Tibetan Bells

According to Tibetan oral tradition, the existence of singing bowls dates back to the time of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (560 - 480 B.C.). The tradition was brought from India to Tibet, along with the teachings of the Buddha, by the great tantric master Padmasambhava in the 8th century A.D.

Singing bowls produce sounds which invoke a deep state of relaxation which naturally assists one in entering into meditation, the ultimate goal being enlightenment. They are a quintessential aid to meditation, and can be found on private Buddhist altars, and in temples, monasteries and meditation halls throughout the world.

A metallurgical analysis, done by the British Museum in London, reveals that the instruments are made of a 12-metal alloy consisting of silver, nickel, copper, zinc, antimony, tin, lead, cobalt, bismuth, arsenic, cadmium and iron. Now a lost art, it appears that this quality of bell bowl cannot be reproduced today.

In addition to their traditional usage for meditation, Tibetan singing bowls are used for deep relaxation, stress reduction, holistic healing, Reiki, chakra balancing, and World music. Many people find that the rich blend of harmonic overtones which the bells produce have a direct affect upon their chakras.

Playing the bells usually causes an immediate centering effect. The tones set up a “frequency following response” that creates a balancing left/right brain synchronization. Meditating on the subtle sounds of the Tibetan singing bowl tunes one in to the universal sound within and without.

Several of the objects serve as protection against evil or demonic spirits. Of such a nature are the ghanta and dril-bu, the shaman’s drum, the lamps of the Indian Dipavali, and the burning of incense, which has also been practiced in ancient Greece, pre-Columbian America, Morocco, and many other regions. The possession of a large number of the same form of a protective object often is believed to be effective; this is the reason for the large number of bells (ghantamala) suspended on lattices on the handrail of the balustrade (vedika) around the stupas of ancient India; even today, small bells are hung from the roofs of Buddhist pagodas in Sino-Japanese regions.

Like the small bells seen on the roofs of Romanian country dwellings until the beginning of the 20th century, these bells have a clapper provided with a feather or plaquette that enables the wind to ring them continually. Perhaps the most effective protective object, however, is the “diamond thunderbolt” (Sanskrit vajra; Tibetan rdo-rje) of Mahayana Buddhism, Tantrism, and Lamaism (a Tibetan form of Buddhism and folk religion). Well-known in early Buddhism as an instrument held in the hand, the vajra is handled in the middle and has, at one or both ends, four curved points that meet at the tips. Of varying size, they are usually made of gilded or ungilded bronze. The Tantric vajra is also associated with the ghanta (vajra-ghanta), for which it forms a handle. A symbol of the indestructible force of religion, it is believed to be able to drive away all manifestations of evil. Although they are perishable, gunshots and firecrackers are viewed as protective and expelling devices, as in China and Cambodia (where soldiers, in the early 1970s, fired ammunition at a lunar eclipse to drive away the dragon they believed was devouring the moon).

Please read further: http://www.tibetanbells.edu.tc

Kevin

Labels: Tibetan Bells

# posted by Generalfoundation @ 6:49 AM