Description
A short story about our singing bowls.
Singing bowls (also known as 'Himalayan bowls' or 'rin' or suzu gongs in Japan) are a type of bell, specified as a standing bell and not a hanging one or one attached to a stem. Standing bells touch the ground with their bottom. The walls and rim of the singing bowl vibrate and thus produce sound. Singing bowls originate from Asia and were used as part of Bon and Tantric Buddhism. Today, they are found worldwide in many spiritual traditions such as meditation, relaxation, health, personal well-being, and religious practice. Singing bowls originate 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 enter a trance, and during prayer. Chinese Buddhists, for example, use the singing bowl together with a wooden fish while reciting prayers and strike the bowl during a specific part of their chanting, the so-called Sutra or Mantra. In Japan and Vietnam, the bowls are widely used during chanting, but also to interrupt and change an activity. The use of singing bowls in Tibet is the subject of many stories; some say that they are and were used for meditation, while others say that they are magical objects for transformation (of oneself or an object). Traditionally, singing bowls are made of 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 overtones that are unique to each bowl. The tones described above indicate a high-quality bronze alloy. The making of singing bowls has often been described as a lost tradition and craftsmanship. Craftsmen still produce a modest number in the hidden, hard-to-reach parts of Nepal.
An explanation from our own manufacturer about the tones of the singing bowls.
Meditation and a wonderful Italian documentary about the production of singing bowls.
