only for the sake of helping others. There is no personal motive. The saint’s actions come out of the awareness of the oneness of all life and compassion for all beings. It’s impossible for us to understand fully.”
Chants of a Lifetime includes a CD with Krishna Das to help you start your own personal chanting practice.