Lama Khenpo L. Tshering Principal, SIHNS, Ganhgtok
Library Staff LTWA, Dharamsala
Lama Sonam Director, Tsechokling Monastery, Dharamsala Mr. Prakash Dilwal School Teacher, Leh Prof. Sangita Meshram Nagpur University Special Thanks to, All the Monastic Organizations and the Lamas Workshop Staff, NID Gandhinagar Mr. K. P. Somkuwar Ms. S. K Somkuwar Vinay Hasija Priyanka Borar Suvani Suri Ms. Shilpa Das Guide Dr. Jignesh Khakar Coordinator, New Media Design Mr. Arshad bhai Mechatronics Lab Mr. C. S. Rao Secretary, HRDD, Sikkim Dr. Y. P. Nepal Joint Secretary, HRDD, Sikkim Mr. Tashi Tenzing Research Consultant, NIT, Gangtok Mr. Tashi Densapa Director, NIT, Gangtok Mr. Tenzin Samphel General Librarian, NIT, Gangtok Sir Jigmee Kaleon Music Teacher, Gangtok Acknowledgments Conclusion 153
Future Scope Experience and Learning Annexure 157
Insights 101
Findings Revised Brief
Explorations Prototyping 109
Explorations Prototyping Table of Contents Introduction 3
Abstract Motivation Preface Initial Brief Research 13
Monasteries Visited Initial investigation Buddhism Buddhism in Tibet Tibetan Buddhism and Related Sounds
INTRODUCTION 1 8 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design This project presented an opportunity to know the signicance of sound and music in Buddhism, to know about the spiritual effect of sounds through chanting and musical instruments. It offered a way to know more about Buddhism through the medium of sounds. It also mentions variations observed in Buddhism during the course of this project, and draws out a comparison between the current practices and teachings of Buddha mentioned in various texts. The projects artefact offers an opportunity to indulge with the different sounds observed during a Buddhist prayer. The artefact offers an insight into the variations observed through sound as a medium. It is an attempt to be able to stir people to question or to know more about the existing practices. People are open to interpret the different sounds used in the installation and come up with their meanings and experiences. 1.1 Abstract "He who knows the secret of the sound knows the mystery of the whole universe"
- Hazrat Inayat Khan in The Mysticism of Sound Sound is all around us and its effects on humans cannot be denied. Having physiological as well as psychological effect on us, it very much affects how we behave or react towards a particular sound. Sound has the ability to alter with our emotions, to make us happy or sad; ability to calm down our heart beats and also, to make us anxious. Silence, too, is an important factor that inuences our behavioral reactions. Silence and Sound are inter-related. One cannot understand the importance of silence without having sounds around. How ever soothing and calm silence is, too much of it can become unnerving too. One of the good combinations of silence and sounds can be experienced in the Buddhist monasteries. The play of silence and sound in their prayers and chanting leaves one mesmerized. 9 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Through my knowledge of technology and sound as medium, I took this project up as a challenge to present my point of view in a way that people leave with an experience and a thought about Buddhism. 1.2 Motivation Technically, sound is the vibration of air particles. But its effect on us is far beyond dening it as just the vibration of particles. We associate with sound and music in a way that it affects our moods and attitudes. I have always been fascinated with how unnerving or soothing sounds can be; How a combination of different sounds and silence has the ability of lightening up our moods or make us serene or violent or anxious. I always found it interesting; to know the meanings that people or cultures hold about sounds and their different interpretations. Every religion has sound as its one of the core practices. Be it the sound of bells or the repetitions of mantras, it always makes one stop and pay attention to them. Being a Buddhist, knowing more about its sound and signicances offered the rst step towards this vast topic. To start with, musical instruments in practice in the monasteries seemed the perfect option. Idea of getting to know my religion in a better way acted as an inspiration. 10 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design his followers, and the spread of his religion since then is a vast eld to study. As the number of searches on internet increased, understanding went farther. Again, narrowing it down was a necessity. Options were either to concentrate on the life of Buddha, his teachings or the spread of Buddhism or on to the beliefs of people and how they follow it. it. Hardly knowing much about Buddhism, it was an opportunity to know more about this religion (still debated if its a religion, as quoted by an elder family member). Buddhism, a story of 2500 years, even that proved to be a vast area. Main events of Buddhas life are well known. But his teachings, Its tale is one of the incredible dramas and biggest ideas. Its a place where children grow up in a global superpower and yet, still know what means to belong to an ancient civilization. Michael Wood Indian culture is one of the ancient cultures of the world; home to many important old religions like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. Many scholars have researched and written volumes on it, and still not covered it totally. It was during a video documentary The Story of India, that the idea of this project started. The idea was to capture the essence of the unique Indian culture. After reading and watching a few more documentaries, the vastness of it posed a question. The history and culture of India is so vast, so rich and diverse, that to cover it in a six-month research project is barely possible. Narrowing it down was a personal choice. Being a Buddhist, it was easier to decide on 1.3 Preface Fig 1.1 Based on book The Story Of India by Michael Wood 11 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 12 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Having visited a Buddhist monastery and attending a prayer there as a kid, came to the rescue. The few outside people, other than the residing monks, attending the prayer, were given a musical instrument for maintaining a constant rhythm during the prayer. The monks were playing different instruments throughout the prayer, drums, trumpets etc. It was then that the idea of research on musical instruments used in a Buddhist monastery started. It suited my interest in the eld of sound too. Secondary research, proved benecial in the way that it gave an idea about the instruments in use in the monasteries. A few stated the purpose of their use and how they are used. Visiting a few stupas, speaking to a few monks there, and to a few elders, introduced me to the two vehicles, Hinayana and Mahayana of Buddhism, which were not considered till then in this project. Fig 1.2 Initial options on Buddhism 13 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 14 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 15 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds in religious and historical terms. At this time, project was at a very nascent stage and creating a brief for it was found difcult. However, an initial brief was prepared based on the information at hand which was subject to change. As per the information gathered then, Hinayana, the lesser vehicle, which is also followed in the family, favours no idol worshipping and believes totally in meditation. Their prayers are simple and just the repetition of a few Mantras, Chanting. Monasteries are used for the sole purpose of meditation and musical instruments are not used in this vehicle. The prayer I attended years ago, those monks were either the followers of Buddhism in Japan, Tibet or China. Thats the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, the greater vehicle that supports following rituals with meditation and uses many instruments for the same. A senior professor guided to take a tour up north and visit the traditional old monasteries; Mainly the monasteries in Dharamsala and Ladakh region, to attend their prayers and interview them, so that I get more insight on the topic. A plan was then chalked out for a months long trip to Sikkim, Dharamsala and Leh. The plan was to visit maximum number of monasteries avoiding much time in travelling. There are hundreds of monasteries in these regions and deciding which ones to visit was done as per the distances and their importance 16 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 1.4 Initial Brief Buddhism, whose beliefs and practices are based on the teachings of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, known as Buddha, is a widespread religion. This project would emphasize more on Mahayana, and especially Vajrayana or Diamond Vehicle sect of Mahayana. Vajrayana, also known as Tantric Buddhism is followed in Tibet and North India region. It accepts all the basic concepts of Mahayana, but also includes a vast array of spiritual and physical techniques, designed to enhance Buddhist practice. Tantric Buddhism is largely concerned with ritual and meditative practices. In all these rituals, a certain set of musical instruments are used, called Monastic Ritual instruments. These instruments serve a certain purpose; call it offering of sound to deities or invocation of gods. This project would aim to use sound as a medium to provide an idea of Tibetan ritual instruments, used in Buddhist monasteries and their importance, meaning and signicance of their sounds. Also, it would provide a glimpse of Buddhism and see if Tibetan Buddhism is any different than the primitive Buddhism that originated in India. R E S E A R C H 2 18 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Secondary research provided the names and locations of all the major monasteries and the rst broad list of monasteries to visit was made. The list covered monasteries with lesser distances (from each other and from the place of stay I decided) and religious and historical importance. The rst place visited was Gangtok, Sikkim, followed by Dharamsala and then Leh. 2.1 Monasteries Visited 19 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Gangtok, Sikkim Sikkim, the second smallest state in India, located in the himalayan mountain range has Buddhism as its second religion. There are around 75 monasteries in this state that follow Tibetan Buddhism. Its capital, which is also the largest city of Sikkim, was the rst stop. The list of Sikkim, had around ten monasteries, and aim was to cover atleast ve of them and spend good time in ateast two and interview the monks there in ten days of time. Getting permission to spend ample time in the monasteries and interviewing was a task. I had been told its quite difcult for a female to get access in the monasteries for research work. First day, meeting with the Secretary, HRD department, Sikkim, Mr. C.S Rao, helped. He introduced me to Lama Khenpo L. Tshering and Dr. Y.P. Nepal. Lama Khenpo L. Tshering, is a monk and principal of a Buddhist school, Sikkim Institute of Higher Nyingma Studies (SIHNS). SIHNS was established by the government of Sikkim, in year 1983 to preserve the religion and culture of this place. It offers post graduate buddhist studies and is afliated to Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi. Lama Tshering was excited about the project and mentioned that many students come for research work. He showed interest in the topic I had chosen. He guided me through the basics and introduced me to Vajrayana branch of buddhism. He offered that I can visit his college and get my queries cleared from him as needed. Dr. Y.P. Nepal, is Joint director in HRD department of Govt. of Sikkim. He accompanied me to Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and introduced me to the General Librarian, Mr. Tenzin Samphel and Research consultant, Mr. Tashi Tenzing to help me with my queries in the later visits. He also took me to the famous Rumtek monastery and got me the permission to visit the main prayer area and click pictures. After reaching there, a new list of monasteries was made. First list was far too ambitious, depending on the montainous roads and the rainy season. Namgyal Institute of Tibetology Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, an institute establish to support the research works on their religion and culture, history and art. It also has a museum containing unique collection of statues, ancient manuscripts, ritual and art objects. 