Next month the Dalai Lama will release his first album. The album will be a collection of his mantras and teachings set to music. The project was the brain child of musician Junelle Kunin, herself a practising Buddhist.

“I’d never heard him speak like this. He really was so excited … he actually proceeded to explain to me how important music is,” Kunin said. “He leaned forward and his eyes were sparkling, and his fingers were rubbing together and he (talked) about how music can help people in a way that he can’t; it can transcend differences and return us to our true nature and our good heartedness.”

Read More: AP News