Singing Bowls – The Sound of Existence

At Christmas my fiancé was thoughtful enough to have bought me a Tibetan singing bowl. Knowing my love for Buddhism and collecting cultural/religious nick-nacks, he thought this would definitely earn him brownie points. My immediate response was a very confused “what is it?” After a brief explanation from my fiancé I wanted to know more about these ‘singing bowls’. On the little hand made box is an insightful explanation of its contents –

“The ‘singing bowl’ is used for meditation. The clear note of the bowl helps the practitioner to clarify the mind in order to achieve a state of deep meditation…the ultimate goal of which is enlightenment”

The sound of the singing bowl is said to be ‘Om’ – the sound of existence. Originally referred to in Hindu scripture, it is said that “as creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as sound” and that sound was Om. There are many interpretations of the Om symbol. Many believe, including myself, that the various parts of the symbol represent the awake, sleeping, transitory and enlightened states.

The use of singing bowls dates back to the Bronze Age but they’ve recently grown in popularity and are now commonly used for holistic healing like Chakra, sound therapy, Reiki and Feng Shui. Along with its meditative purposes, an arrangement of singing bowls in various sizes can be used as percussion instruments to create music.

As well as their unique sound, singing bowls also create a vibration that can be felt by the player. If a bowl is filled with water, the resonating sound creates an interesting display of ripples, know as Faraday waves, on the surface. The effect has been of some interest to scientist who have researched the ‘secrets’ of the singing bowl to attain further knowledge on fluid processes such as fuel injection. Further information on this research can be found at the following link –

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13972556

As far as using my new gift effectively goes, I’m still trying to master the art of meditation so hopefully it can aid me in that process. I’m sure after many restless attempts at meditation I’ll eventually get the hang of it and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my progress (as I’m adamant I’m not the only fidget who can’t master self discipline or central focus and would benefit from a little enlightenment on the subject).