Previously used in Tibet for meditation and ceremonial purposes, Tibetan Singing Bowls are struck with a padded mallet or rubbed around the rim with a playing mallet to produce a fascinating blend of harmonic resonance’s and rich overtones.

Healing is simple, but not easy. Being in resonance with ‘What Is’ is being in harmony with nature. This includes being in resonance even with things we dislike. When resonance is established through intentionally opening to it, we may experience the Fundamental vibration of the Universe ( AUM- the vibration of Universal Perfection). We can neither chase nor force it; we can only receive it and in doing so, discover what it is.

Healing is not separating from a hindrance, it is opening fully to it, embracing, accepting and honoring it. Through the act of opening, the Fundamental is revealed. It is in the vibration of the Fundamental that the miracle of Spontaneous Healing can occur; when we awaken to how everything is interrelated; how even illness, car crashes and the worst news is an agent of healing. A challenge can illuminate our blind spots- our areas of vulnerability NOT to destroy us but to awaken us to those areas of ourselves so we may become whole. That we do by giving attention to and strengthening that part of ourselves. Healing is a spiritual awakening that impacts on our physical body and the whole of our lives. It is a transformation of consciousness.

For most of us there is so much resistance to opening to distress that we need tools, ambassadors to help us. Tibetan bowls, meditation, chanting and toning are just some of the wonderful tools available to help us cease interrupting the pattern of the Fundamental which exists in all things and reopen to the fullness that is our birthright.

Interview with Techung

Techung a.k.a. Tashi Dhondup is one of the few Tibetan traditional singers based in San Francisco, US. At 43, he is as committed to Tibetan music as he was when he was a student at Tibetan Institute of performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamsala, India. Calling himself “Tibetan folk and freedom singer”, Techung has seen the various developments of Tibetan music and dance forms in exile. He was just an eager young student when TIPA was a fledging school of Tibetan music and dance before it became the pivotal institute contributing immensely to the preservation of Tibetan culture in exile. On a visit to India to perform at the second Tibetan Music Festival held last month in Bylakkuppe in South India, Phayul Reporter Tenzin Gaphel met him for an interview in Dharamsala. 

Excerpts from Q & A with Techung: 

Q: Were you always interested in music when you were a kid? 

A: Well, I don’t think I understood much about music when I was a kid. It wasn’t really like I had this ambition to become a musician in the first place. But I was pretty good at playing instruments and performing arts like theatre and drama. 

Q: You were at TIPA for 17 long years. What prompted you to leave for the west? 

A: I would say I was always interested in seeing places in order to explore more in music. I once saw a Korean cultural performance in Delhi which really impressed me and sparked that first desire to explore more about other culture. I always had this desire to learn more than what I was learning at TIPA. Afterall, it had been 17 years! It was time I moved out and discover new things. Dharamsala at that time was becoming bit claustrophobic for me. And there are number of factors that in a way compelled me to leave TIPA. The controversy that erupted during Jamyang Norbu’s tenure as the director of TIPA discouraged me. Now, he was one guy whom I think is really committed to the preservation of Tibetan music and dance forms. He brought many constructive changes in the institute which some didn’t like. 

Q: When you first arrived in America, did you feel you had made a wrong decision in leaving TIPA? 

A: No, I didn’t feel like that. I left because 17 years of doing the same thing everyday had me reaching the saturation point, so to speak. In fact, my first year in America was an incredible experience. I was with “Caravan of Dreams”, a theatre group in Texas. There were intensive practices and performances. We did around four or five plays a year. And I was discovering new things and new culture. I was working for a live theatre company. We would get some money during the daytime but it was pretty hard managing my life with that amount. So it was pretty hard in terms of managing expenses. 

Q: Under what circumstances the Chaksampa group was formed? You were one of the founding members, right? 

A: Yes. When I was with the Texas theatre group, I always had this sense of obligation to promote Tibetan culture and it stayed strong. Then I had a conversation on phone with my friend Sonam Tashi who shared my idea and that’s how Chaksampa was formed in 1979 with a female singer from TIPA and we did a nine-city tour in the US, Europe and Canada. I spent 12-13 years with Chaksampa and it was a wonderful experience. 

Q: Is your music more on romantic or political themes? 

