Wu-Tang Clan lyricist RZA spoke on matters of spirituality during a newly-released interview with LionsRoar.com, a publication that “presents the best of Buddhism in the twenty-first century.”
During his interview, RZA was asked about taking elements from Buddhism and other traditions while on his spiritual path. He revealed that he takes “grains of truth from everything” and says being familiar with the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad allows him to communicate with everyone.
“Yeah, I’ve taken the grains of truth from everything that resonates,” RZA said. “Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad—all these wise men, they came for us. They came to teach, to enlighten, to help us get to the kingdom of peace, whether they call it nirvana, heaven, or paradise. It’s my duty to understand each one of these teachers. By me understanding what Buddha said, when I am talking to a brother Buddhist we can communicate. I don’t have to be blocked by Christianity or blocked by Muslim teachings or blocked by anything because I am now aware of the psychology and the thinking of what he is expressing, and I can also see it.”
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RZA was later questioned about Buddhists who have a hard time accepting the amount of cursing present in rap. He explained that if cursing “gets the message through” it shouldn’t be considered negative.
“In one of the books I have on Buddhism, a student is talking to the master,” the Wu-Tang musician said. “The student is saying things like fart and shit, and the master condemns him for it. But later on, the master finds himself describing something and in no other way could he describe it besides using foul words. Therefore, he got into the position of the student.
“Also, there is a story about Da Mo when he first went to Shaolin,” he added. “He was meditating when a monk walked by, saw mud, and said, ‘Don’t let the mud get on you. It’s dirty and will defile you.’ But then Da Mo said, ‘Yeah, but the lotus plants grow out of the mud. So, if mud can produce something so beautiful, how can it be foul?’ Curse words can be considered dirt. If the word gets the message through, then it’s not a negative word. Making the point clearer is what words are for.”
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