Never forget the music in your heart

-By Jaime Perris-

The filmmaker, reunited with his friend, prepares a 

traditional song for Tibet in Song, a film by 
Ngawang Choephel.Photo by 
David Huang

Oh the anguish I feel for the nation, the people of Tibet.  As I sit in awe over one man’s story, one man’s story and journey to capture the story within his heart,  the song that was birthed, and has yet to live on.

How dare one person, one group of political torturer’s come along and even ‘attempt’ to strip away one man, one nations ‘song’.  We all were born with a song, with such unique music, that distinguishes our song from any other.  There are thousands of songs, different notes created to form a masterpiece.  How dare one person come along and tell another through their atrocious actions, “You are not allowed to create, to think, to play”.  In essence, what such a person is really doing, is denying the beauty and inner magic that God created within each culture.

People, humans, can only attempt to strip one’s identity away.  They can physically prevent you from achieving certain things, they can isolate the talents hidden within, my holding you captive.  But they can NEVER take from you, the inner, core essence that lies in the crevices of your soul.   What these narrow-minded, poor-spirited police did when they arrested Ngawang Choephel, was attempt hide the jewel that shines within.  They hid a jewel in isolation, its beauty, its luminescence, fortunately though, they could never strip these elements away from Choephel.

We, the people who embrace culture, who see the beauty that lies within another’s song, food, people and religion, we are responsible for keeping these rare attributes alive.  We are the ‘voice’ for these people.  We can free a nation, collectively.  It starts with just one person.  Some people are denied the right and freedom to support such a cause.  Perhaps finances prevent you from helping; perhaps like me, you to are geographically unable to provide help first-handedly.  I live in Miami, so it’s difficult for me to go to Tibet, or even head over to New York  for  the amazing screening of Choephel’s voice in the 'Tibet in  Song' until October 2nd.  However, it costs absolutely nothing to utilize my gifts, my talents to reach into the inner depths of my soul and capture the thoughts that lie within and voice that to the world, to the people-YOU, and express the truths and the cultural struggles that so many people should be exposed to.

It is through my writing, my freedom of expression, my CHOICE to voice another man’s song to the world, to unite and envelope one’s unique culture and present it to the rest of the world.  We must celebrate culture, this helps keep it alive.  I alone cannot change the world, but I can spread a message of hope, of love, of truth and empower others through my writing, passion, love and appreciation for ‘culture’. 

Today, through reading one man’s story and seeing an excerpt of this touching movie, I learn that I have a choice.  We all have a choice.  We can choose to plant good seeds.  We can plant seeds of hope and love, appreciation for another’s culture and the desire to ‘keep alive’ the beauty and richness that culture provides. 

It is people like Ngawang Choephel that have true power.  As a political prisoner is captured, his inner essence can never be touched.  From one man’s noble act and desire, the world now sees truth, a truth that cannot be hidden. Little do these power hungry authorities know that they were a true blessing to Choephel and Tibet.  Why you ask? Because if it wasn’t for this one man’s journey to capture traditional Tibetan music and in turn, become captured himself, then worldly political figures and well renown people such as Annie Lenox wouldn’t have stood up for a cause. 

Unfortunately, it takes someone of high power or status to actually bring about change or exposure to an issue that has long endured.  It is through the presenting of hardships and barriers however, that bring about strengthening of one’s character and vision, and change.  It took Choephel’s journey of hardship and vision to express Tibet’s song (both literally and metaphorically), to bring to surface one man’s dream for a nation to be cultivated.  Former U.S. Senator of Vermont James Jeffords and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy helped secure his release in 2002.

I challenge you today, to think about what seeds you will plant today.  Will you choose to plant good or bad seeds today? Remember, that it is through the planting of good seeds that you will reap back in due time the beautiful fruits of the good seeds you plant today.

Support this amazing culture and man’s passion for his song by viewing: http://www.tibetinsong.com/

You can also view more articles from Jaime Perris on www.truebluenenrichment.com  and  http://culturalwonders.blogspot.com .

