Singing Bowls

Singing Bowl Sets

2012-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

The most traditional way of using a Tibetan singing bowl is to play the singing bowl, by yourself, during your private meditation. One of the interesting things about Tibetan Buddhism is that it can be done two ways. Although you can go to a Buddhist temple or study with a monk to further your path in Buddhism, much of your time is spent alone, meditating. A singing bowl is a very helpful tool when you are meditating because you can hold the bowl in one hand, and run the striker around the outside of the bowl to produce an even tone with the other hand, and this is your meditation. The vibration of the singing bowl will be felt in your hand, so that the meditation is not just through the sound that you can hear, but also from the vibration you feel. At one time, most Tibetans owned singing bowls and kept them in their homes for their private meditation. This was in addition to their other forms of prayer done in a temple, etc.

It is a less traditional, but non-the-less very popular use of Tibetan singing bowls for chakra balancing. This method of 'healing through the singing bowls' is more and more popular, and you can probably find a practitioner of this method in your city, no matter where you live. Singing bowl healing is becoming a popular form of therapy.

The idea of cleansing the chakras with singing bowls requires a basic understanding of the chakras. There are 7 chakras in the body. They are- the crown chakra, the third-eye chakra, the throat chakra, the heart chakra, the solar plexus or navel chakra, the sacral chakra, and the root chakra.

The seven chakras each have particular characteristics. For example, the crown chakra affects our ability to be spiritual and have faith, and the root chakra affects our feeling of being grounded and connected to the earth. The chakras are more of a Hindu construct than Buddhist, but they are used in both religions.

Each singing bowl note relates to a particular chakra, you can check out our chakra chart for more info on which notes are connected to which chakra. A singing bowl healer would discern which areas in your life, or on your body need improvement, and then they would play the correct combination of bowls to help with that issue. However, since this chakra cleansing has become more popular, many people want to self-diagnose and find the correct chakra they need to work on, buy that bowl, and go from there. At The Singing Bowl Shop, we would suggest a slightly different course of action. You should purchase the bowl that you like the style and/or tone instead. That is why we created the Chakra singing bowls section, so you can play the youtube videos and hear the sounds of the bowls. This way you can purchase the bowl that speaks to you. Alternatively, you could purchase one of our singing bowl sets, so that every tone is represented. We suggest the Brass Singing Bowl Set, shown above.

Chakra Bowls

2012-06-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

Namaste Friends of The Singing Bowl Shop. We have recently added a new section of singing bowls, Chakra singing bowls. These bowls are great- and we have had so many requests for a certain chakra- these bowls will help everyone find their perfect singing bowl. We have only had this section listed for a short time, and we have already sold a few of these singing bowls, and we are adding more every day- so I will post some photos and info and link to the main page.

Chakra Singing Bowls

The Chakra Singing Bowls are Premium Singing Bowls- each bowl is hand-chosen and tuned, and for each of the bowls in this section, you will receive the exact bowl you order.

Wide-Rimmed Heart Chakra Singing Bowl

Throat Chakra G-Note Singing Bowl

Solar Plexus Chakra Singing Bowl

Many people are interested in singing bowls for meditation, for music, and some for fun. But there is a growing number of people (many more than when I started importing singing bowls 10 years ago) who are interested in Tibetan Singing Bowls for sound healing or for chakra alignment. So- here is my brief rundown of the chakras and how singing bowls can be used in chakra healing.

There are 7 chakras in our bodies and each chakra has certain attributes. For example, the root chakra corresponds to our sense of security, stability, and our bodily connection. And each chakra corresponds to a music note (C, D, etc.). Sound healing and sound energy healing can be done with a number of different devices- but using the singing bowls is growing in popularity.

We have a full guide on our website, Singing Bowls and the Chakras. But here is a bit of a rundown on it...

The first chakra is the root chakra. This chakra corresponds to the C note, and the attributes are sense of security, grounding, and the ability to survive.

The second chakra is the sacral chakra. This chakra corresponds to the D note, and the attributes include creative energy and ability to adapt to various situations in life.