A: I enjoy doing both but I would say my music is more political. It’s about freedom and nation. In my first album, there were few catchy and upbeat romantic songs which I deliberately included with the young Tibetans in mind. I was never thinking of any commercial aspects when I released my first album. I thought only 10-15 people will listen. I like Tibetan poetry but I think it need to be simplified, make it more straightforward so that people can understand the lyrics better and enjoy it. Some Tibetan songs like the ones written by the Sixth Dalai Lama are very beautiful and one can really enjoy it. But the younger generation find it hard to understand and they can’t enjoy it. Ultimately they turn to Indian, Cinese and western music. 

Q:Why did you opt for traditional music and not western music like many other Tibetan artistes? 

A: I used to play guitar but it didn’t interest me like Drangyen (traditional Tibetan six-stringed instrument). Drangyen is something that’s close to my heart. When I was a learner, not much emphasis was given on guitar. Moreover there wasn’t any professional guitar player around to teach. The interest for guitar playing was not as high as it is now. These days there are bands playing guitar and youngsters love it. For me, playing Drangyen is a challenge. Even in our community, people don’t expect mush from people who play Drangyen. For them, it’s just – dang! dang! dang! But I try to make it interesting by experimenting with new notes. I also feel that you should have respect for this instrument. 

Q: What does music mean to you? 

A: Music is a therapy for me. It has therapeutic effect on me. The vibration that I feel while singing and playing instruments help relax my senses. And I cry sometimes! It’s more of a medium to express myself. Apart from that it means identity, culture and so many things. 

Q: How do you take care of the financial aspect when you make an album? 

A: We were lucky in the beginning because we had a friend who has a studio. We would do the recordings in that studio and finish everything in 3 days! But we also had to shell out our own money and it’s hard to recover the expenses. These days, I have become much smarter in terms of financial matters. 

Q: What do you have to say about the young and upcoming artistes in exile? 

A: I think all of us are are contributing to music and I am glad about that. But I would like to say that although approach can be different, we shouldn’t forget what is ‘Tibetan.”Music today is so westernised and the tunes are mostly influenced by Indian, Nepali and so on. The thing is at least as a Tibetan artiste, we need to phrase the Tibetan words properly. Because if you are an Indian or American, I don’t care how you phrase it. I feel music sense is more evident today among the young artiste than before. Musicians need to listen to older Tibetan musicians although I admit it’s hard to find CDs and audios of old musicians. Music is not just about entertaining people but the spirit in a musician that makes him shine out. It comes out of sincerity and respect for the art.

The Bonang

One of the lead instruments in Javanese Gamelan music. The Bonang is composed of a double-row of horizontally mounted tuned bronze kettle gongs and is usually played with two padded beaters (tabuh). All of the kettles have a central boss, but around it the lower-pitched ones have a flattened head, while the higher ones have an arched one.

Guzheng (Chinese Harp)

here’s really inspire sound of guzheng taken from hero the movie.

The modern-day guzheng is a plucked, half-tube zither with movable bridges and 21 strings, although it can have anywhere from 15 to 25 strings (a customized version exists with more than 44 strings). The guzheng’s strings were formerly made of twisted silk, though by the 20th century most players used metal strings (generally steel for the high strings and copper-wound steel for the bass strings). Since the mid-20th century most performers use steel strings flatwound with nylon.

The guzheng has a large resonant cavity made from wu tong wood (Firmiana platanifolia). The guzheng has existed since the Warring States Period and became especially popular during the Qin dynasty. The number of strings on the guzheng has always fluctuated, as we have as few as 6 to as many as 23 strings during the Tang dynasty. The earliest record of the guzheng in Shi Ji is attributed to the historian Sima Qian in 91 BC.

Tabla

The history of this instrument is at times the subject of heated debate. The most common historical account credits the 13th century Indian poet Amir Khusrau as having invented the instrument, by splitting a Pakhawaj into two parts. However, none of his writings on music mention the drum (nor the string instrument sitar). Another common historical narrative portrays the tabla as being thousands of years old, yet this is mere conjecture, based on slipshod interpretations of iconography. Reliable historical evidence places the invention of this instrument in the 18th century, and the first verifiable player of this drum was Ustad Sudhar Khan of Delhi.

