Calling the Lama

There is a wonderful Tibetan tradition of practitioners calling the lama from afar. There are many beautiful chants and I've posted quotes from one of my favorites on this blog. However, I usually have to choose between chanting in Tibetan with only partial comprehension of what I am saying or reading the translation in English without any melody. So I borrowed a western song to sing on occasion. It has no lineage behind it and I don't know whether it is really the right thing to do, but I was able to generate a lot of heart felt devotion while I sang it and thought of my lama. Here it is, you'll recognize it.

A Borrowed Song Sung to the Lama

The long and winding road
That leads to your door,
Will never disappear,
I've seen that road before.
It always leads me here,
Leads me to your door.

The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away,
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day.
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way.

Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried.
Anyway you'll never know
The many ways I've tried.
But still they lead me back
To the long, winding road.

You left me standing here
A long, long time ago.
Don't leave me waiting here,
Lead me to your door.

But still they lead me back
To the long, winding road.
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago.
Don't keep me waiting here,
Lead me to your door.

Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah