Singing bowl with flower of life engraving and cushion.

A short story about our singing bowls. Singing bowls (also known as 'Himalaya bowls' or 'rin' or suzu gongs in Japan) are a type of bell, specified as a standing bell and not hanging or mounted on a stem. Standing bells touch the ground with their bottom. The walls and rim of the singing bowl vibrate and thus make sound. Singing bowls originate from Asia and were used as part of Bon and Tantric Buddhism. Today they occur worldwide in many spiritual traditions such as meditation, relaxation, health, personal well-being and religious practice. Singing bowls are originally from Nepal, India, Japan and Korea. The best kind comes from the Himalayan region and are often called Tibetan singing bowls. Origin, history and use: In Buddhism singing bowls are used to support meditation, to get into trance and during prayer. For example, Chinese Buddhists use the singing bowl together with a wooden fish when reciting the prayer and beat the so-called Sutra or Mantra on the bowl during a certain part of their song. In Japan and Vietnam, the bowls are often used during singing, but also to interrupt and change an activity. The use of singing bowls in Tibet is the subject of many stories, some people say they are and were used for meditation, others say they are magical objects to transform (self or an object) Traditionally, singing bowls are made from Panchaloha (meaning 5 metals in Sanskrit) A mixture of Bronze, Copper, Tin, Zinc and other metals often with the addition of gold and or silver and Nickel (7 metals) Antique singing bowls produce polyphonic, polyharmonic overtones that are unique to each bowl. The tones described above indicate a high quality alloy of bronze. Making singing bowls has often been described as a lost tradition and craftsmanship. Craftsmen still make modest production in the hidden, inaccessible parts of Nepal.