20 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Arithang Monastery Arithang is a small and new monastery in Gangtok with 9 monks (ages :6 to 27) and a head lama. It is a two storeyed building, housing a study hall and a prayer hall. They have a few rooms and kitchen for the monks residing there. It belongs to Nyingma 1 sect of Vajrayana. It was right in front of the guest house where I was staying and the prayers and the instruments could be heard every morning around 6 A.M. I attended their prayer for three days in the morning and once in the evening. Fig 2.1 Arithang Monastery , Arithang Road, Gangtok 21 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Rumtek Monastery Around 50 years old, Rumtek is an important monastery for Kagyupa 1 sect and largest in Sikkim. It is also known as the Dharmachakra Centre. It has a Nalanda Institute of Higher Buddhist Studies where hundreds of monks perform their studies. I attended their practice for cham 2 festival twice. Fig 2.2 Rumtek Monastery, 24 kms from Gangtok 22 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Old Rumtek Gompa Near to the Dharmachakra Centre, Old Rumtek Gompa is said to be 300 years old. His holiness 16th Karmapa 3 stayed here and guided the completion of New Rumtek Monastery. It belongs to the Kagyu sect. Fig 2.3 Old Rumtek Monastery, few kms from Rumtek Monastery 23 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 2.3 Old Rumtek Monastery, few kms from Rumtek Monastery Enchey Monastery Established in 1840, Enchey is over 150 years old and belong to Nyingma sect of Vajrayana Buddhism. Literal meaning of Enchey is Solitary, and it suits its name well. Its a quiet monastery with a big area and housing hundreds of prayer wheels. This important monastery of Sikkim, houses around 90 monks. There were almost no musical instrument kept in the prayer hall, and a monk answered that they are removed only during the prayer and then kept inside again. Fig 2.4 Enchey Monastery, Gangtok 24 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Lingdum Monastery Lingdum is also known as Ranka Monastery. This big and beautiful, fairly peaceful monastery, houses around 300 monks. A long line of copper prayer wheels guides the way to the monastery. It belongs to Kagyupa sect. Fig 2.5 Lingdum Monastery, Ranka, Sikkim 25 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 2.6 Monasteries Visited in Sikkim. Map Reference : Sikkim Tourist Guide 26 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh Dharamsala, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, is famous as home for his holiness Dalai lama. It houses the Tibetan government in exile as well. It has become a famous tourist place and also a place which attracts students of Buddhism. Main monastery to visit here was Dalai Lamas residence, Namgyal Monastery with a few other. Dharamsala houses a Tibetan library, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives which has a huge collection of tibetan books, manuscripts and and many other religious resources. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) It is a Tibetan Library in Dharamsala, founded in order to preserve the Tibetan manuscripts and books and many other religious resources relocated from Tibet during the exile. It was formed by His holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama in June, 1970. It is dedicated to the conservation and propagation of Tibetan Culture around the globe. 27 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Tsechokling Monastery Tsechokling Monastery was rebuilt in Dharamsala after it was destroyed by Chinese invasion in Tibet in 1959. Around 25 monks stay here in this monastery, including the ve who ed during the invasion and are teaching here. The monastery belongs to Gelugpa 4 sect of Vajrayana Buddhism. A small interview with a novice monk, led to Lama Sonam, who is the present director of Tsechokling Monastery. He provided a lot of information on Tibetan Buddhism and the musical instruments used. He advised to go to a monastery called Karmapa temple, for gaining more insight. Fig 2.7 Tsechokling Monastery 28 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Gyuto Monastery Gyuto Monastery was re-establish in India after the Chinese invasion in Tibet in 1959. It is famously known as Karmapa Temple because of its seat for his holiness the 17th Karmapa. It houses over 500 monks and have a vast residential complex for them. It belongs to the Gelug sect. The head lama in the temple, who was offering a pooja to Goddess Kali with 100 other monks, guided me to the LTWA, for better and sorted information. Fig 2.8 Gyuto Monastery (Karmapa Temple) 29 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Namgyal Monastery Namgyal Monastery, can be called as the personal monastery of His Holiness Dalai Lama and has been assisting Dalai Lama to carry out prayers and rituals. It was founded by second Dalai Lama in Tibet and after Chinese invasion, re-established in India by 14th Dalai Lama and few other Namgyal Monks. It houses around 200 monks and many others keep coming for the teachings and meditation. It has Dalai Lamas residence and it belongs to Gelugpa Sect. Fig 2.8 Namgyal Monastery 30 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 2.9 Monasteries visited in Dharamsala Map Reference : Dharamsala Tourist Map 31 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Leh, a region in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir is also the second largest district in India. Famous for its scenic beauty, Leh has its major religion as Buddhism. Monasteries in Leh, except a few, are situated far from the main town. Travelling takes a lot of time considering the snowclad mountainous roads and rough terrain. The list of monasteries that I had made to visit there, was inspected by family friend Mr. Prakash Dilwal, who has been staying in Leh for years and teaches in a school there. He advised on the monasteries that are important there and should be visited and a revised list was prepared. Leh, Ladakh 32 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Hemis Monastery Hemis Gompa is the largest and richest monastery in the Ladakh region. It belongs to Druk-pa lineage of Kagyupa sect. It is said to be built in the year 1630, which makes it over 300 years old. It has two main sections, prayer hall and assembly hall. It also houses a museum having many objects of religious importance. I visited the monastery twice and attended two of their prayers. Lama Jigmat, who also takes care of the soveniour shop at the monastery, provided the information I needed. Another Lama, also called Jigmat, let me attend a prayer which he was offering alone to the Lord Padmasambhava 5 . Fig 2.10 Hemis Monastery 33 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Shanti Stupa Also known as Japanese Gompa, Shanti Stupa is a recent religious monument in Leh. It was inaugurated by 14th Dalai Lama in 1985. It has a prayer hall that is very apt for meditation. I could witness a monk meditating with his continuous chants and two musical ritual instruments. Fig 2.11 Shanti Stupa 34 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Thiksey Monastery This 600 years old Gompa, is a 12 storeyed, one of the largest and oldest monasteries in Ladakh. Over 100 monks stay here and follow Gelug-pa sect of Buddhism. It is famous for its 40 feet tall statue of Maitreya6 Buddha. It has a main prayer hall, where I attended a prayer, in which old lamas were teaching small student lamas. It houses an old library, a museum, and a temple dedicated to Goddess Tara7. Fig 2.12 Thiksey Monastery 35 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Spituk Monastery This 11th century monastery, is a three-storeyed structure standing on a hill. When extablished it was under the Kadampa 8 sect of Buddhism but Gelugpa was introduced later. There are about 150 monks in this monastery. Fig 2.13 Spituk Monastery 36 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Diskit Monastery Around 350 years old Diskit Monastery, oldest and largest in Nubra Valley, is famous for its murals. It is located in the Nubra valley, north of Leh. Situated at the highest point, near the village, it has some parts of the structure, around 750 years old. It is the residence for around 120 monks who follow Gelugpa sect. It has a small temple for Goddess Kali and few other deities, who are only uncovered during festivals. There is a huge 32 metre tall statue of Maitreya Buddha near to this monastery. Diskit is considered to be a branch of Thiksey Monastery. Fig 2.14 Diskit Monastery 37 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Samstanling Monastery Samstanling Gompa is situated in the Sumoor village of Nubra Valley. It was established in year 1843 and houses over 100 monks. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Vajrayana Buddhism. Fig 2.15 Samstanling Monastery, Sumoor, Ladakh 38 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Soma and Chandazik Monastery Soma and Chandazik are two small gompas in the Leh Palace. Chandazik has a huge Kali temple that opens once in three years for one hour. In Chandazik gompa, I witnessed a monk offering puja to Mahakali and Avlokiteshwara 9 . Fig 2.16 Soma Monastery, Leh Palace 39 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Leh Palace Leh Palace, is a nine storeyed structure established in 17th century for the royal family, but was later abandoned in mid 19th century. The palace is in ruins now but under the process of getting restored. It is a huge palace housing many rooms and a few temples. Once entered it seems like a Maze. Fig 2.17 Chandazik Monastery, Leh Palace 40 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Alchi Gompa Alchi Monasatery is located in the village Alchi, on the bank of Indus river in the Leh district. It is one of the oldest and famous for its 11th century old paintings. It has three main structures, the ancient assembly hall, a three storey building, called Sumsteg and a Manjushri temple. It also houses a few small temples of Bodhisattvas. Because of language barrier, I could not communicate much with the lama praying there. The little I understood, this gompa originally did not belong to any sect when established, but started following Gelug-pa sect later. Fig 2.18 Alchi Monastery, Leh 41 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Shey Monastery Shey Palace and Gompa, was built in 1645 as the royal residence for the Namgyal kings of the Ladakh. It has a 12 metre tall gold and copper statue of Shakyamuni 10 Buddha. A very few lamas stay here who take care of the pujas and the rituals in the temple here. 1. A sect of Buddhism 2. Mask and costume dance and is part of Buddhist festival 3. Head of Kagyupa sect of Vajrayana Buddhism 4. A sect of Buddhism 5. Follower of Buddha, who took Buddhism to Tibet. 6. Future Buddha 7. Buddhist Goddess 8. Old sect of Buddhism 9. A Bodhisattva 10. Buddha so called as he was the sage of Sakya people in Kapilvastu Fig 2.19 Shey Monastery, Leh 42 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 2.20 Monasteries visited in Leh, Ladakh Map Reference : Ladakh Tourist Map 43 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 2.2 Initial Investigations A few points were kept in mind when the research was started and a set of needed information about the instruments was charted. These were Historical data about the instruments, their origin, uses etc. Rituals where these instruments are used and why Meanings the monks hold about these instruments and their signicance for them. How it plays a role in their life, culturally and spiritually These were the initial questions with which the rst meeting with Principal Lama Khenpo Tshering took place. Lama Tshering spoke about the impact of Hinduism on Tibetan Buddhism. He pointed out the similarities and differences between Hindu music and Tibetan music. He gave an example of hand bell, Ghanti, that is is used in both Hindu religion and Tibetan Buddhism is of importance. The way it is held by a Hindu Pandit and by a Lama have a few differences but the sound of it, the sound of void, holds similar importance in both the religions. He mentioned a few other instruments like damru, drum, trumpets which are used in other religions as well. He gave introduction of different vehicles of Buddhism viz. Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana and different sects viz. Nyingmapa, Kagyupa, Sakyapa and Gelugpa, of Vajrayana. He emphasized to know more about them before moving on to musical instruments as the use and signicance differ with the vehicles and the differnet sects. He threw light on how Buddhism started in Tibet and the kind of Buddhism followed in Tibet. He spoke about the gurus and their impacts on the sects of Buddhism.
