Artist:   American Zen
Author:   The Hippy Coyote
Project Format:   mp3 song downloads individually, or as album
Price:   $8.88 album, 0.88 song
Record Producer:  Richard Del Connor
Record Label:   Shaolin Records
Release Date:   2/4/2018

To Be Released 2018

"This is my 4th spin of the Dharma Wheel since I've learned Kung Fu," explains Coyote. "I am going to really enjoy this 4th LEVEL of ZEN BUDDHISM this time. I am planning to hang out on this Kung Fu LEVEL for a few years."

Coyote's band, American Zen, has evolved into a one man band, featuring The Hippy Coyote.

"Every time I go up a spiritual LEVEL, I lose all my friends and lovers in the previous LEVEL. It's like graduating high school and going to College--you leave the past school, teachers, and freinds...behind."

The first LEVEL of American Zen, LEVEL 1 = PEACE OF MIND, is the same for everyone: that need for security, safety, and human comforts. Many of these people don't even seek religion because they don't think they need it, it doesn't offer any benefits to them, or they are too worried about survival to worry about God. Desperation is often the motivation for people to move up to LEVEL 2, seeking either God's help, or the benefits of their religion.

The second LEVEL of American Zen, LEVEL 2 = CHRIST KILLER, is where people search for and define or choose their religion. The "Christ Killers" are usually the most enthusiastic of all religious people. They seek to DEFEND their religion and HURT others who disagree. Until people rise from this LEVEL of spirituality, they will continue to support and defend THEIR RELIGION with the belief it is better than everyone else's. Christ Killers are everywhere!

Maybe 1/3 of the world is in the FIRST level, LEVEL 1of spirituality, and will spend their lives worrying about work, family, and creature comforts. They buy boats for fishing or watch TV to burn up their time on earth.

Maybe 1/4 of the world is the SECOND level, LEVEL 2 of spirituality. Christ Killers find their missing answers in religion. Now they don't have to think anymore. It is much easier to defend an idea, than to create a new one. Christ Killers are relieved by the life jacket answers of religion which promises them that, "Everything will be alright." That's all they wanted to hear.

Maybe 1/8 of the world rises to the THIRD level of spirituality, LEVEL 3 = I WANT YOU TO LOVE ME. Sure those people on LEVEL 1 fall in love and reproduce like rabbits, but that isn't TRUE LOVE. True love requires more than getting along with your roommates. True love requires the INNER DESIRE to help others to be as happy as they can be. Then maybe you can find someone who will want YOU to be as happy as you can be, regardless of the religions and issues of LEVEL 2 and despite whatever hardships you may encounter from LEVEL 1, your TRUE LOVE will not shake, break, or bend. True Love = True Love.

Maybe 1/20 of the world rise to the FOURTH level of life spirituality. LEVEL 4 = KUNG FU COWBOY is where we discover our GIFTED ATHLETES and TALENTED MUSICIANS. Yes, there are talented musical jerks in LEVEL 1 who have never had a religion besides greed. But even greed can be a religion if it permeates all your logic and behavior. These people imitate LEVEL 2 religious people enough to get along with them and SELL THEM STUFF. That juggling of greed and religion makes it difficult to tell which of the first two LEVELS they are on--but who cares! Stay away from people in LEVELS 1 and 2 if you want to have true love in your life.

If you can find the SPIRITUAL WARRIORS of LEVEL 4, you have discovered a special and highly evolved human being. Spiritual Warriors have mastered their mind in LEVEL 1 and learned how to focus to achieve their capabilities. Spiritual Warriors have mastered their spirit in LEVEL 2 by realizing it requires no membership, once their soul graduates any good spiritual college. Spiritual Warriors have mastered their bodies in LEVEL 3 as they discover a unity and equality between people and have the social skills to utilize their knowledge to be GREAT LOVING PARTNERS.

So, in LEVEL 4, where our American Zen band currently resides, The Hippy Coyote is having an amazing life:
2007: The Hippy Coyote releases his first novel, SID'S PLACE, about a drug runner in 1969, San Diego, California.
2007: Under pseudonym, Buddha Zhen, Coyote releases a new INTERACTIVE BOOK, the BUDDHA KUNG FU STUDENT MANUAL
2008: Under pseudonym, Buddha Zhen, Coyote launches a new Kung Fu school based upon his student manual, BUDDHA KUNG FU.
2008: American Zen release: LEVEL 3 = I WANT YOU TO LOVE ME album with 11 songs and 12 bass poems.
2009: American Zen record LEVEL 4 = KUNG FU COWBOY Part 1 (18 songs) and Part 2 (18 songs).
2009: Under pseudonym, Buddha Zhen, Coyote releases Chinese folk rock album, TAI CHI MAGIC 1.
2009: Coyote releases handwritten poetry book, KUNG FU COWBOY ORIGINAL DRAFT.
2009: Coyote, under his legal name, Richard Del Connor, becomes a 3rd Degree Master Mason (Freemason).
2009: Coyote, under his legal name, Richard Del Connor, is installed as "ORGANIST" of the Panamericana 513 Lodge of Freemasons
2009: Coyote discovers "MASONIC KUNG FU," within one of the popular Kung Fu Forms he learned and has been teaching since 1984.

This LEVEL 4 was 36 songs and poems recorded in our Montrose apartment recording studio, and the CV Park gymnasium. It will be split into two with a third and fourth album to follow. So LEVEL 4 will be 4 albums.

Richard Del Connor
Producer, shaolinRECORDS.com