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It’s easy to get the idea that Buddhist monks never dabble with side gigs or have a life outside of their temple, but as people like Yogetsu Akasaka demonstrate, this is far from the case. The practicing monk and music lover has amassed tens of thousands of views with YouTube videos of him beatboxing in traditional robes.
At first, it’s the visual incongruity of a monk with a DJ set that draws people to click on videos with titles like ‘Buddha Meets Psychedelic Vision’, but these chill out tracks have viewers quickly punching the subscribe button.
Before he became a monk in 2015, Akasaka was an actor at a theatre company formed in Fukushima as well as a keen beatboxer. He was accustomed to busking on the streets, often doing so in countries like Australia or the United States, so making music was always second nature. Now, he uses his skills to incorporate Buddhist chants into his beatboxing recordings to create his own sub-genres of music.
Whether you’re looking for tracks to help you shift into deep focus, elevate your sense of mindfulness or make you drift peacefully off to sleep, there’s a wide variety of available mixes – and you’ll find yourself incorporating them into your everyday routines.
Check out Yogetsu Akasaka's YouTube channel for more Zen beatboxing tracks.
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