Fig 2.21 Lama Khenpo Tshering 44 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design mentioned the importance of knowing more about Tibetan Buddhism, its sects and the Gods and Goddesses, before moving on to the musical instruments. He pointed out the differences in use of musical instruments in different vehicles and sects, and how the teachings in different vehicles affect the use of instruments. He mentioned the effect of Tibets old religion Bon-pa and how it has been merged with Buddhism. introduced the Wheel of Existence: Samsara, philosophy of karma and sins as taught by Buddha. Mr. Jigmee Gyatso Kaleon is a music teacher and practices Buddhism intensely. He has two prayer halls set up in his house for lamas to visit and for his personal practice. He too Mr. Tashi Tenzing, while giving a round of museum in NIT, mentioned about the Buddhism in Tibet: Vajrayana and different deities that hold importance and are prayed to. He spoke about the rituals and ceremonies performed in which different instruments are used and the variation in their use with the sects and the deities. He mentioned different Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, especially Guru Padmasambhava who brought Buddhism to Tibet. Mantrayana and Tantrayana and the use of tantric practices were the few pieces on which he talked. He After speaking to them, conclusion was; Before collecting the information on various musical instruments, it was necessary to know about: Buddhism and its Vehicles Tibetan Buddhism and its sects Effect of Hinduism and other religions on Tibetan Buddhism Gods and Goddesses Guru Padmasambhava and bodhisattvas Tantrayana and Tantric Practices Effect of Tibets old religion Bon pa Fig 2.22 Mr. Tashi Tenzing Fig 2.23 Sir Jigmee Gyatso Kaleon 45 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds In the initial years, Buddhism mainly ourished under the patronage of kings and wealthy lay people. In the 3rd century, it was Asoka, the rst royal patron of Buddhism, whose efforts were largely responsible for the popularization of the teachings of Buddha in and outside India. To establish the path of non-violence as a way of life in his empire, he emphasized the Buddhist way of life, social action and compassionate equal justice for all. He made it available to common people where it had been majorly restricted to the educated and previleged classes. From the 9th century onwards, there was a gradual decline of Buddhism. Reason may be called as support by common people to Hindu beliefs or Muslim invasion in the 11th century. During the invasion, monasteries were destroyed and the monks were killed. Buddhism is dependent on a teacher-student group for its existence and in the absence of monk teachers, it had largely disappeared from India by the 13th century. 2.3 Buddhism All created things must pass on. Strive on, diligently. - Gautama Buddha As known, Buddhism was started by Siddhartha Gautama around 2500 years ago. Basic events of his life are well known; he was born into a royal family, insulated by the sufferings of life, discovering the hard facts of life, his search for truth and answers and his enlightenment. The word Buddha literally means the awakened one and so Buddhism is more about experiencing the truth for oneself. As mentioned by Bharat Ratna S. Radhakrishnan, the rst Vice President of India in the book 2500 years of Buddhism, Buddhism did not start as a new and an independent religion, but as an offshoot of the more ancient faith of the Hindus, perhaps a schism or a heresay. Siddhartha Gautama being an ordinary man, and not having any divine origin, Buddhism does not believe in the creater god and idol worshipping. Even being the place of origin, Buddhism in India stayed steady for a smaller time, before its declination started for many reasons. 46 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design in search of truth. Buddha denying both the extremes, chose the Middle path. The middle path produces spritual insight and intellectual wisdom to see things as they truly are. It leads to the attainment of Four Noble Truths through the Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths The four noble truths contain the essence of Buddhas teachings. These are the four principles that Buddha understood while meditating for the search of truth. 1. First Noble Truth : Suffering All life is suffering and there is no real happiness in this world. Material happiness is merely the gratication of some desire and the satisfaction it brings is temporary. There is no permanent happiness or satisfaction. Three obvious kinds of suffering mentioned by Buddha is old age, sickness and death. The teachings of Buddha are collected in three volumes, called Tipitaka, which means Three baskets. 1. Vinaya Pitaka: Rules and regulations of the order of monks and nuns 2. Sutta Pitaka: Collection of various discourses delivered by Buddha on various occasions 3. Abhidhamma Pitaka: Expounds the essence of Buddhas profound teachings Middle Path Buddha has spoken about two extremes. 1. Constant attachment to sensual pleasures 2. Constant addiction to self mortication People of this world are either too much attached to the wordly pleasures, having strong connections with the people, materials and thus give in to the cravings, staying far away from the truth; Or there is another group of people who give up every bond, and make themselves suffer, with lack of food and water and shelter, Buddha and his Teachings The pali term Buddha is derived from the word Budh, that means to understand or to be awakened. For Buddha it is said, As he fully comprehended the four Noble Truths and as he arose from the slumbers of ignorance, he is called a Buddha. A Bodhisattva is the one who is practising to attain Buddhahood. Every aspirant to Buddhahood, passes through the Bodhisattva period -- a period of intensive exercise and development of the qualities of generosity, discpline, renunciation, wisdom, energy, endurance, truthfulness, determination, benevolence and perfect equanimity. Buddha has talked about seeking truth within self. He talks about himself as an incomparable teacher who will not provide enlightenment to his students but through his own experiences, guide to the path of enlightenment. 47 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 2. Second Noble Truth : Cause of Suffering Human beings are subject to desires or cravings, which is the root cause of suffering. Craving can be the attachmentt to the worldy things or attachment to the existence. Such desires and cravings lead to ignorance of truth. Craving leads to grief and fear and thus suffering. 3. Third Noble Truth : Cessation of Suffering The third truth talks about separation and destruction of craving. Buddha says, in order to extinguish desires, one is supposed to liberate oneself from attachments. Complete cessation of sufferings is Nirvana which is the ultimate goal of Buddhists. It can be achieved in this life by the total eradication of all forms of craving. 4. Fourth Noble Truth : Path to the Cessation of Suffering The third noble truth has to be realised by following the Noble Eightfold path. This is a unique path leading to cessation of sufferings and thus Nirvana. This is the fourth Noble truth. 48 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 6. Right Effort Cultivating positive states of mind; freeing oneself from evil and unwholesome states and preventing them arising in future. 7. Right Mindfulness Developing awareness of the body, sensations, feelings and states of mind. 8. Right Concentration Developing the mental focus necessary for this awareness. Eightfold path is summarized into three categories. Wisdom Morality Concentration The Noble Eightfold Path comprises of: 1. Right Understanding Right understanding of the teachings of Buddha, of the four Noble truths. 2. Right Thoughts A commitment to cultivate the right attitudes. Right thoughts include thoughts on non- violence, love for all beings. 3. Right Speech Speaking truthfully, avoiding slander, gossip and abusive speech. 4. Right Action Behaving peacefully and harmoniously; refraining from stealing, killing and overindulgence in sensual pleasure. 5. Right Livelihood Avoiding making a living in ways that cause harm, such as exploiting people or killing animals, or trading in intoxicants or weapons. The Noble Eightfold Path Right Understanding deals with the knowledge of oneself as one really is; it leads to Right Thoughts of non-attachment or renunciation, loving-kindness, and harmlessness, which are opposed to selshness, illwill, and cruelty respectively. Right Thoughts result in Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, which three factors perfect ones morality. The sixth factor is Right Effort which deals with the elimination of evil states and the development of good states in oneself. This self-purication is best done by a careful introspection, for which Right Mindfulness, the seventh factor, is essential. Effort, combined with Mindfulness, produces Right Concentration or one-pointedness of the mind, the eighth factor. A one-pointed mind resembles a polished mirror where everything is clearly reected with no distortion. --Excerpt from The Buddha and His Teachings by Narada Mahathera on Eightfold Path 49 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 50 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Hence, mere belief is dethroned and for it is substituted belief based on knowledge. As mentioned in The Buddha and His Teachings, focusing on Vedas and Upanishads, Buddha said Do not accept anything on mere heresay. Do not accept anything by mere tradition. Do not accept anything on account of rumours. Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. Do not accept anything by merely considering the appearances. Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your preconcieved notions. Do not accept anything merely because it seems acceptable. Do not accept anything thinking an ascetic is respected by us. But when you know for yourselves, act accordingly. Even for his own teachings, he asked his followers not to accept his teachings blindly, but to understand the meaning behind them. As the wise test gold by burning, cutting and rubbing it, so are you to accept my words after examining them and not merely out of regard for me. Buddha on God God is referred as a superhuman being worshipped as its having power over nature or human, principal object of faith and the creator of universe. Buddha rejected the idea of existence of a creator whether in the form of a being or a force. He argued that God who is called the permanent force, constant, eternal and unchanging, how is so possible in the world which is ever changing and in which nothing is permanent.
Buddha on Religion In the Oxford dictionary, religion is dened as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal god or gods, a particular system of faith and worship, a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion. Buddha denies the existence of god and thus the core purpose of religion, as mentioned above, is defeated. Buddhism is not exactly a religion, in the sense it doesnt demand blind faith from its adherents. Buddha on Sankhya system Buddha followed the Indian philosoper Kapilas Sankhya System. It says the truth must be supported by proof. There is no truth without proof. For the purpose of proving the truth, Kapila provided two means of proof: perception and inference. By perception he meant recognition and interpretation of a present object. Inference, he dened in three stages a. From cause to effect, as from the presence of clouds to rain
b. From effect to cause, as from the smoke to re c. By analogy, as when we infer from the fact that if Snake and Crocodile belong to same family and Snake is a reptile, so crocodile is a reptile too. 51 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Buddha on Karma The Buddhas law of Karma applied mainly to karma and its effect on the present life. Although at some places, it is mentioned, effect of past life karmas has some inuence on present life, but at some places, there is mention of Buddha doubting the same. Buddha on Rebirth While talking about Rebirth, Buddha denies the existence of soul and that soul takes the birth again. Buddha said, human body is composed of four elements; earth, water, re and air. When a body dies, these elements join the mass of similar elements oating in the space. When the four elements from this space join together a new birth takes place. This is the rebirth Buddha has spoken about. These elements need not and are not necessarily from the same body which is dead. They may be drawn from different dead bodies. It is most improbable that the elements of dead body come together to form a new body, if so happens, rebirth of same sentient being is possible. Dr. B. R Ambedkar in his book The Buddha and his Dhamma has mentioned differences in Dhamma (Buddhas teachings) and religion; Religion is concerned with revealing the beginning of things, while Dhamma is not, The purpose of religion is to explain the origin of the world, while the purpose of Dhamma is to reconstruct the world. In Dhamma there is no place for prayers, pilgrimages, rituals ceremonies or sacrices, it holds Morality at the highest. Dhamma is not about pleasing gods for wish fullling or for the search of truth. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion. The basic beliefs of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is xed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. So Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, caste, sexuality, or gender. It teaches practical methods which enable people to realise and use its teachings in order to transform their experience. 52 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Spread Of Buddhism Originated in India, Buddhism spread in many parts of Asia in different forms, by the time it vanished from its motherland. During its 2,500-year history, Buddhism has grown from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now spans the globe. It also got its roots set as the national religion in many of the places. Today, Buddhism is found in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, China, etc, and in some parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, in European countries and the USA. It is supposed to be followed by 350 million people worldwide. Fig 2.24 Spread Of Buddhism 53 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Mahayana The Greater Vehicle or the Highest Path, is the most followed branch of Buddhism. It originated in India around 100 CE and spread into Inner Asia, China, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia and Japan. It is not a single group but a collection of traditions like Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and some more.
