REMEMBERING ADAM YAUCH

may 4th marked the anniversary of the death of adam yauch. the sadness and tragedy over his death is still very fresh to me.

my obsession with the beastie boys started when i was 11 years old. i followed everything they did, but the most significant memory i have was one day as i was listening to bodhisattva vow". a heartbroken 19 year old, i wasn't able to hold back the tears as i started writing a letter to adam. i expressed my utmost gratitude for the words he spoke. i remember not being able to stop writing, i wrote things about my life that had needed to come out for a very long time.

 one of the verses from bodhisattva vow that hit home for me the most, was this one. 

"If others disrespect me or give me flackI'll stop and think before I reactKnowing that they're going through insecure stagesI'll take the opportunity to exercise patienceI'll see it as a chance to help the other personNip it in the bud before it can worsen"

since then, i have never forgotten. i think about it all the time, even to this day when people speak poorly of me. 
adam spent most of his life practicing the teachings of buddha and i later got to learn more about his beliefs and his goal to be the change that he wanted to see in the world. i feel that although his life was taken way too soon, he achieved what takes some an entire lifetime (if ever at all). 

i wrote that long letter to adam and put it in the mail. weeks later i received this:

the postcard reads:

"don't let the stuff that went down in that relationship bring you down, use it to make you stronger, learn from it. crying is good, writing is good too.

thank you for your letter, it made my day.

love, 

adam"

we miss you, adam. 

 

rest in peace

as i develop the awakening mind i praise the buddha as they shine
i bow before you as i travel my path to join your ranks,
i make my full time task
for the sake of all beings i seek
the enlightened mind that i know i'll reap
respect to shantideva and all the others
who brought down the dharma for the sisters and brothers
i give thanks for this world as a place to learn
and for this human body that i know i have earned
and my deepest thanks to all sentient beings
for without them there would be no place to learn what i'm seeing
there's nothing here that's not been said before
but i put it down now so i'll be sure
to solidify my own views 
and i'll be glad if it helps
someone else out too
if others disrespect me or give me flack
i'll stop and think before i react =
knowing that they're going through insecure stages
i'll take the opportunity to exercise patience
i'll see it as a chance to help the other person
nip it in the bud before it can worsen
a chance for me to be strong and sure
as i think on the buddhas who have come before
as i praise and respect the good they've done
knowing only love can conquer in every situation
we need other people in order to create
the circumstances for the learning that we're here to generate
situations that bring up our deepest fears
so we can work to release them until they're cleared
therefore, it only makes sense
to thank our enemies despite their intent
the bodhisattva path is one of power and strength
a strength from within to go the length
seeing others are as important as myself
i strive for a happiness of mental wealth
with the interconnectedness that we share as one
every action that we take affects everyone
so in deciding for what a situation calls
there is a path for the good for all
i try to make my every action for that highest good
with the altruistic wish to achieve buddhahood
so i pledge here before everyone who's listening
to try to make my every action for the good of all beings
for the rest of my lifetimes and even beyond
i vow to do my best to do no harm
and in times of doubt i can think on the dharma
and the enlightened ones who've graduated samsara 

i am deeply saddened by the passing of adam yauch. bodhissatva vow really sums up what he stood for. 

rest in peace, MCA. thank you for the memories. your music and legacy lives on. 

life of the party: beastie boys

where do i begin? beastie boys were a saving grace to my adolescence. seriously, one of my favorite bands of all time. i would most definitely put them on my top five, even my top three. i have so many memories that include a beastie song. singing pass the mic over and over again in a las vegas hotel room, cruising around in my volkswagen fox to egg man, crying my heart out to bodhisattva vow, swooning over the so what'cha want video, and experiencing my first limo ride while listening to licensed to ill (in 6th grade). in my early twenties i gave into my jazz curiosities. one which included a blue note craze. shortly after listening to many blue breakbeat compilations, i realized how much beastie boys loved blue note as well. i just love these boys. 

"if you're drivin' don't drink, and if you drink don't drive."

get some (remixed by mike d)

it looks like mike d got his hands on lykke li's new song. 

good job, mike. 

the peacock six [boy edition]

1. vincent gallo

2. serge gainsbourg

3. robert downey jr.

4. jeff buckley

5. beastie boys

6. adrien brody