Tibetan Singing Bowl in Meditation

Tibetan singing bowls originated in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Northern China, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. Historians are unable to pinpoint exactly when singing bowls came into being, but the technique to build similar instruments existed in Asia as long as 2,500 years ago. Some sources believe that singing bowls were first used in India 3,000 years ago, and in Tibet 1,000 years ago. It is believed that the "Bon" sect of shamans often used singing bowls in their rituals.

Singing bowls were originally comprised of five, seven, or nine different metals including gold, silver, mercury, copper, tin, and iron. Some also believe that meteorite was used in making the original bowls. But most bowls were made using five metals or less.

Today, singing bowls are often made by pouring metal into a cast. These singing bowls are smoother and are generally easier to play. There are also hand-hammered singing bowls on the market. Hand-hammered bowls are more difficult to play, and even though they are often passed off as old or antique, few of them are. Antique bowls are still around, but they are very rare and high-priced.

Playing a singing bowl is very simple, and you will be able to play most bowls in less than five minutes. Simply circle the stick around the outside of the bowl very slowly in a steady rhythm. You might have to circle for a while before you actually hear anything. You will begin to hear a slight hum, and this hum will increase as you continue circling the stick around the bowl.

Singing bowls are often used for meditation, and you can play your bowl while meditating yourself. You can also ask someone else to play the bowl while you are meditating. Singing bowls are often used in yoga classes as well. In a yoga class someone would sit in the class to play the bowl while the students go through the asanas. This is a nice addition to any yoga class, and is more soothing than the recorded music that many yoga classes use.

Singing bowls are wonderful to use in outside environments and for yourself at home. They are becoming more and more popular in the west, along with yoga and Buddhism. When you are not playing your singing bowl, it still serves as a beautiful decoration for your home. In Tibet singing bowls are often used for other purposes, such as offering bowls, as well as for playing.

Sylvia is the co-owner of Hinky Import, which offers singing bowls and Chinese gifts. She has been a frequent traveler to Tibet and China.

Meditation - Uses of Singing Meditation Bowl

Also known as Himalayan bowl or cup gong, a singing bowl, is a musical instrument used in Buddhist meditation and are traditionally played in monasteries by Buddhist monks. Singing meditation bowls were historically made in Tibet, Nepal, India, China, Japan, and Korea, and.

The singing meditation bowl is made of metal, and may include precious metals such as silver and gold; while other can have a metallic makeup which includes copper, tin, zinc, lead, iron, and nickel. Commonly used singing meditation bowls are an alloy of different metals.

Singing meditation bowls are played by hitting, striking, or slowly rubbing or stirring a wooden striker or mallet within or on the top of the outer surface of the bowl. The bowl produces a continuous harmonic sound when struck correctly. This sound is said to be relaxing and good for chakra, a form of meditation. The singing meditation bowl has been adopted by various other forms of meditation and is also used for yoga, healing, sound massage, sound therapy and chakra balancing.

Singing meditation bowls come in different shapes, sizes, designs, colors, carvings and crafting. Some can be found with various religious themes and symbols like the Tibetan mantra chant of Om Mani padme hum, dragon carvings, mandala carvings, Buddhist religious symbols, among others. The art of making traditional bowls is now considered a lost art and most old bowls contain very little or no ornamentation at all.

The bowls are mostly hand made, and fall into two categories: the hand-hammered (beaten) singing bowl, mostly used in Nepal and India and manufactured in the traditional processes; and the colored, carved and crafted bowl, which are popular for gifts, decorations, and souvenir items, mostly coming from the Himalayan region.

Today, singing meditation bowls have become very popular, so much so that even people who don't really meditate display it for its ornamental value. They can't really be blamed as this singing meditation bowls come in such fascinating and exquisite designs. However, for people who use the singing meditation bowl for a much higher purpose, like meditating, see it as symbolic of human spirituality, representing human spirit as a vessel containing only the limiting nature of who and what we are.

The outward appearance of a singing meditation bowl represents our constantly changing nature; from one moment to the next we are never the same even as events and interactions cause deeply influence these changes within us. While some events may lead to a complete upheaval in our lives, others may just create a subtle ripple that is forgotten as soon as it occurs.

Whether or not we use them for them for meditation, a singing meditation bowl is timeless symbol of human spirituality and the frailty of the human nature.

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