Where Hinayanaya talks about the liberation of an individual, Mahayana aims at the liberation of all living beings, which means that everything is included in the vast vision of Mahayana. Sufferings and confusions of self and others is part of the path of Mahayana. The goal for a Mahayana practitionaer is the Path of Bodhisattva, which leads to becoming a Buddha. The Bodhisattva is reborn voluntarily in order to aid all living beings to become enlightened. Schools of Buddhism When Buddha died, he left no heir to take his place as authority. Dhamma and Vinaya 1 were to be taken as the supreme authority. Buddhas sayings and his teachings were handed down orally from teachers to disciples, and for a long time there were no records for the words of the teachers. About hundred years after the passing of Buddha, differences arose among the monks about the actual words of the the teachers and their interpretations. And the division of Sangha started. Some teachers took the teachings to the south, and their school was called Hinayana, and the teachers who went North with Buddhas teachings, formed a school called Mahayana, Sir Jigmee Kaleon said in his interview. Every country, that Buddhism went, North or South, added its own attributes and religious practices to make it their own religion. Thus Buddhism in Tibet or Mongolia differed as much from the Buddhism in China or Japan as Buddhism in North with the Buddhism in South. But they all shared the same goal, achieving enlightenment. Hinayana It literally means, The Little Vehicle or the Lesser path, and is supposed to have originated after a conict between Buddhists on their beliefs as a counter for Mahayana. After 1950, the world fellowship of Buddhists declared not to use the term Hinayana when refering to any form of Buddhism. In Hinayana, it is believed that its strict discipline of meditation narrows down or tames the speed and confusion of mind.It allows simple and direct experience of the mind. In addition to the discipline of meditation, it also stresses on the importance of discipline of being attentive to conduct. The goal of Hinayana practitioners is to end attachment to self and thereby, becoming an Arhat, who undergoes no further rebirth. Those on the path of Arhatship, helps others to achieve enlightenment. 54 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Theraveda Theravada literally means, The Teachings of the Elders. It is believed to rst prosper in South India and later spread into Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Theravadins emphasise a meditative approach to the transformation of consciousness. The teaching of the Buddha according to this school is very plain. He asks us to 'abstain from all kinds of evil, to accumulate all that is good and to purify our mind'. In recent decades Theravada has begun to take root in the West. Hinayana, is taken as a synonym to Theravada most of the times. Theravada Buddhism went to Sri Lanka during 3rd century BC when there was no Mahayana. Hinayana sects developed in India and an existence independeant from the form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Hinayana originally referred to the commitment of individuals, not to a school of Buddhism. Later it became incorrectly used as an inappropriate and pejorative term for the Theravada. It is believed that the Hinayana sects, do not exist anywhere in the world. Once the monks took the liberty to divide the Sangha, the number of schools or sects kept increasing, depending on the teachers or the differences in the interpretation of teachings. The two schools mentioned above are considered the main schools of Buddhism. 1. Pali or Sandkrit word that means discipline 55 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 2.25 Vehicles Of Buddhism 56 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design of the sixth century, to have been rapacious savages and reputed cannibals, without a written language and followers of an animastic and devil- dancing or Shamanist religion, the Bon, resembling in many ways the Taoism of China. 2.4 Buddhism in Tibet Tibet Teachings of Buddhism, wherever they spread, were able to arouse a new historical consciousness in the peoples minds and this is nowhere seen so vividly as in Tibet.
-Prof V. V. Gokhale in 2500 years of Buddhism Tibet, known as The Land of Snows, is located on a plateu at altitudes of more than 13000 ft and surrounded by vast mountain ranges. These towering mountains dominate the landscape and have always been considered as a dwelling place for the gods. It used to be known as an impenetrable country beacause of formidable terrain and mountain ranges. A fair picture of early Tibet can be drawn from the excerpt given below from the book Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism by L. A. Wadell. Up till the seventh century Tibet was inaccessible even to the Chinese. The Tibetans of this prehistoric period are seen, from the few glimpses that we have of them in Chinese history about the end Many records arent found of early Tibet as there wasnt any alphabetical language. Also because of the harsh terrain and environment, many outsiders couldnt travel to Tibet. Tibetan history is almost none before its Buddhist era i.e. seventh century AD Fig 2.26 Tibet 57 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds the appropriate manner, he can call the gods to himself as allies and defenders. The folk religion, Bon still maintains its importance in Tibet through the various practices that are infused with Buddhist elements and practices. Early religion of Tibet : Bon Bon was the indigenous religion of Tibet, a system of shamanistic and animistic practices performed by priests called bonpo (bon po). They believed in the spirits and that the natural objects, natural phenomena and universe posses souls of their own.Their priests performed rituals to appease local spirits and ensure the well- being of the dead in the afterlife. The tradition also included systems of divination, astrology, healing rituals to placate harmful spirits, and herbal medicine. Through intense rituals and sacrices, bonpo believed in invocation of gods and deities for their benets. Author Jane Hope, in his book Introducing Buddha explained, The spitituality of Bon is founded in a cosmological reality; nine gods created the world, a world in which birth, death, marriage and sickness all have their place.If the worshipper can attune himself to the gods through ritual, he can full the cosmic order. By invoking the Bon deities, in When Buddhism came to Tibet, it faced opposition from the Bon priests. In order to make place for Buddhism in Tibet, lot of Bon practices were merged into Buddhism resulting in the Dilution of Buddhism. Fig 2.27 Practioner performing Bon practices and Mask used in the bon rituals 58 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design failed to meet the Bon priests in an encounter of miracle. The Bon elements in the court proclaimed the foreigners defeat in clever terms and reconverted the bulk of the population into their native faith. The king did not yield and invited the famous master of Tantra, Guru Padmasambhava to visit Tibet. the germs of Buddhism in Tibetan soil. Although lot of efforts were made for making Buddhism the national religion, it did not take root in a foreign soil as easliy and quickly as Sron Tsan Gampo might have thought. The progress of Buddhism wasnt smooth in the rst two centuries. Bon was so deeply rooted in the mind of common man that Buddhism faced a lot of harsh opposition from the bon priests. Even the common man was more attuned to the magical properties of Bon than the philosophical teachings of Buddhism. As told by Author Nirmal C. Sinha, in An Introduction to the History and Religion of Tibet, the legend goes like, The Bon priests disputed the authority of the Buddhist monks and challenged them to polemics and mysteries. Victory in doctrinal debates was easy for scholar monks who no doubt emphasized the doctrine of salvation for all. The eld of magic was however not convenient for the monks from India as few of them were adept in occult. In the second half of the 8th cnetury, during the reign of Tri-song-De-tsen, the Buddhist monks Starting of Buddhism in Tibet Just as Asoka was the great Buddhist emperor for India, Tibetan had the king Sron-Tsan-Gampo (born in 617 AD). He took two princesses, one from China and one from Nepal, as his wives. Both were devout Buddhist and got Buddhist scriptures and idols of Buddha. Temples were built and images of the Buddha were installed. It is mentioned in a few books that there was no religion in Tibet at that time. To achieve his ambition of introducing civilization in his people, he appointed a minister, on his wives advice and sent him to India to get Buddhist books. He also invited monks and scholars from Nepal and India to expound the Buddhas doctrine. Author of Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism, L. A. Waddell, wrote, Sron Tsan Gampo, being one of the greatest kings of Tibet and the rst patron of learning and civilization in that country, and having with the aid of his wives rst planted Lamaism is the name given to Tibetan Buddhism. Lama means teacher or high priest and it is equivalent to the Sanskrit term Guru. Its the title given to all the monks who take monastic vows. 59 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Thus many of the terrifying gures in Tibetan art are the old enemies of Buddhism who now act as Protectors. In the West, these demons would have been exterminated in grim witch-hunts, rather than welcomed as protectors. It is believed that Gurus most powerful weapon for warring the demons was Vajra, symbolic of the thunderbolt of Lord Indra and he used spells from the Mahayana doctrines, by which he shattered his supernatural adverseries. And so the term Vajrayana came into the picture for the form of Buddhism followed in Tibet. Fig 2.28 Guru Padmasambhava Guru Padmasambhava is called the founder of Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaism and is worshipped in Lamaism as Buddha himself. Padmasambhava or The Lotus Born is known as Guru Rinpoche by the Tibetans. It means the precious Teacher or the Jewel Teacher. His native land Udyana was famous for the prociency of its priests in sorcery, exorcism and magic. They were believed to bring on changes of weather with their sorceries. When Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet, there were many forces in the country opposing the religion. These forces are depicted as demons. He defeated all these demons, made most of them defenders of his religion, and guaranteed them that in return of their services, they will be duly worshipped and fed. And just like that, different gods and goddesses came into picture in Tibetan Buddhism. Quoted by Author John Hope in Introducing Buddha, Padmasambhava did not annhilate these forces, however, subdued them, and made them into guardians of Buddhism in Tibet. 60 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design It is practised mainly in the Himalayan regions namely Ladakh, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and some parts of China. Its uniqueness lies in the use of Tantric practices as an aid for enlightenment. Vajrayana Buddhism is also called Esoteric Buddhism, as the transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from teacher to student during an initiation or empowerment and cannot be learned from a book. Vajrayana The Vajra Vehicle or the Diamond Vehicle is often called as the third turning wheel of Buddhism (Mahayana and Hinayana being the rst and second). It is also known as Tantrayana, Mantrayana, Esoteric Buddhism or the Thunderbolt way. Tantrayana:- the Tantra Vehicle. It is so called because of the use of Tantric practices. At some places, references can be found that Tantric practices seeped in Buddhism through Indian classical cultures. In that era, North-East India: Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Tantra drew inspiration from local magic and occult arts. Since Buddhism went to Tibet at this time, Tantra holds a strong position in Tibetan Buddhism. Mantrayana :- the Mantra Vehicle. Reciting of Mantras to make the mind clear and peaceful. Vajrayana is best known as an extension of Mahayana. Principal Tshering in his interview mentioned, there is still a debate if Vajrayana is the third school of Buddhism or if its a branch of Mahayana. For them, they consider it as a branch of Mahayana. 