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Good Morning

I’ve been swinging my hips and punching the air in the last two days as Tina Turner’s hits have been replayed, following the sad news of her death. But back in the mid-1970s, when she left an abusive marriage, my mind was ringing with Bob Marley’s reggae. I’d just returned from teaching in Jamaica and was not then a rock ‘n roll fan. But Tina Turner speaks to me now as few others have, because of her spiritual journey.

Born a farmer’s daughter in Tennessee, she sang in her church choir loved reciting the Lord’s Prayer. She then converted to Buddhism. The chanting practice of her Japanese Buddhist tradition gave her the strength to divorce and to be open about domestic abuse, inspiring numerous others. But her journey didn’t end there. Towards the end of her life, working with others, she released four ‘Beyond’ albums, which combined songs, meditations and prayers from different religions. The first contained Christian and Buddhist chants. Then it expanded, until the last, in 2017, embraced six spiritual traditions. She also wrote a book about the path to happiness. Asked in a press interview shortly before her death whether anything about getting older frightened her, she said, ‘Nothing. This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings.’

What was it about her religious practice that gave her all this - strength to call out an abusive husband, the creativity to forge her own particular sound and message, fearlessness in the face of ageing and death? Her chanting practice was a form of meditation. She could go to her Buddhist shrine, sit before it and, through chanting, reach a place of peace, silence and strength, where fear had no place. And she was open enough to see that it was not only Buddhism that could offer this but also other religious traditions, including that of her birth, Christianity.

My experience is the same, as a Christian who draws deeply from Buddhist wisdom. We all need inner strength. Strength to live without fear or to challenge what we see to be wrong in the world around us. What Tina Turner found and what I’ve found in Buddhism is that finding time to meditate is the key to taking effective, compassionate action – and for Jesus retreating in prayer was essential to the carrying out of his ministry. So let us swing our hips and punch the air in memory of a music icon but also remember that creative energy is often rooted in spiritual practice.

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