The third chakra is the solar plexus chakra, this corresponds to the E note, and the attributes are independence, metabolism, vitality, and self-esteem.

Thr fourth chakra is the heart chakra, this corresponds to F note, and the attributes are unconditional love and self acceptance.

The fifth chakra is the throat chakra, the note that corresponds to the throat chakra is the G note, and the attributes are creative expression and language and sound.

The sixth chakra is the third eye chakra, and it corresponds to the A note, and the attributes are intuitive insight, conceptual awareness, and clairvoyance.

The seventh chakra is the crown chakra, which corresponds to the B note, and the attributes are spiritual connection, wisdom, faith, and a connection with the soul.

We have lots of these bowls and we are working to get more of these chakra bowls online.

Tibetan Buddhist Thangka Paintings

2011-08-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Thangkas are an important item used in Tibetan Buddhist meditation. Thangka paintings, along with Buddha statues, form the basic components of most altars used for meditating at home. Thangka paintings are made in Tibet or Nepal, and they can be antique (which are rare, pricey, and difficult to find) or they can be new. There are very expensive hand-painted thangkas, and there are handmade thangkas that are reasonably priced as well. At The Singing Bowl Shop, we offer a wide variety of Buddhas in various forms and deities. Our thangkas have brocade around the outside, and they can be rolled up like a scroll. Our thangkas also have a ribbon to hang them on the top, and a rod in both the top and the bottom of the thangka. Thangka paintings originally became popular because they can be rolled up, and they were carried by monks from one monastery to another.

Here are some examples of thangka paintings.

Shakyamuni Thangka

This thangka is set in brocade and it is handmade. This thangka is 34 inches long and 20 inches wide (that includes the brocade).

Mahakala Thangka

This thangka has the Mahakala on it, and it has brocade around the outside. This thangka was handmade in Nepal, and it is 34 inches long and 20 inches wide.

Tingshas from The Singing Bowl Shop

2011-08-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

We have a great selection of tingshas at The Singing Bowl Shop. We have both new tingshas and old tingshas as well. All of our tingshas are hand-tuned and of high quality. We also recently wrote and uploaded an article about tingshas to our newsletter section. You can click the link for our article on Tibetan Buddhist Tingshas.

Tingsha in a Leather Case

This tingsha is made from copper and other metals, and it is in a case made from leather. The striker is made from horn. This tingsha is 5 inches wide and it was handmade in Nepal.

Dragon Tingshas

These dragon tingshas are made from copper and other metals and they are 3 inches wide. There is a leather cord that attaches the two tingshas. These tingshas were handmade in Nepal.

New stuff!

2010-07-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

We just received a new shipment of black singing bowls. These black singing bowls come in a range of sizes, from 4.5 inches to 8 inches. Each of these bowls were handmade in Nepal, but these are cast bowls. The gold designs painted on both sides of the bowls were painted by hand. All of these singing bowls are weighted on the inside, which helps them sound more resonant and they are also less likely to tip over.

Here is our 5.5 inch black singing bowl. This singing bowl is made from copper.

Notice the om mani padme hum mantra is written around the outside of the singing bowl. This mantra literally means, 'hail to the jewel in the lotus." This mantra is the mantra of the Goddess of compassion, Avilokiteshvara. This is a snippet of the Dalai Lama's explanation of the mantra, "...the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha[...]" This basically means that by meditating on the mantra, you can gradually become more pure and on your way to enlightenment. This is a very popular mantra in Tibet and Nepal, and it is written on most items from Tibet, such as Tibetan jewelry, prayer wheels, and singing bowls.

Here is a photo of the bottom of the singing bowl. This photo shows the Buddha eyes symbol on the bottom. The bottoms of the bowls vary, but they are always one of the eight auspicious symbols.

Anyway- check out our new black singing bowls, we have a wide range of sizes for every taste.

Tibetan Bell and Dorjes

2009-08-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Bells and dorjes are symbolic in Tibetan Buddhism. The bell is often seen as a symbol for the female, while the dorje symbolizes the male. The dorje can also strike the bell to make it play, and this is also done in Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies. The word dorje in Tibetan is vajra in sanskrit. The translation for vajra or dorje is diamond or thunderbolt. Another Buddhist symbol is the phurba. The phurba is a Buddhist ritual dagger. Here are some bell and dorjes and phurbas we offer at The Singing Bowl Shop.

