Tibetan Healing

‘Gso-wa Rig-pa’ is Tibetan, which means the science of healing. It is the ancient form of medicine that Tibetans have been using for healing since centuries. The origin of the highly esteemed Tibetan medicine lies in the teachings of Lord Buddha.

In the medical tradition of Tibet, the well-being of a human being is achieved through healing based on the union of mind, spirit and the body. Tibetan Medicine has its roots deeply penetrated into Buddhist tradition, which employs therapeutic treatments of three kinds.

These treatments are the three m’s that include the power of medicine, mantra and meditation collectively.

The combination of these three has the power to channel one into the cosmic world where principles unite with their manifestations, striking a harmonious balance between the cosmic world and the human world. This is considered to be the prerequisite for health and well being, according to Tibetan medicine traditions.

It holds true not just in the sense that balance is essential for good health but it conceals a deeper meaning that the essence of health is the balance between the physical, spiritual and psychological aspects of our existence.

Despite adopting an unbiased approach towards well being and health using dietary and practical suggestions including medicines, Tibetan healing also focuses on the practice of Buddhist rituals and symbolism. Moreover, these rituals and symbols have many meanings all of which co exist and have a combined effect in the spiritual approach to healing. The use of mantra, chants, music, iconography, mandalas and symbolism such as the use of prayer wheels and flags together with visualization are used from the simplest to the most complicated rituals to enable the focus on the objectification of the ultimate source of healing power.

‘Bodhicitta’ means one’s aspiration to reach the heights of enlightenment so that he can free all other sentient beings from every possible suffering. The symbols and rituals that are used in the tradition of Tibetan healing pay the utmost importance to the mobilization of ‘Bodhicitta’ in the one being healed, while generating not only the knowledge that he perceives and learns from the outer world but also embrace one’s subjective understanding of emotional, spiritual and sensual spheres of life that lay within himself.

Merely one article on the subject cannot describe the truth, traditions and essence of Tibetan healing. Even though to understand the tradition of healing, the cause of the disease from the Buddhist point of view should be found out. Thereafter, other therapeutic alternatives to healing should be assessed carefully and finally, the spiritual sphere of healing should be understood by gathering the knowledge about the tantric rituals and practices involved in Buddhist healing. Only then can one understand the true nature and power of Tibetan healing tradition.

Crystal Singing Bowls

Crystal singing bowls are made from 99.992% pure crushed quartz and heated to about 4000 degrees in a centrifugal mold.

They are available in clear or frosted bowls in a variety of sizes. The bowls emit a powerful and pure resonance. The larger bowls are much more reverberant, with the tone lingering longer, simply because of the size and amount of crystal. The sound emitted from Crystal Singing bowls is known to have healing effects.

Some crystal singing bowls even harmonize with other bowls, and when played simultaneously, the effect is exquisite and synergistic.

How they Work?

When you run a wet finger around the rim of a wine glass or goblet, it makes a singing sound, which varies depending on the size and thickness of the glass. The rotating pressure from your finger causes the glass to vibrate, and produce a sound.

Crystal singing bowls also work on the same principle. With the bowls, you use a suede-covered mallet, instead of your finger. You circle this mallet around the outside rim of the bowl, and an enchanting sound is emitted from it. The sound goes on even long after you have stopped circling the bowl.

For sound to be produced, some sort of movement needs to be generated. In a Guitar or a drum you can see the movements. In crystal singing bowls the sides of the bowl actually move when it is being played, and can be felt if we touch them.

History and Uses

Sound has been used as a healing tool by a variety of cultures. In ancient India, Asia, Africa, Europe, and among the Aboriginals and AmerIndians, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance has existed for centuries. The Tibetans still use bells, chimes, bowls, and chanting as the foundation of their spiritual practice.

Everything in the universe is in a state of vibration, and each object or person has a resonant frequency that is their optimal vibration. The chakras, bones and organs in the body all possess a different resonant frequency. When an organ, or other part of the body, is vibrating out of tune or non-harmoniously, it is called “dis-ease”. A body is in a healthy state of being when each cell and each organ create a resonance that is in harmony with the whole being.

The sounds of the crystal singing bowls helps in balancing the body in two ways. The disharmonious conditions are being adjusted or removed, and a sacred space is created for strengthening of the persons Higher Self connection or “Divine Blueprint”. When an unbalanced energetic condition is removed, it is always wise to fill the void created with the highest aspect of Source that the person is willing to embrace. The sound waves from the Crystal singing bowls emit a pure holographic template of radiant sound that builds a “Jacobes ladder” to the Divine.

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.

Nowadays, they are used all over the world irrespective of the spiritual traditions as a part of alternative health care therapies, meditation, relaxation and religious purposes. They are also used in music therapy, yoga, for performance and simply for entertainment purposes. History suggests they were traditionally made in Tibet, Japan, China, India, Korea and Nepal. Presently, they are made in Korea, Japan, India and Nepal.

Rare & Antique Tibetan Singing Bowls

Buddhists in China, Japan and Vietnam prefer to use the singing bowl while chanting when the bowl is struck at the singing of a hymn or mantra. They also signal changes in activity or just mark the elapsed time. Their use in Tibetan culture has the support of various folklores, which describe them as magical tools to transform the matter and self..

Some singing bowls are made from quartz and crystal. But the authentic Tibetan one which the purists consider as the only true singing bowls are made of alloys consisting of several metals are multi-phonic as each metal generates its own harmonic tone, simultaneously resulting in multiple harmonic tones. New bowls of high quality bronze have this property but most new bowls are made of simpler alloys that produce just one or two overtones. The sound improves as the bowls age. This is the reason why new bowls don’t sound as warm as the antiques.

Antique Tibetan singing bowls were made of an alloy of five metals usually bronze, tin, copper, zinc and iron. I have heard of the even rarer Seven Metals singing bowls of Tibet but I need to research more them. Many antiques made from gold, silver and nickel have also been found. The traditional manufacturing techniques are lost but people making new hand-hammered bowls using the traditions are still found in places like the hidden corners of Nepal. The antique singing bowls feature decorative circles, lines and rings that are engraved onto the surface.

The west is yet to explore them because the written and oral traditions of the Himalayan region are mostly beyond the knowledge of the west. Several statues and paintings have been found in the Himalayan region, which depict the use of these bowls. The private collections of a few people have singing bowls dating to 10th and 12th centuries.

The tradition is believed to suggest the existence of these bowls to be older than these centuries. A few bronze bells have been discovered in Asia, which date back to 8th and 10th centuries BCE. The popularity of these rare Tibetan singing bowls as a collector’s item has increased manifold. The popularity is due to the brilliant craftsmanship and the hypnotic sound effect they produce.