On February 23, musician Hamlet Truong released the song "Your Shoulder Is Nirvana" , which was opposed by many audiences. Most opinions said that the title was sensitive and inappropriate when comparing a man's shoulder in terms of love with Nirvana - the ultimate state of a monk when he completely eradicates greed, anger, and ignorance to reach absolute peace.
Account Hoang Hai wrote: "Nirvana has no feelings, so why compare love like that. Don't force yourself when you don't understand clearly and lack compatibility."
Comments from Khanh Toan account received a lot of agreement: "When I first saw the song title, I thought you wrote it for Buddhism. Nirvana is not a 'realm' but a state of mind. 'Nirvana' in Buddhism is likened to the highest realm, the mind is free of defilements (afflictions) while lust is the source of suffering. I understand that in the eyes of a lover there is no doctrine, but using the word nirvana in this context is completely inappropriate."
Hamlet Truong sent reporters the new lyrics.
When contacted by VietNamNet reporter, musician Hamlet Truong said he had read all the audience's comments. Regarding the title of the song "Your Shoulder is Nirvana" , during his research, he came across this word in Hinduism which means "the return of the individual soul to the great self".
"Coincidentally, this meaning coincides with the idea of making a MV based on a short story of mine. Accordingly, the boy passed away, the girl is the one who stays behind to reminisce about the love they once had. Therefore, I wrote this song," the musician said.
After reading all the audience's comments, Hamlet Truong immediately made edits. Specifically, the entire word "nirvana" in the song was changed to "yen lang". The new title is Bo vai anh la gioi yen lang .
The old recording of Bo vai anh la coi nirvana has been removed from all social networks and online music platforms. The MV release date has also been postponed.
Hamlet Truong enters the studio to adjust the recording.
"In my short-sighted view, I think that the character in the work can see a shoulder as a place of 'absolute silence', however this is not true. If something is wrong, it must be corrected immediately, that is the artist's responsibility. I feel lucky that I have not released the MV and physical disc yet, there is still time to correct it," Hamlet Truong said.
The musician is grateful to the audience for their comments so that he has the opportunity to learn more and correct his mistakes.
Before Hamlet Truong, many Vietnamese artists caused controversy with products containing Buddhist elements. In 2014, singer Ung Hoang Phuc was protested for reciting the Great Compassion Mantra to loud dance music.
In 2019, the Vietnamese lyrics of the song Hoa Do Ta Khong Do Nang were considered blasphemous to Buddhism. Venerable Thich Nhat Tu pointed out that the Vietnamese lyrics used many exaggerated words, especially the arbitrary addition of the sentence: "The Buddha is so high up there/ He will never reach you".
In 2021, the group Rap Nha Lam caused outrage when it released the rap song Thich Ca Mau Chi , which blasphemed Buddhism and distorted the image of Buddha. As a result, the group was fined 45 million VND and forced to destroy the recording.
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