Also known as Himalayan bowl or cup gong, a singing bowl, is a musical instrument used in Buddhist meditation and are traditionally played in monasteries by Buddhist monks. Singing meditation bowls were historically made in Tibet, Nepal, India, China, Japan, and Korea, and.

The singing meditation bowl is made of metal, and may include precious metals such as silver and gold; while other can have a metallic makeup which includes copper, tin, zinc, lead, iron, and nickel. Commonly used singing meditation bowls are an alloy of different metals.

Singing meditation bowls are played by hitting, striking, or slowly rubbing or stirring a wooden striker or mallet within or on the top of the outer surface of the bowl. The bowl produces a continuous harmonic sound when struck correctly. This sound is said to be relaxing and good for chakra, a form of meditation. The singing meditation bowl has been adopted by various other forms of meditation and is also used for yoga, healing, sound massage, sound therapy and chakra balancing.

Singing meditation bowls come in different shapes, sizes, designs, colors, carvings and crafting. Some can be found with various religious themes and symbols like the Tibetan mantra chant of Om Mani padme hum, dragon carvings, mandala carvings, Buddhist religious symbols, among others. The art of making traditional bowls is now considered a lost art and most old bowls contain very little or no ornamentation at all.

The bowls are mostly hand made, and fall into two categories: the hand-hammered (beaten) singing bowl, mostly used in Nepal and India and manufactured in the traditional processes; and the colored, carved and crafted bowl, which are popular for gifts, decorations, and souvenir items, mostly coming from the Himalayan region.

Today, singing meditation bowls have become very popular, so much so that even people who don’t really meditate display it for its ornamental value. They can’t really be blamed as this singing meditation bowls come in such fascinating and exquisite designs. However, for people who use the singing meditation bowl for a much higher purpose, like meditating, see it as symbolic of human spirituality, representing human spirit as a vessel containing only the limiting nature of who and what we are.

The outward appearance of a singing meditation bowl represents our constantly changing nature; from one moment to the next we are never the same even as events and interactions cause deeply influence these changes within us. While some events may lead to a complete upheaval in our lives, others may just create a subtle ripple that is forgotten as soon as it occurs.

Whether or not we use them for them for meditation, a singing meditation bowl is timeless symbol of human spirituality and the frailty of the human nature.

By: Radhakrishnan K Gurudas

Many people often find it interesting how much of the ancient religious text speak of mysterious, magical ethereal realms that can be explored in incredible detail by the discerning, meditative mind. Much of mystical Judaism and the writings of the Zohar (the foundational basis for what we now understand to be Kabbalah) teaches that the true secrets of the universe are only revealed to those willing to enter the various elements of the astral planes of which the allegorical “Tree of Life” is supposed to symbolize.

But no set of religious or meditative texts are more complete than the Lotus Sutras and the many oral traditions passed down through the Buddhist teachings and lineages. Much of these early teachings are directly from the Buddha himself, after attaining enlightenment through lengthy meditation and self realization. While Buddha spoke often times in many metaphors, and much of his teachings have been subsequently split off into different sects with their own interpretations, most of the meditative aspects of Buddhism speak of the higher realms available through meditation. Some speak to these as metaphorical “locations” within the vast empty space of pure consciousness, while other teachings specifically reference these ethereal, astral planes as real spots that can be realized through meditation.

Through my own practice of Vipassana, the Buddhist meditation for achieving concentration, wisdom and insight, I have had numerous experiences in the astral realms dating back over a decade, and can speak of personal experience in higher realms that resonated in my heart and soul as just about as real as it gets. I have spoken to other more cynical Buddhist meditators who insist that these are simply profound “inner states” rather than exterior locations, but to each his (or her!) own.

If you are a practicing Buddhist, or simply who would like to deepen your own realization of the infinite mystery, I encourage you to actively seek out the out of body experience as a mechanism to test your own beliefs. No amount of experiences, related second or third hand will ever let you see what I have seen, feel what I have felt, or go where I have gone. Simply stated, close your eyes, put on some meditative music and let yourself go and explore – you will NEVER be the same once you do, I guarantee that for sure…

By: Amos Amsterdam