Sunday, September 6, 2009

The singing bowl experience


Singing bowls (also known as 'Himalayan bowls' or 'rin' or suzu gongs in Japan) are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, standing bells sit with the bottom surface resting. The sides and rim of singing bowls vibrate to produce sound. Singing bowls were traditionally used throughout Asia as part of Bön and TantricBuddhist sadhana. Today they are employed worldwide both within and without these spiritual traditions, for meditation, trance-induction,relaxation, healthcare, personal well-being and religious practice.Singing bowls were historically made in Tibet, Nepal, India[1], Bhutan, China, Japan and Korea. Today they are made in Nepal, India, Japan and Korea. The best known type are from the Himalayan region and are often called "Tibetan singing bowls.
(technical correction in the picture, I should be holding the bowl on the FLAT part of my palm.)

My friend Chhoden's family store is called Tibetan Himalayan and located on the upper west side 80th street between Broadway and Amsterdam. I had taken Yub (guy in the picture with me) to experience the singing bowl. I love the sound of the bowl. It's relaxing and calming to my mind. I love taking people to this store because the environment. When you enter immediately you can see the bright orange and red colors and hear the soft meditation music in the back ground. There's a lot of cool things to look at. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If your looking for a unique gift for someone this is a great place for it.


3 comments:

Rain Gray said...

Thanks for your informative blog! Personally, I've found incredible Tibetan singing bowls at www.Bodhisattva.com/listings/ They've got a wonderful website with tons of really high quality photos, Mp3 sound samples, videos, history of the bowls, info on how to play bowls, etc. They ship worldwide and offer a 30-day satisfaction or your money back guarantee. And they give a percent of their profits every year to the International Campaign for Tibet. Check it out!

Rain Gray said...

Sorry, the link above should have been: www.Bodhisattva-store.com/listings/

kyungmee said...

How cool is that! One of these ..since I live so close, I will need to go check this place out! Thankyou!