“Sounds of Peace” — Live from CCR with Tibetan Musician Nawang Khechog

In September of 2023, the CCR invited the Crestone community into Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage for a concert and Dharma talk from renowned Tibetan flute player and Grammy nominee Nawang Khechog. Despite hosting over 100 members of the Crestone community, the “Sounds of Peace” concert lived up to its name. As Nawang played his impressive variety of traditional instruments – some of which he had made himself – one could hear a pin drop in Manjushri Chapel. 

Watch “Sounds of Peace” on YouTube.

“Sounds of Peace” was the first public event held at Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage (formerly known as Nada Hermitage) since the CCR moved in three years ago. Father Eric Haarer, a member of the Carmelite community that resided at Nada for nearly 40 years, offered a poignant introduction for the event. As the Carmelites themselves aged and their numbers dwindled, they came to the hard decision to sell their property.

“We just kept hoping and praying that the right group would come to us,” Fr. Eric said. Though having met with many prospective buyers, when Drs. B. Alan Wallace and Eva Natanya had an impromptu stay at the hermitage, something clicked. 

“We fell in love with Lama Alan, and he fell in love with this property. And we felt immediately that this is the group. We had a deep intuition.” Three years on, Fr. Eric said that their prayers for a group that respected solitude, silence, and the sacredness of the land had been “answered in spades” in the CCR.

Nawang also offered touching words to the Crestone community, pausing his musical performance to give a Dharma talk on the “Eight Verses for Training the Mind,” a short but indispensable mind training text in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Nawang recounted receiving oral instructions on this text from Khunu Lama Rinpoche – a modern day bodhisattva whose very laughter cut through to Nawang’s heart. Punctuated by lighthearted laughter of his own, Nawang shared stories from his life and the great masters of Tibet as he described the importance of cultivating bodhicitta. 

Nawang also shared the joy he felt when he realized Dr. Wallace had written multiple books on mind training, saying: “If you want to be a bodhisattva, it’s all there. You have all the teachings in this beautiful Dharma center. You have one of the best teachers here, Alan Wallace.”

The CCR was delighted to offer this event as a gift to the Crestone community, which we feel extremely fortunate to be a part of. As we continue our work, we hope to offer even more to our neighbors and the world at large in the form of monthly meditation sessions led by our resident teachers, special lectures, and publications from our research in contemplative science.