People are like Lotus Flower

LOTUS FLOWER

- By Jaime Perris-

People are like lotus flowers…….some are fully blossomed, some are covered in mud, some are not fully opened yet.

If I can get people to discover themselves then become the fully blossomed lotus, then I have achieved my goal, my legacy.

I believe I must stay in the vibe of being intuitive to others experiences and state of being and stage in life.

Wow…I have just had an “awakening”; an encounter.

I have reached the top of my mountain, my path.  Once you realise/discover your path, then you will truly see how every person, thing and circumstance around you will be uncovered and you will see how it is linked to that ultimate goal up above that mountain.  Once you recognise your goal, your path, then everything around you becomes a useful resource which will become an added asset to achieving your journey, your path. Once you experience the ‘knowledge’ of your path, destiny, and your purpose of destination, then and only then will you truly live a life of self-fulfillment and happiness.  That greater being, God, will assist you in attaining this unexplainable ‘wisdom’ and internal happiness.  Once you know your true path, you will finally and fully understand why it is that you underwent negative situations, because it is that very situation that shaped you to be the way that you are and brought you to the place that you are today!!

This is my vision- I want others to experience and ‘encounter’, to be enlightened to knowing their path in life.  Once they experience the same awakening encounter that I did, I promise you that you will see everything around you in a different light.  You will then see how everything around you is useful, a benefit to yourself, so much so that your experience, and your awakening will inevitably capture a profoundness, it will instill in you a desire, to want to share it and pass it onto others.  You are just compelled to draw others into this encounter.  You will want to just bless others with the awakening, it’s as though you become ‘self-less’ and any toxic (selfish) desire that was once innate, diminishes, and your true being that I believe we were created to be, starts to flourish, it begins to appear and your character starts to change, for the better.  You are now humble.  You are now selfless.  You are no longer looking toward ‘self’, but are looking toward ‘others’.

Conclusively, this is a new discovery of one-self, an encounter as I adore to say and live for each day.  With this enlightenment, with this glorious encounter, a light of pureness will illuminate from your being, this purity from you will radiate so much so that others will not help but see its aluminous divinity.  Where there is light, darkness cannot stand.  The light will always prevail over darkness.

You see, putting it simply, I have discovered that there are two types of people in life.  type one is the one who no matter what life-changing encounter they may be faced with, they will never truly see it for what it is- a life-changing lesson in which they embrace what  want everyone to embrace- their personal ‘encounter’.  Unfortunately, these people will go on in life experiencing the same negative things, they will consistently miss their chance of experiencing their encounter. These people we must try and awaken, we must feel compassion for them.  Because it is with this understanding of their stance in life that we are able to appreciate where they’re at, rather than become typically bitter and angry toward them.

Then there is the second type of person whom I live to see everyone become, who I envision to experience their encounter.  These people, when ready to change, susceptible to the positive things that life brings their way, one day they will finally see the lesson that life brings their way.  They will embrace a moment and learn the lesson they were meant to learn.  They will finally experience their ‘encounter’.  Rather than miss the lesson and continue on living in the mediocrity, they will finally discover their path and live the journey of attainment, and along the way of this path, they will soon unravel all the mysteries that lie before them, that always did lie before them.  You see only now though, are they able to unmask the things around them that always were there.  The difference now though, is that they are able through their encounter, to now see things for what they are, for what they always have been.

Things are placed all around us, but it’s up to us to find them.  The precious pearls discovered in the Palawan Sea in the Philippines, was discovered because someone was in search of something.  How precious it is to know what unique gem lies beneath the ocean surface.

However it is up to us to journey on that path of exploration, the path of engaging in an encounter.

Let me ask- are you walking a path of inquisition, always seeking and never truly being, or are you ready to walk the path of pure exquisiteness and embark on the journey of life, and experience your one true encounter?