Hang Drum

Hang means “hand” in the Bernese language, and is pronounced “hung or hong”. The Hang was developed in Switzerland. It was the result of many years of research on the steelpan and the study of the diverse collection of instruments from around the world, such as Gongs, Gamelan, Ghatam, drums, bells, etc. The instrument is played with the hands. Udu-like sounds are produced with the air resonance, the sounds of the clamped shallow shells sound like bells or harmonically tuned steelpans. The inner note on the bottom dome is the bass note, and when played in a dampened way allows change in pitch like a talking drum. Seven to nine notes are tuned harmonically around a central deep note. The hemispheres are hardened by a process known as gas-nitriding. This is a thermal treatment process in which nascient hydrogen atoms diffuse into the steel and form nitride compounds with many of the alloys in the steel.

Didgeridoo

The Didgeridoo is a long, slightly conical wooden instrument, used traditionally by the Aboriginal people of Northern Australia. Other names for the Didgeridoo are Yirdaki, Kanbi, and Ihambilbilg – although at least 40 different Aboriginal names are commonly used for this instrument throughout Australia. Known as the oldest wind instrument in the world, the origins of the didge may go back as far as 40,000 years. Though only one “note” can be played with the didge (called a drone), overtones and vocal sounds from the player give it a rich sound and countless textures.

HAPI Drum

The unique tone of the HAPI Drum,  is created by a tuned vibrating tongue of steel. The concept is similar to a wooden tongue drum. When a tongue is quickly and lightly struck with the finger or mallet, it vibrates creating sound waves. Playing a HAPI is similar to playing the Hang Drum, though the similarities end there, as it is a totally different type of musical instrument. By changing the shape and length of the tongue, optimal vibration and perfect tone is achieved. By arranging the notes in a unique way each note, when struck, excites surrounding notes that are musically compatible with it. This adds to the harmonic spectrum of the tone. Rather than just one tone it can now create a spectrum of supporting sound for each note. The tone is similar to singing bowls or musical bells which create multiple harmonic overtones. The body of the drum acts as a resonating chamber adding depth to the note. An opening port in the bottom of the drum serves three functions. The bottom hole allows the sound to escape and increases the volume. It releases the tone from the body so that the notes do not overlap each other too much. This is especially desirable for faster playing. It allows the player to open or close the port with their lap and chose different resonance levels for a different effect. The HAPI Drum has additional dampening of the notes and drum body to keep the drum from becoming discordant and “ringy”. The breakthrough proprietary technique built into each drum provides excellent resonance while supplying the correct amount of dampening.

Update soon….

A Hang [haŋ] (pronunciation between the vowel sounds in the word ‘Hot‘ and ‘Hungry‘) is a melodious percussive steel musical instrument created in Switzerland. It uses some of the same physical principles as a steel drum. That being said there has been much metallurgical and acoustic research by the makers which have led to significant changes in structure, design, and process. It was the result of many years of research on the steelpan as well as the study of a diverse collection of instruments from around the world; such as gongs, gamelan, ghatam, drums, bells, etc. Udu-like sounds can be produced with the Helmholtz resonance that can occur within the clamped shallow shells. It also has the capacity to ring like a singing bowl. The instrument has sometimes been referred to by owners and others as a hang drum, because it is often played like a drum, its relation to the steel drum, and its popularity with hand drummers. While this is true, there are other ways to coax sound out of a Hang that do not involve ‘drumming’.

http://theronin.co.uk/Motion/?Left_Unsaid.mov

I seek my self as a human being nowadays within full of ideas of perfection surround me, perfection of the real path of pure immanent to become absolutely non-duality. This kind of perfection that i doubt i can goes through more, because of my limitation action of every need i had in this machinery world. Yes, i stuck in cycle of The machine that goes very fast to controlling our consciousness into becoming the part of it, a part that we ignorance to be involve or we don’t want to rejected at all because we create that machine and ridding it somewhere absurd in a very fast speed, we fell that we enjoy the ridding for become the champion of other machine. Everyday by day, this machine is growing up and find their new part of the engine: new wheel, new chip, new wing and ready to embrace the kingdom of suffer mankind. We call the machine: Machine of a Dukkha. 

