Ahimsa (EP)

Music inspired by the ancient Indian philosophy of non-violence towards all living beings. Each movement is dedicated to those who were, for me, guiding lights for peace.

AHIMSA, in its simplest sense, means not to inflict harm on others through thought, word or action. An ancient concept, yet one which has not caught on sufficiently in our troubled world. Humankind is not only in endless violent conflict within itself, but by and large we fail to recognize that we are part of all of life on this earth and all that life is a part of us. Thus, we inflict the same violence, if not worse, on the innocent lives of all Earth’s creatures, as we do upon ourselves.

The music reflects this basic principle for living, in sections honoring those who, for me, were guiding lights for how to live your life in this way. The simple lessons for life taught to me by my grandfather, and then the great guidng lights – Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and John Lennon – all of whom died while in the pursuit of holding up the candle of ahimsa for all to see. It is hard to think of any who are their match today, but those with their intensity are sorely needed.

CREDITS

Composer: Stanley Grill | Conductor: Marek Štilec | Producer: Jiří Štilec
Engineer: Václav Roubel | Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice