Our Hero Bodhisattva Never Disparaging [aka The Lotus Sutra Song] by Greg Fain and Ben Gustin

[illarraza]

http://www.dharmacowboys.com/media/01%20Our%20Hero.mp3

Our Hero (aka the Lotus Sutra Song) Words by Greg Fain

There’s a book called the Lotus Sutra, you really oughta know about
A holy book that has the power to remove all fear and doubt
And this book tells the story of a man who means the world to me
Who could just as well’ve been a woman If not for male hegemony
They call him the Bodhisattva Never Disparage,
or the Bodhisattve Never Despise
And I’m makin’ it my life’s ambition
to see the world through his pure eyes
And he says

Chorus:

I would never disparage you or keep you at arm’s length
Where you only see your weaknesses, I only see your strength
I would never despise you or put you down in any way
Because it’s clear to me
I can plainly see
You’ll be a buddha someday
I love you

Now Bodhisattva Never Disparaging lived countless kalpas in the past
In a time of the Counterfeit Dharma,
and he was something of an outcast
Because the monks and nuns of his time were noted for their arrogance and vanity
And these were the folks who exercised great power and authority
But my boy never concerned himself if they treated him like a freak
He’d just bow to everybody equally and these are the words he’d speak

Chorus

I would never disparage you or keep you at arm’s length
Where you only see your weaknesses, I only see your strength
I would never despise you or put you down in any way
Because it’s clear to me
I can plainly see
You’ll be a buddha someday
I love you

He never read or recited the scriptures much
He only liked to practice respect
But the monks and nuns of his time didn’t meet it like you’d might expect Instead they cursed him and reviled him and they wished that he would go Because they all had self-esteem issues, like most everyone else I know
They beat him and pelted him with clubs and stones,
and they tried to drive him away
But he’d just run off to a safe distance
And then he’d turn around and say

Chorus

I would never disparage you or keep you at arm’s length
Where you only see your weaknesses, I only see your strength
I would never despise you or put you down in any way
Because it’s clear to me
I can plainly see
You’ll be a buddha someday
I love you

And so it went on for years and years
He was the target of scorn and abuse
Yet still our hero shed no tears nor did he ever wonder what’s the use
Until it reached the end of his natural lifespan and he laid down fixin’ to die
And then he heard the Holy Lotus Sutra being preached up in the sky
And his life was extended for millions of years and he’s livin’ to this day
And in the pages of the Lotus Sutra, you still can hear him say

Chorus

I would never disparage you or keep you at arm’s length
Where you only see your weaknesses, I only see your strength
I would never despise you or put you down in any way
Because it’s clear to me
I can plainly see
You’ll be a buddha someday
I love you