 The Machine is the part of system that we live, a part of the system that human create to raise a simulative system of suffering, The machine creates a fake persona of life, a fake happiness, a fake identity of God, a fake identity of knowledge, a fake identity of art, a fake identity of love or a fake identity of existence. Suddenly, I just stop to run this machine and just standing in front machine, and i keep question my self, maybe this is the time i have to stop running this stupid machine? or i live it behind me..?

Can’t i?

About a hundred years in timeless space, I just staring in front of this Big Machine and keep asking about my action. Mean while this machine run and work so fast, become more and more bigger…

ivan h 

I know, that consume and force too much our body can cause the blind of our motoric-sensor of truth. But, isn’t us now blind, we already put ourselves in jungle and our body already like a garbage. We consume every dirty material, such as meat, cigarette, caffein and many more. We already blind and dull within our own sense. Maybe we need something bizarre to open up our astral eyes and senses…

Want to experience Ayahuasca herbal trip…?

Ayahuasca : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca

A determination of time, however, in every count of seconds, rewinds, forwards, and continues in cycles. Just like the establishment of  a form of understanding to what is happening, in that period, (not) this very second.

We move in a beautiful cycles, in the cosmos. I . As a part of an exhausting process, allured with an enlightment which probably will enable us to comprehend.

In the beginning, as a start, we established a language which integrates our state of mind with the surroundings. In the form of signs,

Then within the interpretation of abstract languages, in this period. We see, the integration from the manifestation of surrounding objects, in the lower plane of reality. Media. Where everything depends on the linear time. Momentarily and constantly changing, we established the existence of meanings which causes every occurrences.

Like the condition, in exterior property plane. Like the mind and the relationship with the experienced form, trying to analyze one by one of all things which are believed as the essence of the manifestation of the particular form. 

If we finally discovered the cause, the theory will gradually being understood (by the outline) by someone, and the theory  will become the final victory of mankind.

Scientific reconstruction on a small conclusion, in the evolution of human consciousness, causes the existence of the appearance of the rationale, like our memory. In the physical plane, that depended on brain molecular response to the impulse of other consciousness of the body like our sight, our sense of hearing, our sense of touch or whatever that interact with the exterior condition. And if this consciousness still aware with the condition, the memory will still present. The memory of the personality belongs to the transitory part of man’s complex nature.

However the placement of thoughts in the structure of the creation of the universe can be seen as a system of thoughts that controlled the established knowledge which are actually relative. Acknowledgement indirectly from the feeble of thought within duration, particles and the divine entity, exist in questions like “who am I?”; “Why the colors of the flower are very soothing?”; “Where all the expired goods in the supermarket will go?” and so on, caused the rejection of every naive clarification trough a conclusion and creating the longing desire of newer establishment, the Divine structure.

Conditioned in the unity of the Monad, meanings which have unlimited difference. Even the elementary particles have changed and becoming more difficult to be understood when we discover that we cannot obstruct the unlimited. This difference gives conceptions to thousand combinations, from the absolute freedom; the freedom gives meanings to itself. The freedom to comprehend.

We move from small part to the entire and back again, and in the dancing of understanding, in the circle of interpretation which is very astonishing, we will experience a perspective which clarify meaning, value and truth, until in this cycles we are guided to the higher truth about the One and return again in the lower truth for the gradual understanding of every parts and going into the direction of integral form which foothold in harmony, in soil and raindrops, in ATM machines, in the movement of escalator in supermal, until everything leans in beauty of the universe.  

Ernest Irwandi

Dalam proses-nya saya rasa Ernest dan Lubis sangat tepat sebagai rekan untuk bekerjasama dalam penulisan-nya. Mungkin dari teman-teman harus saling menuangkan ide disini, medium dan kekaryaan apa yang akan dibuat, dalam bentuk penulisan di blog ini.

Terimakasih

Ivan H

A Posteriori album

Enigma is German electronic musical project founded by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. Cretu is both the composer and the producer; his former wife Sandra often provided vocals on Enigma tracks. Jens Gad co-produced and played guitar on three of the Enigma albums.

Seven studio albums have been produced under the name of the project. Their first and most successful album, MCMXC a.D., sold more than 16 million copies.

Enigma was among the first recording groups to use a digial audio workstation as a recording studio and to include non-percussion musical instrument and vocal samples, such as the Shakuhachi flute and Gregorian monk chantssamples.