61 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Nyingma Pa Nyingma literally means Old Order and it suits this oldest sect of Vajrayana in Tibet. It was formed by Padmasambhava and for a long time it stayed away from all the political issues, while other sects got involved in political issues. It worships Guru Padmasambhava in a variety of forms, divine and demonical. Nyingma, the red hat sect of Lamas, order emphasizes the great perfection and its tantric practices are mainly based on the Old Tantras and on the instructions found in Hidden Treasures. It is more near to the Native Bon practices and celibacy and abstinence is rarely practised. Sir Jigmee in his interview said, Nyingma pa order sticks to too much tantric practices. Nyingma-pa is divided into sub sects based on the adoption of different revelations. These subsects are named either after the fouder or the parent monastery. Sects of Vajrayana The Vajrayana sects are founded on Mahayana philosophies and doctrines; tantra is the method to follow the teachings. Padmasambhava got Vajrayana in Tibet and led the foundation of the Nyingma school. Later in the 11th and 12th century AD, lineage of Atisa, Marpa and Brogmi, gave rise to other schools of Tibetan Buddhism - Kagyupa, Kadampa, Sakyapa and Gelukpa, the school of Dalai Lama. Quoted by Sir Jigmee Kaleon in his interview, As differences arose in the teachings of different teachers, new sects started forming. They werent totally different from the original ones, but only by few rules. Lama Khenpo Tshering in his interview said, It was the effect of gurus, their traditions, that resulted in different sects. Nyingmapa is the oldest sect, founded by Guru Rinpoche in 6th century and it had its monopoly till year 1027 AD. After 1027 AD, Sakyapa, Kagyupa and then Gelugpa came into picture. Padmasambhava is said to have hidden scrolls of teachings for the times when they would be really required. These were called Hidden Treasures. These scrolls were found by the earlier Mahayanists. Kagyu Pa It was formed in the latter half of the eleventh century AD by Lama Marpa, who had visited India and obtained special instructions from the Indian guru Atisa. The name Kagyu Pa means a follower of the successive orders or the teaching lineage, expressive of the fact that the sect believes that the rulings of the later sages are inspired. Its distinctive features are its hermit practices, meditation in caves and other abandoned places. It follows the mode of mystic insight or the Great Attitude. The most important gure in Kagyu Pa sect is Saint Milarepa, who was the pupil of founder Saint Marpa. 62 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Sir Jigmee in his interview mentioned that Kagyu Pa order practices tantric practices but less than the Nyingma order. Kagyu Pa sect hold His holiness Karmapa as the head of their sect. Sakya Pa Sakya literally means Grey Earth. First monastery of this sect was formed in a town in Western Tibet in 1071 AD, which had ground of grey colour. It traces its origins to India, particularly to the great adept Saint Virupa. In another text, teacher Gyalpo is said to be the founder who mixed together the old and new tantra and formed his doctrine, calling it new-old occult mystery of deep sight. Its mystic insight is called the fruitful path. The characteristic meditative system of Sakya is termed path and result or Path including the result which signies that in the system these two are held inseparable and not two distinct factualities. Sakya Pa is divided into two subsects. These differ from one another only in founders. Gelug Pa A great scholar, Tsong Khapa(1357 1419) and follower of Saint Atisa formed the sect Gelug-pa or Yellow Hat or reformed the sect Kadampa. His followers were called Gahlug- pa, Followers of Gahdan fashion (Gahdan being the name of the monastery built by Tsong Khapa). The name was later changed to Gelugpa or Followers of the Virtuous order. Gelugpa is highly involved with the political issues of Tibet. The highest lama of this order, Dalai Lama, is called the ruler of Tibet. Sir Jigmee Kaleon mentioned, Followers of Sakya and Gelugpa sects are more into reading Origin of the name Yellow hat The Yellow Hat sect got its name because of the caps Tsong Khapa made his followers wear and was of yellow colour as their dress robes. Fig 2.29His Holiness 17th Karmapa 63 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds sutras. They perform tantric practices but its too less as compared to the other two sects. Differences in the four sects Style of practising and teaching differs Political involvements
Amount of tantra or sutra practising
Common Theme of the four sects All have Mahayana orientation Present a path to awakening that incorporates practise of sutra and tantra systems
Same amount of philosophical and liturgical texts imported from India
All trace back their origin to Indian gurus
Give importance to overcome attachment to the phenomena of cyclic existance and the idea that it is necessary for trainees to develop an attitude of sincere renunciation
Follow the Vinaya of Mulasarvativada school which has been the standard since the establishment of the rst monastic institution
Mental training is the focus
Philosophical view of all orders is the middle way school of Nagarjuna Fig 2.30 His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama 64 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Tibetan Deities Buddha denies the existence of a creator god or any supernatural forces. But as Buddhism spread, the different cultures it encountered, in order to convert those nations, it incorporated many local gods and gave place to them in the religion. In addition to the worship of Budhha in many forms, Mahayana school has created innumerable metaphysical Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It also incorporated many of the demons of the local culture, calling them defensive forces or protectors. As mentioned earlier, when Guru Padmasambhava came to Tibet, many evil forces and demons were active. To get rid of them, Guru Padmasambhava made them protector or Guardian of Buddhism in return of they being worshipped by the Tibetan people. These forces then became the gods and deities, worshipped even today. Sir Jigmee Kaleon said, there are number of deities and gods which are followed for many different reasons, be it for protection from evil spirits or wish fullment. They may be a focus or aid to individual meditation and transformation, or they may function as a protector of the dharma. In all cases, they function as a means to liberation and enlightenment. Author L. A. Wadell, in his book Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism, has devised a list of the categories of god, based on his research. 1. Buddhas: Celestial and Human 2. Bodhisats: Celestial and Human, including Indian saints and apotheosized Lamas. 3. Tutelaries: Mostly demonical 4. Defenders of the faith and witches 5. Indian Brahmanical gods, godlings and genii 6. Country gods and gaurdians and Local gods 7. Personal gods or familiars
According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the tantric approach, or Vajrayana including the use of deity practices, in a fourth Turning of the Wheel. (Tantra is referred as fourth turning of wheel in Vajrayana schools) According to Tibetan Tantric tradition, two aspects of Buddhahood or two forms of deities are mentioned, peaceful and wrathful. The peaceful Buddhas represent the passive aspect of Buddhahood, whereas wrathful represent the dynamic aspect. Sir Kaleon named the peaceful deities as embodiment of Boddhisattvas and wrathful deities as the destroyer. 65 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 2.31 Famous Gods and Deities in Tibet 66 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design structure of a ritual to a simple formula: A. MOTIVATION Refuge to Buddha and Thought of Enlightenment. This motivation is to cultivate the power and wisdom to liberate all sentient beings from the vicious Circle of Suffering.
B. SACRIFICE The ritualists are offering themselves and all the beauty of this world to the visualised diety. This sacrice may move the diety to help all sentient beings in their search for peace. C. DEDICATION A meaningful deed, in this specic case the performance of a sacred ritual, is dedicated to the benet of the whole world. Sir Jigmee Kaleon, in his interview, explained, These rituals are performed for invocation of gods and deities, they are worshipped and special offerings are made to them. In the worship of a Buddhist divinity, Author L.A. Wadell has mentioned seven stages: 1. The invocation : Calling to the feast or sacrice 2. Inviting the diety to be seated 3. Presentation of offerings, sacred cake, rice, water, owers, incense, lamps, music, mandala offerings 4. Hymns in praise 5. Repitition of the special mantras 6. Prayers for benets 7. Benediction Mention of black art, sorcery and magic as rituals can also be found in Tibetan Buddhism. Rituals like exorcism, chasing away evil spirits, healing is highly practised in tantric ways. Author Daniel A. Scheidegger in his book Opuscula Tibetana called the liturgy in Tibetan Buddhism extremely complex but reduced the Tibetan Ritual Practices In addition to meditation, Vajrayana school incorporates a variety of rituals and practices, which were inspired or inuenced by the religious cultures Buddhism encountered. These rituals are intended to aid in the journey to enlightenment and bring blessings on oneself and others. Rituals form an integral part of Tibetan Buddhism. Many special rituals are carried out to appease the deities; to bring rainfall and good harvest; to avoid destructive storms, disease and death; to control demons and evil spirits and lastly to overpower the passions of the mind and ego. Tibetan rituals can be categorised under three types, Meditation Worship and inward transformation Special rituals aiming at the elimination of evil forces, healing purposes and so on 67 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Tibetan rituals consist of many tantric practices that consist of Repetition of special ritual phrases or mantras Use of an extensive vocabulary of visual aids like cosmic mandala diagrams which is used as a path to spiritual enlightenment Use of numerous Yoga techniques Importance of a teacher (guru)- disciple (shishya) relationship (parampara) Use of specialised rituals rooted in the Vajrayana cosmology and beliefs Use of ritual objects such as the vajra and bell (ghanta), hand-drum (damru), and many other symbolic tools and musical instruments Bardo In Tibetan Buddhism, Bardo, refers to the state between death and the next birth. Practices followed in Bardo offer a path to the soul of the dead person for the next birth. It goes on for around 49 days. Cho Cho or Chd is a special type of mysticism that can be called a blend of the Indian Buddhism Bonpo of Tibet. Chd literally means "cutting through" and therefore also known as "Cutting Through the Ego". It comprises of specic meditation methods and a tantric ritual. It cuts through hindrances and obscuration, sometimes called 'demons' or 'gods'. Examples of demons are ignorance, anger and, in particular, the dualism of perceiving the self as inherently meaningful, contrary to the Buddhist doctrine of no-self. 68 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design purpose. One can experience a soothing calm silence or a relaxing rhythm of chanting. Also, the use of musical instruments during prayers create a mesmerizing atmosphere which pleases the mind. As a monk learns the Buddhist scriptures and the something so transient, listening to music serves to assist them in letting go of both desire and the individual sense of self. In Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, music and sound are an integral part of both lay and monastic practice and serve a functional religious Sound, Music and their Importance Music can lure you away into a trance or even put you in ecstasy. Music can be visionary as well. - Ritual Instruments: The Tools of The Trade Sound has a spiritual purpose, an elder in the family had said while explaining about the importance of word Aum during meditation. Undoubtly, sound adds an undeniable, unique aural element to the religious sites. It can be very well witnessed in Tibetan monasteries. In Buddhism, one is not supposed to keep attachments with materiaistic things as nothing is permanent. Music, also, keeps shifting continuously with time and space and so it is said to teach performers and listeners about the ever changing world. Sean Williams in Sacred Sound: Experiencing music in World Religions has said, Since they (monks) cannot possess 2.5 Tibetan Buddhism and Related Sounds Fig 2.32 Monks Chanting 69 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds into silence, producing an emotional impact on the meditating mind. Buddhist philosophy is associated with nothingness and this sudden absence of sound creates a void which can depict nothingness. This may also help the monk to experience (in a microcosmic or simulated way) state of void which is also associated with state of enlightenment. Prayer Wheels: Indication of generated merit At all the Buddhist Monasteries, one will nd rows of prayer wheels, golden or brass barrels at some places or wooden at other, in varied sizes. People can be seen rotating them as they enter or leave the monasteries, saying mantras. These prayer wheels are meant to be spun in clockwise direction; one rotation generates merits for the one who rotates it. There are inscribed with the mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum 1 . Lama Tshering said, If you rotate the prayer wheel once, it is equivalent to saying the mantra profane] is breached and contact is made with the Transcendent. Chanting is a commonly accepted spiritual practise. I attended many sessions of individual and group chanting. The rhythmic rise and low of the chanting sounds and the sudden silences occuring in intervals has a serene effect on one who chants and also on the one who hears it. It may take one away from the normal consciousness to a state