Buddhist Music: Samskaras and Hardcore Youth (A Review of Parkway Drive's Deep Blue)

PART I

Back to Square One (of Four):
Black Albums

Noble. Strong. Valiant. These words are interchangeable and may be used to describe the Tathagata, the buddha. He was a rich warrior prince who wrote HIStory--well, more like he had enough fame, clout and influence to have a great number of people keep alive his story of reality in this world's collective consciousness. And what an awesome story it is; Parkway Drive has done well to portray in contemporary context the experience of the one who has gone beyond and returned.

Here is my amateur review of the album above, Parkway Drive's Deep Blue (written  via Facebook's Living Social):

Brutal onslaught of hardcore goodness without mercy (nor hope). A bit more embellished and poetically polished than the previous album. Deep Blue captures through distortion and guttural screams the intense profundity of the Buddhist 1st noble truth.With track names like Samsara and Karma Deep Blue pays homage to the Tathagata and "hardcore" youth alike. Underground? Underwhut?

PART II

Fiction: Paranoia and Confidence
in Hardcore Youth

Caveat 1: We have meaning-making minds. We apply meaning to everything so that the world makes sense.

I had a bout of paranoia this week. I imagined that an artist from one of my favorite bands had not passed on, contrary to the news and their acclaimed album. The more I listened to the album the more the paranoia grew. "No, this guy isn't dead... it's just a promotional tool."

All types of speculative unclear thinking flowed on and on for days. I saw everything through a skeptical and grandiosely paranoid filter. Even TV shows had plots that were developed for my personal consumption!

But then a few days ago while doing walking meditation, it dawned on me: "Wait a sec, I don't know this guy or his family."

And I think that's our job as young buddhists: We're supposed to catch ourselves, our loves and lovers and everyone around us. (See Satipattana sutta)

When we fail to catch ourselves, we fall into our self and narcissism grows and consumes all inklings of Self, hence the all-consuming "I". When we fail to catch our self, compassion fails. When we fail to catch our self, our actions may just lead to greater manifestations of paranoia, "drama", and unclear thinking. We are the Catchers; let's move past the first base. Let's play, without ego.

And now word to the wise, regarding this generation and those who are to come, by sXephil (he's not sexy; he's S-X-E):

Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan (RIP)