Tibetan Singing Bowls - Centuries of Resonance

Although they are commonly referred to as bowls, they are technically a standing bell. They are not hung upside down or put on a handle, but stand alone on the bottom side. By tapping with a wooden mallet, or rubbing the rim with a leather covered piece of wood, a Tibetan singing bowl can be made to sound. They have been used for centuries by Buddhists and others as an aid to meditation, health care, relaxation and certain religious practices. They are also more correctly known as Himalayan Singing Bowls, for their traditional ranges of occurrence are Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, India, China, Tibet, and Afghanistan.

Although they are associated Buddhism, they date before Buddhism. Some scholars believe their beginnings were in India. A Buddhist master traveled to Tibet and introduced Buddhism and the bowls to that region in the 9th century A.D. Ancient bowls were made from a combination of precious and semi-precious metals and stones, from 3 to 12 different ingredients, including pieces of meteorites, were used to make the ancient bowls. They were hammered by hand into shape. The ancient metallurgy and hammering techniques to make these bowls is now considered a lost art.

Because of all the different ingredients in the alloy, ancient bowls have a much richer, more complex sound than Tibetan singing bowls made today. Ancient singing bowls are still available, but they can be quite expensive. Most singing bowls available are modern creations, and are not made from the exotic alloys of ancient bowls. They are usually made from a combination of bronze, zinc and iron. They are usually not hand hammered, but are cast. Modern singing bowls are made in Nepal, Tibet, Japan, Korea and India.

If you have ever rubbed a wet finger around the rim of a wine glass, or gently tapped the side of it with a finger, the sounds you heard are vaguely similar as sounds from a singing bowl. The wine glass vibrates in the air, and emits sounds. So does the Tibetan singing bowl, but the sound itself is different. Research has been done that suggests that the sounds coming from these bowls, especially the ancient ones, resonate with certain brainwaves and can help calm the mind and relax the body. The sounds of Tibetan singing bowls resonate with people today as they did with people of centuries past. The music they make is the sound of meditation, calm mind, and relaxed body. Tibetan Singing Bowls

Chinese Paper Cuts

The history of the art of decorative cuts in paper would naturally begin where paper was invented. Paper's origins are thought to be in ancient China during the Han Dynasty around 105 A.D. At least that is the tradition and it says that Cai Lun, an official attached to the royal court, made a sheet of paper out of various fibers, old fish nets and hemp waste. But there is a piece of paper found made of hemp that dates ca. 170 B.C.E.   Before this there existed papyrus, but it was not paper as we know it as it was a lamination of plant fibers as opposed to paper which is made from fibers that have been broken down.

The earliest examples of paper cuts date back to the 4th century A.D. in the southern provinces of China. The art form became popular as a decorative item in the homes and palaces of royalty, especially at times of festivals and holidays. The art eventually spread to other parts of the world such as Japan, India, and Jewish culture. The art is different in each country it was produced in, according to traditions and art culture of the country.  China is the country with the longest known continuous tradition of paper cutting.  In the rural countryside in China paper cutting was traditionally a female activity.  But many professional paper cutters are now males that work in shops.

The designs cut into paper are varied. From traditional Chinese decorations like Dragons, Phoenix, Cranes, but the subject matter is only restricted by the paper cutters imagination. Many times the paper cuts are in red paper, but there are also multi-colored cuts made with different colored papers and paint. They are all made with simple hand tools, a very sharp-pointed pair of scissors or a very sharp small knife. The paper is sometimes folded and cut, sometimes cut without folding according to the design. It is an exacting art that takes a deft hand, strong fingers and an imaginative eye.
Chinese Paper Cuts