of trance. Tibetan monks practise a way of chanting where they can manipulate their voice and produce different pitches and bass. This practise is also known as overtone singing. A lot of concentration and practice is required to reach a level of good overtone singing which helps to gain a more focused state of mind. Also, the different tempos and the bass, produces a deepening effect that elevates the mind from the surrounding noises. Sound is also used as the religious tool. For instance, loud, long sessions of chanting in the Tibetan monastic tradition can suddenly turn text, he memorizes them in a particular rhythm and also keeping in mind the instruments to be used in which section of the text. Thus, musical chanting helps in memorizing the text and the use of instruments. Sounds in Tibets monasteries are meant to serve one or more of the following religious ends: indicate the generation of merit, symbolize Tibetan Buddhist cosmology, to dissolve the practitioners sense of self, and be used as an offering. Chanting Mantras : As a symbolism of Buddhist cosmology and as a religious tool As a symbol for Tibetan Buddhist Cosmology, for sound it is said, By singing certain mantras, prayers, or recitations, or by playing certain instruments together or alone a monk can establish a conduit by which, temporarily, the line between the two realms [sacred and 70 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design once. You do bad things in life, saying this mantra reduces the count of them and does good for you. As people spin these rows of prayer wheels, their rotation produces a distinct sound, which changes as per the material used. One in the vicinity of monastery and hearing this sound can gure out the source of the sound. As prayer wheels are spun with a good purpose, it wont be wrong to say that the sound of these prayer wheels signies generating merits. Fig 2.34 Different kinds of Prayer wheels in different monasteries Fig 2.33 Prayer wheel in Alchi Mo n a s t e r y, Ladakh 71 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Sound to dissolve the Practitioner's Sense of Self When praying in mass, a Buddhist monk can, at least temporarily, dissolve his notions of self and become part of a large musical, religious group. As he hears his own voice getting merged in the voices of many, he focuses more on the united sound of the group. Group chanting in unison makes the self get absorbed into the community. Idea of dissolving the sense of self is well explained by Geoffrey Hill in his paper Music and Sound in Tibetan Buddhism: A Collection of Field Recordings, The sounds heard in the practice of Buddhism are not simply noise, but actually serve a spiritual purpose for the practitioner. Music and instruments can symbolize the nature of the universe as it is understood in the Buddhist tradition, they can be used as an offering to the Buddhas or other deities, and can be used to illuminate one of Buddhism's core principles: the idea of no-self. Also, there are number of prayer wheels, which were distinct from others, in their huge sizes and they were connected to bells. One full rotation, would strike the bell. The sound of bell can be held as the representation of the effect of the prayer wheel. Prayers and Instruments: Indication of Generation of Merit Monks can be seen offering prayers to the gods and deities in the monasteries. A few musical instruments accompany their recitation of mantras. When asked about the purpose of musical instruments in the prayer, the most common answer was for the invocation of gods. They call upon the gods for help, wish fulllments, for blessings etc. It is believed that the prayers and the music in the rituals performed by the monks in the monasteries invoke the blessings of wisdom and compassion. And so the sounds of these prayers and ritualistic instruments indicate merit. Chant ing and Musical Instruments: As a Ritual Offering In Tibetan Buddhism, ve offerings are made to the gods, one for each sense. For the sense of sound, music can take the form of an offering, much like offerings of food, liquor, or juniper which are so common at Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. In Tibet, almost all recitations of scripture and prayers can be thought of as a kind of offering. It can be said, Music in ceremonies as an offering to please the ears of the deity; it is like inviting a guest to your home and offering the best you have. Fig 2.35 Cymbals as an offering for sound 72 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design with drums give rhythmic variety. The melodic element is provided by a kind of shawm called gyaling, a powerful double-reed instrument not unlike a bagpipe chanter. At a few occasions, a type of ute hollowed out of a human thigh-bone, called kangling, is played and it contributes a note of indeterminate pitch to the general symphony. The size of the instruments, their range, as well as their symbolic nature, determine their employment for specic purposes. For instance, big brasses are used for open air performances because of their very powerful tone. As mentioned earlier, Tibetan rituals are mainly classied under three categories, Meditations, Worshipping, and Special types rituals such as exorcism etc. The nature and purpose of each ritual determines the corresponding music, chanting and kind of musical instruments to be used. Music and musical instruments also play an important role in the sacred dance called chham. Monks are trained to perform wearing masks on the beats of these musical instruments. and the soft, restrained unison chanting. Tibetan liturgical music is rich in fascinating sonorities, where unsuspected echoes can be percieved, and it is said to create wonder. Tibetan sound masters enjoy the reputation of having used the human voice to achieve a rare and profound skill demanding years of practice. There are many musical instruments, wind and percussion, that lend an important support to these prayers. The combination of chanting and the musical instruments produce an effect that is well expressed as, The overall effect is one of passing from time to the timeless, from melody to sounds-in-one and from sounds to silence. It is the tonal expression for travelling beyond the world of names and forms to the formless, which Buddhists hold to be the nature of the ultimate reality. Each monastery has a well trained group of monks who play various instruments. A monastic band requires a pair of long, straight brass instruments, called radung, to provide a foundation tone in the form of sustained bass drones, while cymbals of two sizes together Monastic and Ritual Musical Instruments When Buddhism went to Tibet and adopted many of Tibets old ritual practices, it gave place to the native music as well. The earlier Bon music was used as an accompaniment to ritual chanting, a means to communicate with the supernatural forces. The rituals were techniques of invoking good spirits and exorcising evil ones. Further intruments were added, inspired by old Indian and Chinese traditions, like Tibetan clarinet nds its association with both Indian and Chinese musical instruments. These instruments were incorporated in the ritual practices to support the ritual music and chanting. Music plays an important role in the religious life of Tibetan people. Author Daniel A. Scheidegger in his book Opuscula Tibetana has said, Monastery music alternates between the loud orchestral style with the complex texture 73 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds The wind instruments are always played in a pair and tuned in the same pitch. The number of percussionists is not xed, but rather depends on how many players are available. The full orchestra has a centre of eight or twelve instruments (consisting exclusively of wind and percussion) Each sect in Tibetan Buddhism adapted music that suited its teachings and disctinctions. That is why, the musical practices of the various orders of Tibetan Buddhism show differences, though they do have general similarities. Number of instruments or the tunes in a ritual may differ but the set of instruments remain the same. Also, the purpose of music and use of musical instruments throughtout the sects remains the same. In a few pieces, they themselves play a small hand drum while dancing. According to accoustical properties, Tibetan ritual orchestra is divided into three groups: 1. Aerophones The family of wind instruments. They have a resonance body made of wood, metal, clay or bone. Pitch depends on ngerings and lip pressure, both of which determine the length of a sound wave. 2. Membranophones The family of drums belong to this group. An animal skin is stretched on the closed resonance body, which consiste of wood, metal, clay, bone etc. Sound is produced by hitting the skin or membrane with any kind of stick. 3. Idiophones The family of bells and cymbals. They dont have an attached resonance body. The sound is directly produced by hitting or shaking the instrument. Monasteries play an important role in the monastic music with their distinctive aural qualities. Their structure enhances the acoustics in their own way, thus making the sound of instruments and the chanting unique. 74 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 75 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds WIND PERCUSSION Conch Shell Bell Clarinet Drum Telescopic Horn Cymbals Bone Trumpet Tambourine Gong Fig 2.36 Mood Board for Musical Instruments 76 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design by the great sky god Indra as Buddhas teachings are as pure as the sound of the conch shell. Early Buddhists adopted it as an emblem of the supremacy of the Buddhas teachings. Here, the conch symbolizes his fearlessness in proclaiming the truth of dharma and his call to awaken and work for the benet of others. Conch Shell The conch shell is an ancient Indian attribute of the heroic gods, whose mighty conch shell horns announced their courage and victories in war. Throughout History and mythological stories, mention of conch shell is found in fascinating ways; be it Lord Vishnus re emanating shankh, named Panchjanya, possessing control over the ve classes of beings or Arjuns conch Devdatta, literally meaning God Given, whose triumphant blast struck terror in enemy. As a battle horn the conch is akin to the modern bugle, as an emblem of power, authority and sovereignity. It is played in Hindu temples in prayers, as an auspicious sign. Its sacred blast is believed to banish evil spirits, avert natural disasters and scare away harmful creatures. Its sound is also believed to be pleasing to Nagas, the spirits who inuence many phenomena, especially weather. It is used to call Kuber, the god of wealth. The legend is, conch was presented to Buddha Conch Shell Tibetan: Dung-Kar Sanskrit: Shankh Sound texture: Deep and Resonant Category: Wind Fig 2.37 Conch Shells 77 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Conch shell in the monasteries are highly ornamented. They are decorated by gold, silver, gems or stones. Tip is sawed or sanded off or the mouth is sometimes silver plated. Conch shell is one of the Eight auspicious symbols of the Buddhist tradition, and means of Pure mind. The white conch is usually depicted vertically, with a silk ribbon threaded through its lower extremity. As a hand held attribute, it is held in the left hand of the deities symbolising wisdom. It is also used as a signal or a call at some places, like as a warning for the approaching hail storm. It is used for distribution of lustral water to partcipants in the certain rites and rituals. Its sound reminds faithful of their daily duties. It is used before ceremonies to summon the monks into the prayer hall or to signal the beginning of a teaching session. It is the rst instrument that is taught to the monks in the monasteries. It is used as an offering for the invocation of gods, alongwith many other instruments. Fig 2.38 As an auspicious symbol Fig 2.39 Monk playing conch during prayer 78 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 2.40 Decorations on Conch Shells 79 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Eight auspicious symbols The eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism are the most well known group of Buddhist tradition. These eight symbols of good fortune represent the offerings presented by the great Vedic gods to Shakyamuni Buddha upon his attainment of enlightenment. a. white parasol b. white conch shell c. a treasure vase d. a victorious banner e. a golden wheel f. a pair of golden shes g. an endless knot h. a lotus 80 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design tune is played, however it is not necessary that both the players play in unison, slight irregularities are said to perfume the melody. For different deities, tunes of Gyaling differs. Also for different sects, different tunes are played. Gyaling often nds its origins in India. It is similar to the Indian musical instrument Shehnai, which is played on auspicious occasions. At some places it is also mentioned that it has its origins in China. Gya means China and ling means ute. Lama Tshering said, I too question sometimes if Gyaling is from India or China. Gyaling has a variable pitched tuning and is very difcult to master and hence a monk spends a lot