Tibetan Silver Bell and Dorje Set

Large Om Mani Padme Hum Bell and Dorje Set

Three Metal Phurba

Four-headed Buddha Phurba

New Hemp and Wool Bags

2009-07-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Singing Bowl Shop offers more than just singing bowls. We also have lots of great Nepalese handbags made from hemp and wool material. These bags are all handmade, and were made in Nepal. The wool bags have beautiful flowers embroidered on both sides. It's sometimes hard to show how beautiful a handbag is online. When we sell in person, the handbags are among our bestsellers, because in person their beauty and uniqueness is undeniable. Here are some images of our hemp and wool handbags.

White Wool Shoulder Bag Purse with an extra long strap

Orange Bamboo Handle Embroidered Wool Bag

Hemp Dragon Shoulder Bag

Hand-hammered Singing Bowls

2009-07-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Hand-hammered singing bowls are traditionally made from a combination of seven metals including copper and brass. Hand-hammered singing bowls are made by forming the bowl with a hammer and beating it into the shape. The other type of singing bowl is a cast singing bowl. Cast singing bowls are made by throwing a singing bowl onto a form and making it by machine. Hand-hammered singing bowls are made by hand. Although many hand-hammered singing bowls are advertised as 'antique' bowls, antiques are highly regulated and antique are difficult to take out of Tibet. Most of these bowls are not actually antique. Reasonably priced singing bowls are very important to us, here is a selection of our hand-hammered singing bowls.

4-Inch Hand-hammered singing bowl

6 Inch Hand-Hammered Singing Bowl

8 Inch Hand-Hammered Singing Bowl

Tibetan Tingsha

2009-06-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tingshas are a set of two small cymbals that chime together like a bell. Tingshas are traditionally made in Tibet or Nepal, and like singing bowls, tingshas are often used in Buddhist ceremonies or during meditation. Tingshas can be anywhere from 2.5 inches wide to 4 inches wide. Tingshas are also used by feng shui practitioners to clear the air in a room. Tingshas were traditionally made from bronze alloy, and high-quality tingshas still are today.

Here are some photos of tingshas.

Green Om Mani Padme Hum Tingshas

Gold Om Mani Tingshas

Blue and Green Five Inch Singing Bowl Sale

2009-06-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

We are having a sale on our blue and green five inch singing bowls. They are 27% off right now, from $44 to $32. This is a huge discount on 5 inch bowls, and that's off of our already low prices. A few months back I had a woman call me from Woman's Day magazine. She was writing an article on Tibetan singing bowls, and she couldn't believe that we actually sell our singing bowls for such a reasonable price. Our cheapest singing bowl is a 3 inch bowl for $29, and that was the bowl she featured in her article. But it is important to us to sell Tibetan bowls at reasonable prices (not that we want our customers to sacrifice quality either. So- anyway- take advantage of this sale while it's here! Below are some photos of the on-sale bowls.

5 Inch Blue Singing Bowl

5 Inch Green Singing Bowl

The Singing Bowl Shop

2009-06-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Singing Bowl Shop is a site offering Tibetan singing bowls, prayer wheels, Tibetan jewelry, and lots more. Each singing bowl on our site comes with a mallet (also known as a puja) to play the singing bowl. The concept of Tibetan singing bowls is similar to the way you can move your finger along the top of a wine glass and make it hum. In order to play a singing bowl, you place the mallet in one hand, and the bowl in the other hand. Then you move the stick slowly around the outside of the singing bowl. You can also strike the singing bowl with the mallet, and it will hum a tone. Singing bowls are used in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Our singing bowls are Tibetan Singing Bowls which are made in Nepal. It's interesting that most of the items associated with Tibetan Buddhism are actually made in Nepal, but the Nepalese are devout Tibetan Buddhists as well. Here are some photos of the singing bowls featured on our site.

Six Inch Blue Singing Bowl

Five Inch Copper Singing Bowl