“Side by Side” by Bodhi-Bowl is a quiet anthem for a kind of friendship that rarely makes it into pop songs—the one that doesn’t rescue, impress, or demand promises, but simply stays. Inspired by the Buddhist ideal of kalyāṇamitta—spiritual friendship—the track traces the bond between two wanderers whose connection grows not through grand gestures, but through shared silence, honesty, and the courage to feel.

Stripped of romance and free from sentimentality, the song finds its power in restraint. Its lyrics honor companionship as presence rather than fixing, growth without hierarchy, and loyalty without possession. Echoing the ancient Dharma friendship of Sāriputta and Mahā-Moggallāna—two seekers who walked different paths toward the same awakening—Side by Side reframes friendship as a radical act of trust: not walking ahead, not pulling behind, but choosing to walk together, step for step.

In a culture obsessed with intensity and permanence, Bodhi-Bowl offers something rarer and more enduring—a song about the grace of staying, and the quiet miracle of being enough.

Lyrics

[VERSE 1]

We weren’t searching for belonging,

Just two wanderers with busy minds.

You laughed at the way I overthink,

I said your stillness felt like a kind of shrine.

[PRE-CHORUS]

And I don’t know if timing is fate,

But I know this:

Life softened the moment you stayed.

[CHORUS]

Side by side —

Not holding hands, not making vows,

Just choosing to show up somehow.

And if I break, you don’t fix me —

You just stay.

And somehow that’s enough.

Side by side —

Two imperfect hearts learning to grow

Without leaving the other behind.

[POST-CHORUS]

Mm-mm… side by side…

We keep trying.

We keep trying.

[VERSE 2]

We’ve had seasons of silence,

Where fear spoke louder than love.

But even then I never felt lost —

Just… paused.

You saw the sadness behind my jokes,

The weight behind my calm.

And I saw your strength wasn’t certainty —

It was courage to feel.

[PRE-CHORUS]

Maybe that’s what friendship really is —

Not perfect, not loud,

Just true.

[CHORUS ]

Side by side —

Through mistakes and beginnings,

Through the selves we’ve outgrown.

And if you fall, I won’t carry you —

But I’ll sit beside you

Until you’re ready to rise.

Side by side —

Not forever, but as long

As honesty lives here.

[BRIDGE]

Some call it coincidence.

Some call it grace.

But the old word for this is

Kalyāṇamitta.

A friend who walks with you —

Not ahead, not behind —

To remind you who you really are.

[SOFT REFRAIN]

Some bonds burn fast.

Ours grew slow.

Rooted deep.

Quiet.

Steady.

Home.

[FINAL CHORUS]

Side by side —

Not certain, not perfect,

Just real.

And if time ever changes us,

Promise only this:

We’ll remember the road we walked

Side by side.

[OUTRO]

And somehow…

that’s enough.

Dedicated to a special friend who shaped my path. Hey Spidey, still remember me? I never told you anything, but you have a place in my mind.

To access the song, click on My Buddhist Songs.

May all be well and happy.