About  Tibetan  Singing  Bowls

History of Tibetan Singing Bowls

According to Tibetan oral tradition, singing bowls date back to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (560 – 480 B.C.). Buddhist lore states that the great tantric master Padmasambhava brought the bowls from India to Tibet, along with Buddhist teachings, in the 8th century AD. For an account of how the Gelugpa Buddhist tradition used singing bowls, read Rain Gray’s 1986  interview with Gelugpa monk Lama Lobsang Leshe. For a historical account of the bowls from a Bon perspective, we recommend Frank Perry’s Himalayan Sound Revelations: The Complete Singing Bowl Book.

Tibetan Singing bowls produce sounds that invoke a deep state of relaxation which supports meditation. They are a quintessential aid to meditation in private practices, temples, monasteries, meditation halls, and yoga studios throughout the world.

Metallurgical analyses have varied. The analysis from Concordia University, Quebec is an eight-metal alloy of copper and tin with traces of iron, lead, zinc, gold, silver, and mercury.

More Than Meditation: Versatile Uses of Singing Bowls

In addition to their traditional role as meditation tools, Tibetan singing bowls are used for deep relaxation, stress reduction, holistic healing, Reiki, chakra balancing, and World music. Many people find that the rich blend of harmonic overtones that the bowls produce has a direct effect on their chakras.

Playing the bowls usually causes an immediate centering effect. Their tones set up a “frequency following response” that creates a balancing left/right brain synchronization. Meditating on the subtle sounds of the bowl tunes one into the universal sound within and without.