of time in perfecting it. It requires breathing in from nose and breathing out from mouth, and so circular breathing(breathing power) is required and it needs to be well developed. It is always played in a pair to avoid discontinuity while the Clarinet Clarinet or Gya-ling, is present in almost all Buddhist ceremonies, except exorcism. It gives peaceful tunes and hence is used for peaceful deities, as an offering or for their invocation. It is also used for welcoming the great rinpoche or lama. Clarinet Tibetan: Gyaling Hindi: Shehnai Sound texture: High notes of melody Category: Wind Fig 2.41 Monks playing Gya-ling 81 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Gyalings are made of wood, mostly teak or black rosewood. Mouth-piece has a bamboo or wooden membrane and is ornamented with gold or silver and embeded with stones. The ornamented mouth piece is often compared with a honey-comb calling gyalings sound as sweet as honey. Several (mostly 7 and sometimes 8) metal rings are around the wooden shaft are present; seven holes for seven different pitches and one hole for the thumb on the other side. The bell shaped end of the trumpet is also highly decorated with gilded copper or coral or gem stones. Slight differences are found in the gyalings of Kagyu sect. Fig 2.42 Monk displaying Gyaling at Rumtek Monastery Fig 2.43 A pair of Gyaling 82 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design festivals from the roof of their temple overlooking the village below the mountain on which the monastery is usually situated. This is precisely an invitation to the deities and guardian spirits to attend and partake of the ritual performance and feast. At the same time, the people living Telescopic Horn Radung or Telescopic horn is played in the rituals or prayers for invocation of wrathful deities. It is also sometimes used for announcing the start of ceremony, for instance in Karmapa Temple, in Dharamsala, monks were informed about the starting of Mahakaal puja by playing the Radung. It is also used to inaugurate public festivities. Lama Tshering of Arithang Monastery mentioned, to guide the spirits of dead people to heaven, Radung is used. Sir Jigmee explained, Radung is an instrument used for wrathful deities, hence it is not used in all the ceremonies. Wrathful deities are not worshipped everytime, they have their own time and prayer. We dont use radung in daily morning and evening prayer. It is played in a funeral but not in a marriage. Author Lobsang Ph. Lhalungpa in his paper Tibetan Music: Sacred and Secular has mentioned about radung, As a means to communicate with higher forces, four monk- musicians play these horns on the eve of Telescopic Horn Tibetan: Radung or Dung-chen Sound texture: Low pitched sound Category: Wind Fig 2.44 Monks playing Radung during Mahakaal Puja 83 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds ends are usually physically supported by the shoulders of a pair of monks who walk in front of the musicians. below or around, far or near, also consider this as an invitation to attend the festival. The combination of brasses and shawms with their differing tonal range and pitch lls the air with music and produces on the mind an almost magical effect. Like Gyaling, the Radung requires circular breathing and it is very difcult to master. Radung, too, is always played in pair, to keep the sound continuous. Radung is constructed out of repousse metal, mainly brass. It is lined with wood in places. It is often too decorated, silver or golden decoration at the end and embedded with stones and gems. It is made of three tapering sections, tted one into other. Radungs are around 15 feet long. When played in a stationary position, they require wooden frames for support or monks sit on the oor and play it, with the oor as the support. When they are played in procession, their Fig 2.45 Telescopic horn, three section, here retracted 84 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 2.46 Telescopic horn, stretched 85 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds ceremonies. It is held as the attribute of erce deities and used for the ceremonies connected with them. While used for Chod practice, it is paired with bell and hand damaru.In these practice, reason for its use is to summon the spirits to the feast. As observed in Arithang monastery, it is given three blasts, on a pleasant descending note, to attract their attention and invite them. Bone Trumpet Bone trumpet carries important mystical properties as a sonorous symbol of mortality and impermanence. - Lobsang Ph. Lhalungpa in Tibetan Music: Sacred and Secular Bone trumpet or Kangling, is played in the rituals or prayers for invocation of wrathful deities. It is used to welcome wrathful deities and also to chase away evil spirits. Its sound is believed to be capable of subduing gods and demons. It is especially played in exorcism as well. It seems to have emerged in Tibet for the performance of esoteric rites, in the footsteps of great tantric masters, such as saint Padmasambhava. The words Kang and ling mean bone and ute respectively and so the literal meaning of kangling is the ute of bone. Like Gyaling or Radung, it is also always played in pair, except when it is played for Chod practices. Like Radung, it is not played in all the Bone Trumpet Tibetan: Kangling Sound texture: Softer and Higher Category: Wind Fig 2.47 A pair of Kangling 86 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design These days, it is not permitted by law to keep human bone trumpets. These kanglings are mainly found with tantric saints. In monasteries a kangling from beaten brass is found. It is highly decorated, often with a makara (crocodile) head near the horn end. Its mouthpiece is either rounded like the thighbone trumpet or has a circular lipped mouthpiece. is used for kangling. The girl has to be a kanya, a virgin girl, 11- 12 years old. Her bone is of the right size and produces the required pitch. Other bones dont give the exact pitch. Traditionally the bones were obtained from Brahmins, and especially a sixteen year old brahmin girl. Bones for Kangling are collected from the cremation ground. There are again rules about what kind of the bones should be used. A bone from a corpse of a person who died from leprosy or starvation is not suitable, as they dont produce the right pitch that is required. If there are black spots on the bone, it implies the person died of leprosy. Human being who died of starvation has very light bones and there is no marrow inside the bone. The kangling bone is white, heavy and shimmering. The bone is straight and you can see the sky looking through it. On beating the mouth with one hand it produces a hollow and brief sustain. Kangling is believed to have its origins from old Indian tantric practices performed by followers of Lord Shiva or those who called themselves Aghori. In another context, bones for instruments were used in the old religion Bon pa. Human thigh bone or a similar animal bone is used for kang-lings. At some places the use of tiger bone is also mentioned. It is covered with skin or ornamented with various metal settings and bound with wire. The bones were sometimes polished and articially crafted. According to Sir Jigmee, the female shin bone Fig 2.48 Traditional Bone trumpet Fig 2.49 Copper Kangling used in Cho Practice 87 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Bell (And Thunderbolt) Drilbu or Hand bell, is used together with Dorje or Thunderbolt in all the rituals. Drilbu is the only musical instrument which is indispensable to perform a ritual. Other instruments are important but they dont have the symbolic signicance of Dorje or Drilbu. The purpose of using a bell in all the rituals is either for calling peaceful deities or for accumulating merits. There is a designation of lamas while playing the instruments. All the monks can not use Drilbu and Dorje. Going to Drilbu and Dorje takes a lot of time and only the head lama, the one who leads, can play the Drilbu. Using Dorje and Drilbu together is the union of the male and the female shakti (energies). Ritual hand bell represents the feminine principal of the Perfection of Wisdom. Dorje and Drilbu form an invisible pair of Method and Wisdom, respectively. Research Consultant Tashi Tenzing said, The sound of the bell represents emptiness. In order to realise emptiness, one needs to know wisdom and method. The bell is always held Bell Tibetan: Drilbu Sanskrit: Ghanti Sound texture: Metallic resonant Category: Percussion Fig 2.50 Two Kinds of Bell Used in Vajrayana in the left wisdom hand. Positive energy is supposed to be attracted by the rhythmic sound of bell. 88 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Decorations on the bell The handle of the drilbu is in the form of the goddess Dharma, "Supreme Wisdom", with a half dorje on top. The body of the bell has the following decoration: Shoulder: eight Tibetan syllables, each in a petal of an eight petaled lotus Below shoulder: 16 horizontal dorjes above eight masks connected with draped garlands, with a single vertical dorje between each mask Base: 45 vertical dorjes Inside dome: the Tibetan mantra Om Ah Hum and an eight-petaled lotus Clapper: attached by a thong and strikes the lower edge of the bell Tibetan bells are traditionally casted from bronze or bell metal by a technique called sand-casting. The hand bell traces its origin back to Hinduism where Ghanti is used in all the Hindu temples while offering a prayer to Hindu gods and goddesses. Types of bell Mainly two types of bells are used mostly (g. 2.50); crown of the handle with ve prongs or with nine prongs. Five prongs (four peripheral ones plus the central spike) represent the ve teachings of Buddha and is used for Mahamudra 2 practices, while the nine prongs (eight plus one) represent the nine yanas 3 of Buddhism and is used in Nyingma school. Sound of bell Its sound describes emptiness or Sunyata as if the sound arises from silence and dissolves back into silence. Sunyata, litereally meaning, emptiness or void, represents realisation of not-self. Fig 2.51 Monk playing the bell 89 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Thunderbolt Tibetan: Dorje Sanskrit: Vajra Dorje is not a musical instrument but a Tantric weapon and is a must with Drilbu. It possesses great power and is used to move positive and negative energies. It also symbolises the male principle of method or skilful means. It is held in the right method hand. Bell and Thunderbolt, together, symbolize perfect union of wisdom or emptiness and method or skilful means, with the bell representing emptiness and the vajra, form. The ve prongs of vajra represent the ve male perfections of generosity, morality, patience, perseverance, and concentration. The open mouth of the bell represents the sixth female perfection of wisdom. It also symbolizes the indestructible power of the dietys vajra-wrath, which is capable of destroying all negativities and illusions. 90 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Drum The drum keeps you awake; the drum helps you to nd a way. -Book: Ritual Instruments: The Tools of the Trade Drum or Nga, is used in all the rituals or ceremonies. Sometimes one or sometimes many are played together. The main purpose of the drum is to support the recitation of prayers. Nga is also believed to steady the practitioners psycho-physical energy and so it is used for meditation purposes as well. An experienced monk can beat the drum in rhythm with his breathing or the beats of his heart. Different kinds of drums are in usage (picture on the next page). Big drums are played only in special rituals; one such ritual is, at the end of every year, a drum ritual performed to subdue the evil spirits of the old year. All kind of drums are not tuned to a specic pitch, they have a rythmical function and are not melodious. Drum Tibetan: Nga Sanskrit: Dundhubh Sound texture: Bass Category: Percussion Fig 2.52 Drums being played for Mahakal pooja 91 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds The material used for the skin is mostly animal skin of deer, ox or bull for big drums or goat or sheep for the smaller drums. A wooden frame for support and a wooden curved stick is used for beating the drum. In Tibetan Buddhism, drums nd their origin from the old religion Bon. It is believed to be an old must-have instrument for all shamans. In a monastic ritual, drums are played by the lowest rank of monks. It is taught to young monks (6 to 7 years of age) in order to accustom them to the rhythms of the recitation. This is believed to be a very effective way to become familiar with the basics of ritual, as the whole liturgy is composed as per the beats. The drum is mostly played together with the cymbals and has to strictly follow the rhythm of the cymbals. The beats are steady with accelerandos cominng in at the end of certain rythmic formulas. According to the importance of the ritual, or according to the time available to perform it, the nga is beaten slowly or quickly. Fig 2.53 Various forms of Nga Fig 2.54 Old drum of Shamans 92 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Nga Chen Most commonly known as big double-sided drum, nga chen hangs on a wooden frame and is xed on three places. The skin of wild yak is supposed to be the best for this