I bought my first Tibetan Singing Bowl as a meditative tool on sale. I didn’t really know what I would do with it, just that it seemed really cool and something I was naturally drawn to. It didn’t hurt that it was a daily deal online either.
Tibetan singing bowls look like a bowl which is seated on something like a little pillow or cushion which is hit or “rubbed” with a wooden striker. They come in a huge variety of sizes and tones, but they have a relatively deep base which is accentuated with an ethereal tone of overtones. The sound can be almost overwhelming at times with how thick it feels. Recordings really don’t do them justice.
Tibetan singing bowls are commonly used in Buddhism and are believed to have originated in China. This type of construction is also referred to as a standing bell. In Chinese, they originated from 铙 (nao2) which were specialized ritual bells. While they were originally probably made for measuring grain, they grew into ritual tools.
They are considered to be a newer phenomenon in Tibetan Buddhism, but have been heavily associated with Tibetan Buddhism. Ultimately, it is immaterial where they came from. They are ritual tools which create a deep, ethereal tone (for their size) and can serve a variety of spiritual purposes.
I use Tibetan singing bowls for meditation and general occult practices. There really isn’t a wrong usage as long as you respect the spiritual nature of the tool. They tend to be used primarily for meditation, energy work, and other occult practices, but I’m sure there are many other applications.
Singing Bowls and Meditation
I use my singing bowls primarily for meditation. The deep tone and rich harmonics almost overwhelm the mind and clear out thoughts. You can create rich rhythms and patterns using mixes of hits on different parts and “rubbing” around the rim.
Combining this effect and incense can be a powerful tool to really get going with meditation. It feels like you’re hammering your conscious out with each strike if you really focus on the sounds the singing bowl makes. The natural variation and flexibility of the sounds you can produce make it go beyond just a droning tone.
A singing bowl can either be struck or rubbed to produce sound. As you hit it, the tone will get richer and richer until it begins to distort. If you rub the rim with the striker as you do this, you can either “hold” the tone, or make it slowly “dissolve” back into the base tone.
You don’t just hit the bowl and get the same thing every time. The harder you hit, the more complex the tone, but the longer the mallet stays against the bowl, the more muted the over or undertones will end up. Even trying to recreate the exact same sound will have a natural variance to it.
The sound quickly becomes overwhelming (in a good way) when meditating. It feels like it makes the entire process easier because focusing on the chaotic ringing as you continue to add to or ignore it creates an ever-changing aural landscape. Once you hit the flow, the sound because beautiful, vivid, organic, and hypnotic. It pushes you into a meditative state as long as you are aiming for one.
Singing Bowls and Chakras
Most singing bowls include information about what note they produce and which chakra it works with. While chakras aren’t exactly something I’m super huge into, I’ve given them a little more consideration since they’re integral to the more metaphysical side of Tibetan Buddhism.
Each singing bowl is probably going to be made with a specific note in mind for its acoustic properties. A lot of the more modern ones will factor this note in with the more traditional use of these bowls, their function in meditation, as well as a note which corresponds to a chakra. How accurate this is will depend on the specific singing bowl you get. Look and see before you buy though, some of the cheaper ones are not that well tuned.
Some are going to be better quality than others, but even the cheap ones are good enough as long as you apply a little research first. Don’t buy off of that unreviewed seller or the one full of 5 star reviews ridden with grammatical errors, but look at ones which have legit reviews and legit answers to the questions. What are you aiming for and who can provide it for you?
Occult Practices and Singing Bowls
Many ritual and occult practices use a bell in some fashion. Esoteric Daoist fu tend to use a copper bell, but nothing stops you from using a singing bowl as well. Assuming you consecrate the tool for your work, what does it hurt?
A singing bowl can bring a powerful, overwhelming sound to a ritual. It isn’t a traditional bell sound, but with the right muting, it can be anything in between a traditional bell and the unique sound of the singing bowl. I find the richness can help with a ritual in a way a more traditional bell doesn’t.
Why not throw it in when you need to get more focused or more entranced in your work? The hypnotic quality of the singing bowl’s tone helps when you need to get in “deeper”. The benefit it has for meditation can bleed over into the mindfulness you need for ritual work. With the right application, you can make a ritual much more involved without spending more time just by working the right tool into it.
I keep multiple singing bowls for both meditation and ritual purposes. Each one has a different tone which contributes to a unique function in my ritual practice. The difference in tone can also help with meditation and especially chakra work. If nothing else, multiple notes means you can break up the monotony of meditation or ritual with the same exact sound each time.
Picking a Singing Bowl
If you want to spice up your meditation, energy work, or ritual work, a singing bowl just might help. Singing bowls tend to be relatively cheap, but there is a large range in terms of features, costs, and aesthetics. For your first singing bowl, you want to get something that includes everything you need. You want the singing bowl itself, a little cushion to put it on, and a striker or mallet to hit it with. A bag is a optional as pretty much any bag big enough to fit the bowl will fit what you need in it.
Another important consideration is the tone of the bowl. The bigger the bowl, the more it will cost, and the deeper the tone. Smaller bowls are going to be under $50 with some going on sale for around $20. Bigger bowls get much more expensive much faster with prices fluctuating with the slightest changes in metal prices and shipping costs due to their size. Get a small bowl unless you know you like it or else you risk wasting a bunch of money.
I have found my Tibetan singing bowls have helped with multiple aspects of my spirituality without imposing on anything. The smaller ones are cheap and efficient with minimal research. Bigger bowls require a little more work, but they can be worth it if you want a deeper tone or a richer aural experience.
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