When heavy metal was first popularized in the US in the 1990s, with its ground-shaking double-bassed compositions accompanied by melodic shrieks and dissonant but rhythmic riffs, it was commonly linked to anarchistic behavior or just straight-up Satanism due to also being the symbol of the youth of that era's heightened emotions and expressions.
However, in modern times, progress and understanding have accelerated in a lot of mediums. In the realm of music and spirituality, none "paves" this new frontier more than the Taiwan-based death metal band, Dharma, made up of an ensemble comprising genuine Buddhist monks, as reported by Al Jazeera.
This picture taken on January 2, 2021 shows Buddhist nun Miao-ben (C), a vocalist of Taiwanese death metal band 'Dharma' performing during a concert in Taichung.
Dharma, a Rising Death Metal and Buddhist Collective
Frequenting the country's biggest music festivals, this group of musical anomalies performs haunting yet captivating renditions of Buddhist sutras, versions that are both in Sanskrit and Mandarin Chinese, underscored by guttural sounds that contemporary death metal is known for.
Starting in 2018, the band has even generated international notoriety for their one-of-a-kind approach to music, not to mention, the amount of respect they have in accurately representing Eastern spirituality, employing real Buddhist nuns in Master Song and Master Miao-ben among their ranks.
Just last month, in November, Dharma played their first show beyond Taiwan's shores, at the International Indie Music Festival in Kerala, India, where they passionately spread Buddha's eternal teachings and even caught the interest of North American and European event producers.
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Buddhism and Heavy Metal, Two Sides of the Same Coin
Jack Tung, one of the band's founding members, told the Arab publication that they believe "both heavy metal and ancient religions need to change," especially during the 21st century.
Tung first had his "spiritual awakening" in 2000, when he first came across the "Lion's Roar" of Buddhism, a concept that signifies the astonishing and moving power of Buddha and the Bodhisattvas' teaching. This particular concept is unique to the Mahayana school of Buddhism which is most prevalent in East Asia.
This picture taken on November 12, 2020 shows Jack Tung, drummer and founder of Taiwanese death metal band 'Dharma' praying at Baoan temple in Taipei.
During this time, Tung made a connection between the "Lion's Roar" and the pulling rhythms of a metal ensemble. For him, the expression that metal was known for is the same as how Buddhism was communicated during its initial spread from India to China, with how Buddha's facial features were commonly depicted as "angry" at the time.
"From my understanding, this angry appearance was used mainly to protect monks and believers, and we think that it is somewhat similar to how death metal musicians propose their messages," shared Tung.
The founding member added that through Dharma's melding of metal and Buddhism, he and the band hope to channel the "tremendous energy" to "increase the power of the spells and use music and costumes to manifest the anger or protection of Buddha and Bodhisattva."
For Tung, this is the band's way of "strengthening," and not altering, the "essence of Buddhist scripture mantras." He continued by saying that the teachings of "Amitabha Buddha" presented "84,000 ways to practice," and maybe, "death metal" can be one of them.
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