Tibetan Singing Bowl

Tibetan singing bowl was originated before Buddhism was introduced into Tibet, the Himalayan culture known as Bon or Bon Po. These singing bowls are not only produced in Tibet only, they are also made in Bhutan, Nepal and India. The culture of using the Singing Bowl starts around 4,000 years ago during the Bronze Age in China, which is at its peak. The singing bowl are also previously used as an offering bowl in an altar containing which normally contains a mixture of barley, rice, water, and butter with a wick placed in the center to be used as a butter lamp.

Legend also says that the iron that was used in the singing bowl was sometimes replaced by meteorite found on the mountaintops of Himalaya, There is nothing much written about these Tibetan singing bowls in the history, even though they had been found in both monasteries and homes since long ago. The sound that came from the Tibetan singing bowls is very pure and powerful in centring both the mind and body.

Most of the Tibetans, when questioned about the actual usage of the bowls, says that these bowls are simply used to vessels for food. However, it is quite hard to imagine that these bowl are actually made out of 7 different types of metals which includes gold and silver and it can vibrate up to 7 individual or sometimes 9 and simultaneous tones, each tone at its own consistent frequency. These Tibetan singing bowls instill a very deep sense of relaxation and the experience of the opening of the inner space. Even a simple act of listening to the vibration sound of a singing bowl can stops one's internal dialogue, this makes the bowls a perfect tool for meditation.

The Tibetan singing bowl can also be used to cleanse the negative energy on one's amulet or mala, at the same time it can also be used to energize these items. Tibetan singing bowls are also used by most sound healers to both tone and balance the various energy in the bodies.

The most common ways of to play a Tibetan singing bowl is to strike the bowl once and can rub around the edge of the bowl with a wooden ‘wand' anti-clockwise (for cleansing) and clockwise (to energize). One can also place your amulet or mala inside the bowl before playing with it. Simply by resting the Tibetan singing bowl on the palm of your hand will enable you to experience to a greater depth of the vibration rather than placing the bowl on a sandbag on the tabletop.

The sound that the singing bowl produce can be affected by the pressure that you apply on the wand onto the singing bowl. A wand made out of wood makes the best sound produced by the bowl. Both too much or too little pressure on the wand, or even the wrong speed, will cause a very nasty ‘rattling' sound that irritates most people.