The institutions and religious doctrine of Buddhists, which is a characteristic of Tibet and places like Nepal, Bhutan and Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh of India and certain regions in the Himalayas forms Tibetan Buddhism. People practicing Tibetan Buddhism are also observed in certain parts of Russia like Tuva, Buryatia and Kalmykia, in countries like Mongolia and Northeastern China.

It is basically divided into four traditions namely, Nyingma, Kagyu, Gelug and Sakya. These schools include the teachings of the three Buddhism vehicles that are the foundational vehicle, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. In Gelug, however, Vajrayana is considered to be a part of Mahayana.

Read the full story

Himalayan bowls popularly known as ‘Tibetan singing bowls’ due to the popularity of the ones hailing from Tibet; are standing bells resting at the bottom surface. The rims and sides are struck with a leather or plastic mallet to produce beautiful sounds to induce trance in Buddhist practice.

Effects of Tibetan singing bowl – Singing bowls of high quality produce complex and harmonic overtones. When struck with a soft mallet, they produce the tone of a warm bell. In Asian countries where Buddhist religion is practiced, during prayers, the sounds they produce are meant to induce hypnotic meditative trance and are believed to be a method to get blessings from the spiritual world.

Read the full story