Tibetan singing bowls are a mysterious combination of art, science, spirituality and sound healing, an ancient connection for humanity.
Tibetan Singing Bowls
Despite the name, Tibetan singing bowls rarely come from Tibet today, especially antique ones. In the 1970′s and 1980′s many ancient bowls made their way over the Himalayas to Nepal where they were sold to tourists or collected and shipped out of the country. That incredible source for singing bowls has long been exhausted. These days the only sources for old bowls are rural areas of the Himalayan mountains. Instead of Tibetan, a more exact nomenclature would be Himalayan singing bowls. But who are we to fight popular perception (and SEO) so I will use the phrase Tibetan Singing Bowl interchangeably with Himalayan
The Essentials for Buying Tibetan Singing Bowls
- Sound
- Sound Healing
- Antiquity
- Resonance
- Structural Integrity
Sound
There are a lot of reasons for owning Tibetan singing bowls but the place to really start is sound. When your browse through our singing bowl store, you’ll see that every singing bowl has its own sound clip you can listen to. We make great efforts to record the bowls clearly and accurately. As our Guarantee states, we unconditionally guarantee every aspect of each singing bowl. If you find that the sound is not what you expected, please return it for a full refund.
Sound Healing
While the phrase “Tibetan singing bowl” might be a modern construction the blending of sound and practice in Tibet goes back further even than the introduction of Buddhism 1300 years ago. What is the basis of this practice with sound? Humans’ first experience is vibration, which is a window into the potency of sound healing using Tibetan singing bowls. The history of singing bowls in Tibet includes the Bon tradition as well as all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism where bells, horns and gongs are used in ceremony. One early visitor to Tibet reported witnessing a ceremony in which a thousand monks each made a sound with their own bowl.
Antiquity
Best singing bowls deals solely in old singing bowls. New bowls can make nice sounds but they lack the character and lineage of genuine antiques. At the high end you never get an These wonderful metal objects combine artistry, utility and antiquity. When you review our fine selection of singing bowls, you can be assured each one comes from some time in the past and is not brand new or from recent decades.
Resonance
Resonance is has a subtle but universal appeal. On an objective level resonance is a mathematical relationship between the frequencies of different sounds. On an experiental level it is the good feeling you experience when you hear it. Resonance is part of the magnetism that draws you into the experience of singing bowls. The varied composition of the metals and the unique hand made shapes of singing bowls provides the basis for a broad range of tones and relationships. Sometimes the quality of resonance only becomes apparent after you listen to a bowl for a while. Other times you feel it from the first tone. All the bowls that I sell have this subtle quality of resonance. It is one of the thigs I am looking for on my buying trips to the Himalayas.
Structural Integrity
Structural integrity essentially has to do with the singing bowl being free of cracks or structural compromises. Some bowls have cracks you can hear but not see. Generally if you can see a crack you”ll hear it eventually if not right away. I am very careful about bowls with problems, ones that have a chance to develop the subtle buzz of a crack. The sound samples you’ll hear in store clearly represent the bowls. If there are any issues with structural integrity I’ll put it in the copy and highlight it in the sound clip. While I rarely deliberately bring in a bowl with a crack (it has to be really special for me to want it) occasionally simply the change in air pressure can give a bowl a hairline crack.
The Alchemy of Carpet Weaving
In addition to the ancient art of metallurgy the ancient art of carpet weaving is native to the Himalayas, and in particular, Tibetan carpet weaving. I sell little pieces of this art as practical display mats which help to be a foundation for optimum sound quality. Singing bowl accessories
