This track is in Chinese because it features a chant introduced by a revered monk popularly known as the Living Buddha of Mount Jin.

At the heart of the track is the phrase 「谁念南无阿弥陀佛」, which can be translated as “Who is chanting Namo Amitabha Buddhaya?”

The phrase brings together two elements of Buddhist practice: the Pure Land practice of reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha, and a Zen-style inquiry into the nature of the “self.” Rather than simply asking what we are chanting, the question turns our attention toward the one who is chanting.

The Chinese pronunciation is:

谁：shuí
念：niàn
南：ná
无：mó
阿：ā
弥：mí
陀：tuó
佛：fó

The purpose of this practice is not to deny our everyday identity, but to loosen our attachment to the idea of a fixed and permanent “me.”

When we hold too tightly to our identity, we can become overly concerned with being right, protecting our pride, or maintaining the person we think we are supposed to be. Seeing that the self is constantly changing can give us a little more room to breathe—to take things less personally, let go of pride, adapt when circumstances change, and perhaps even have the courage to try something new.

In Buddhism, what we call “me” is not a permanent, independent entity. We are constantly changing, shaped by countless conditions, experiences, relationships, and physical and mental processes. There is no fixed “me” to defend at every turn.

So perhaps the question 「谁念南无阿弥陀佛？」 is worth sitting with:

Who is chanting?

And when we look closely, perhaps the answer is not as solid as we once imagined.

I hope you enjoy this new-age track. May you be well and happy.