How to Use a Tibetan Singing Bowl for Prayer
Tibetan singing bowls are traditionally part of Hindu and Buddhist religious practice. They work as a sort of inverted bell, in which the wooden mallet is rubbed around the edge of the bowl to produce a vibrating sound. The bell can also be tapped on the edge of the bowl to produce a ringing tone. Practitioners of Hinduism, Buddhism and New Age religions use singing bowls to support meditation and spiritual focus, to aid in personal healing and for producing a state of relaxation.
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Instructions
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Go to a quiet part of your home where you will be free of distractions. This can be a bedroom, basement or garden area, anywhere you are away from the general traffic and noise of the household.
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Settle your body into a comfortable position, whether in a chair or on the floor with legs folded across each other in lotus position.
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Hold the Tibetan singing bowl in the palm of your left hand and gently tap the edge of the bowl with the mallet in your right hand one time.
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Allow the sound to reverberate to its completion. As you listen, try to quiet your mind of everyday thoughts.
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Continue to empty your mind of thoughts as the sound fades. Relax the muscles of your body one by one. Continue this state of relaxation for as long as is comfortable.
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Read a passage from your prayer book or read a from a Buddhist sutra. When you come to a passage that holds particular meaning for you, stop a moment.
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Pick up the bowl and mallet. Run the mallet gently around the edge of the bowl clockwise with the mallet in an upright position until you begin to begin to hear the bowl vibrate to a humming sound.
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Repeat a mantra or short prayer continuously as the sound vibrates, keeping your thoughts focused on the meaning of the phrase.
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Set down the bowl and the mallet. Continue meditating on the meaning of the prayer or your focal point for today's meditation. Stop when your thoughts begin to wander.
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Pick up the bowl and mallet and tap the edge once to complete your prayer session.
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Tips & Warnings
Tibetan meditation bowls are made in Tibet, Nepal or Bhutan and are generally made of copper, brass, bronze or crystal, according to TibetanLife (See reference 1). They may be gold- or silver-plated and decorated with auspicious symbols. Some of these bowls are made to produce a single tone, others are made to generate several tones and can be quite expensive. Choose a bowl that feels right to you.
Place about ¾ inch of water in the bottom of the bowl to create a different sound for meditation. Experiment with the amount of water. The best tones come from a minimum of water, according to Bodhisattva (See reference 2).
It takes practice to get the bowl to produce a good, reverberating sound. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't make a good tone right away.
References
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