instrument. The ornaments always symbolise peaceful aspects of the deities. This Nga can be of a size of a human being. Lag Nga The lag nga is a drum with handle of about 20 cm diameter. Is is also known as hanging hand drum. The skin can be of goat or a sheep. The ornaments represent peaceful aspects of deities. Its wooden pedestal base supports it from below, whilst a metal ring tied to an overhead roofbeam supports its top. It is beaten with a wooden sickle-shaped drumstick, tted with a leather or cloth ball at the end. The few types of drums I came across: Fig 2.55 Nga Chen Fig 2.56 Lag Nga 93 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Ceremonial drum There is another type of Lag Nga, which is known as ceremonial drum and is mostly used in procession. It is a smaller portable version of the above drum. It has a long decorated wooden handle tipped with a vajra, a silk scarf often hangs from its top. It is beaten with a curved stick which is also often decorated with silk ribbons. Fig 2.57 Ceremonial Drum Fig 2.58 Drum being used for meditation 94 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Cymbals Cymbals are used as an offering for gods and deities and for their invocation. It is played by the priest who begins the ceremonies; the tempo of the prayer is led by the strikes of cymbals. Two cymbals form a pair, representing male and female aspect, the cymbal representing male aspect is in right hand and the female aspect is in the left. Sir Jigmee said, The two cymbals symbolise Shiva and Shakti. Cymbals are used as the sensory(sound) offering to the gods and are depicted as two golden cymbals arranged symmetrically, draped silk ribbon looped between their central handles. Cymbals Tibetan: Rim Sanskrit: Kartala Sound texture: High Pitched clashing sound Category: Percussion Fig 2.59 Cymbals being played for Mahakaal Pooja Fig 2.60 Arrangement of Cymbals used as sound offering 95 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Rolrim The Rolrim or Rolmo, is used for the invocation of wrathful aspect of Bodhisattva. It is a round cymbal, the dome covering almost half of the diameter of 20 to 50 cm. It has a deep or a bit aggressive sound. It is held horizontally and struck vertically. There are two types of rims used in the monastic rituals. Selyrim Selyrim or Silnyen is used for the invocation of the peaceful aspect of the bodhisattva. It is a at cymbal with almost none depth. Its sound is peaceful as compared to the other type of rim. It is held vertically and struck horizontally, as can be seen in the picture below. A large silnyen is approximately 40 cm in diameter. The number of strikes (tempo or rhythmic formula) and manner of striking them differs according to sects of Buddhism. However, the way of holding them in all the sects is the same as mentioned above. The left hand has to be very relaxed despite the heavy weight of big cymbals. The right hand barely touches the instruments, so as not to dampen the resonance. Both cymbals of a pair have approximately the same pitch. The small frequency differences produce a lasting resonating sound pattern. According to most playing styles, the left hand plays the active part in producing a sound. The cymbals are struck quickly on two edges, rst the right and then the left, by moving the left hand; Then as the two cymbals strike, it causes a large surface to resonate. The space between the two cymbals varies according to different traditions. When striking the cymbals, about one third of the other cymbal shoud be visible. The slightly lower tuned cymbal is held with the right hand, symbolising the male aspect, i.e. Fig 2.61 Selyrim Fig 2.62 Rolrim 96 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design method. The other one represents the female aspect i.e. wisdom. The high overtones produced by this instrument are most fascinating. The sound of these high pitches completely lls the assemble hall and gives a special avour to this music. The material used for cymbals is made of an alloy, known as Panchdhaatu, consisting of gold, silver, zinc, copper and bronze. Different gradation of these metals determines the quality of the sound. A higher percentage of gold and silver smoothens the sound. Fig 2.63 Cymbals and Drums arranged during Mahakaal Puja 97 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Tambourine Damaru or Nachung is indispensable to perform certain tantric rituals. It is used only by the head monk. They mark intervals in recitation, draw the attention, with other instruments, of the gods being invoked and induced a suitable state of mind in the exorcist during the recitation of his spells. Damaru is paired with Kang-ling and Bell for the cho practices. They are always held in the right method hand. Two types of damarus are in use, kapalika damru, that is made out of human skull and wooden damru. The Tantric or Kapalika Damaru, an attribute of wrathful Buddhist deities, is made of the craniums of fteen or sixteen year old Brahmin boy and girl, as they are of the right size for making a damaru. Often the left side of the damaru is found slightly smaller, as it is of the pubescent girl. Tambourine Tibetan: Nachung Sanskrit: Damaru Sound texture: Rattling sound Category: Percussion Fig 2.64 Tambourine or Damaru, The two types in use 98 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design male or method hand of both male and female deities or tantric practitioners. Its function is to invoke all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, inspiring them with supreme joy. The male damaru proclaims the sound of great bliss, and it is frequrntly paired with the bell held in the left female hand, which proclaims the sound of emptiness. Skull damaru is not a common insrument in use. It has been banned by the law. Wooden damru Use of male and female skulls symbolises the unione of male and female energies. Robert Beer in his book The handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols has said, When rattled, the two faces of the damaru, as co-joined adolescent male and female skulls sounding together, sexually symbolizes the union of method and wisdom as relative and absolute bodhichitta. Small damarus, made out of monkey skulls, in the place of human skulls, are also obtainable. The damaru is believed to be inherited from India. Its origin dates back to the early Harappan civilization, where it appears as a pictogram in the ancient Indus valley script. According to Hindu mythology, damaru is the right hand attribute of Lord Shiva, who vibrantly sounds the damaru to create the male rhythm, which underlies the female melodic structure as the fabric of universe (Tala and Raga in Sanskrit). Here is an excerpt from Robert Beers book The handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols: Damaru is always held and played in the right, Fig 2.65 Kapalika Damaru Fig 2.66 Wooden Damaru 99 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds the skins, when they are cut, soaked in water and dried as they ought to have a similar pitch. Some damarus are tensioned by a long zigzag cord threaded between the drumskins, so that its pitch may be raised by squeezing the lattice of strings at its waist (similar to the Indian musical instrument Tabla). The two drumheads of the Nachung represent the union of appearance and emptiness, its two strikers represent the union of method and wisdom and its ve coloured silk tail represents the Five Buddhas. A decorative brocade hangs from the central waist of the damru, which can be of ve- coloured silk ribbons. When not in use, this long tail is coiled around the drums waist and the damaru is stored in a drum-shaped padded cloth case. is the most established type of damaru in use. The wooden Buddhist Damaru, is fashioned in the form of two hollow hemispheres, joined at their domed apexes. Its diameter is around four inches. Leather or cloth is used to cover the two hemispheres. Special care is taken for both Fig 2.67 Monk playing Damaru Fig 2.68 Damaru kept in case when not in use 100 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design impermanence, which summons all the spirits to the great feast of the practitioners own body, as happens in the cho rite. Fig 2.69 Big Damaru A large wooden damaru of approx. eight to sixteen inch diameter is mostly used for cho practices alongwith the kangling and the bell. This damaru is said to proclaim the sound of Fig 2.70 Big Damaru used in Cho Practices alongwith Kangling and Bell 101 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 2.71 Various examples of Damarus 102 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Gong Gong or Khar-nga doesnt have a melodious purpose. It is played outside a prayer hall. It signals the beginning of a monastic assembly. It is used to inform monks to assemble for a purpose. It is played in different sequences or rhythms to signal different reasons for gathering. For instance, at Tsechokling Monastery, beating it three times at an interval of 5 seconds, signals getteing assembled for meals. At Arithang Monastery, continuous striking for a minute or so signals evening prayer. It is made up of an alloy mixture of gold, silver, zinc, iron and bronze (similar to panchdhaatu used for Rims). It is beaten with a wooden stick, padded with a cloth at an end. A khar-nga player has to recite silently a mantra while playing it. The duration of a piece varies from a minute to several minutes. Gong Tibetan: Khar-Nga Sanskrit: Khanda Sound texture: Metallic resonant Category: Percussion Fig 2.72 Gong or Khar Nga Fig 2.73 Gong at Tsechokling Monastery 103 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Some facts For a monk to play an instrument, a sequence is followed. There are ranks of monks according to which they can play an instrument. While playing in a monastery, the instrument that is assigned to the monk depends on that rank. Like, damru and ghanti, only head lamas can play. Drum can be played by a novice monk too. Also, for novice monks to start learning the musical Instruments, theres a sequence that is followed as per their ranks. In adjacent gure, musical instruments are arranged as per the sequence in which they are learnt. Principal Lama Khenpo Tshering explained, for a proper ritual, minimum of eight monks are needed. Head Lama for Drilbu-Dorje One for cymbals Two monks for gyaling Two for radung or kangling One for drum One or two for conch shell Fig 2.74 Sequence in which instruments are learnt 104 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Cymbals and drum, can be played by more number of players depending on how many monks are available. While attending prayers in the monasteries, a certain pattern was observed in their seating arrangement as well. When asked about it, it was again as per which instrument is being played and the rank of the monk who is playing it. Few mentioned about having xed places for a particular instrument. For example, only head Lama can play bell or damru and his place is xed near the Buddhas idol. Also he is seated at a higher seat as compared to the other lamas. Lamas who were playing drums sat in the extreme end.
Given is the picture of seating arrangement as observed in the Arithang monastery. It changed partially from monastery to monastery and sect to sect. Fig 2.75 Seating arrangement observed in Arithang Monastery 1. Sanskrit mantra associated with Bodhisattva Avlokiteshvara 2. Practice involving hand gestures 3. Divisions of various schools of Buddhism I N S I G H T S 3 106 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design prayed to and served. Tibetan Buddhism has a long list of gods, goddesses and dieties and different rituals dedicated to them. I got the chance to attend a Mahakaali pooja in one of the temples. It goes on for 3 to 4 days and all day long. Hundreds of monks were present and were continuously chanting and playing different musical instruments to please the goddess. Prayer was for the invocation of the protector guardian. Though the chantings and the environment created was totally mesmerising, the picture was far away from the picture of Buddha sitting under the bodhi tree and meditating. On performing a search on google engine with keywords Buddhist Rituals, it gives over 30 lakhs results on the different rituals and practices followed in Buddhism. As far as its meditation and practices supporting meditation, it is still understandable. But rituals like offerings made for gods, goddesses or dieties is something that doesnt agree with the philosophy of Buddha that has been mentioned in many books. and legendary attributes. And the religion extended its range and inuence, and enjoyed princely patronage and ease, it became more metaphysical and ritualistic. -Excerpt from Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism
Buddha denied the existence of creator god or any such supernatural force. He argued, nobody has seen god, people only speak about it. Nobody has proved that god exists and has created the world. He even questioned the religions saying religions based on God is based on speculation and thus not worth having. It only creates superstition. All the places it spread it took part of faith and practices already present and thus Buddhism got diluted. The present Buddhism has given place to many gods and dieties., which are faithfully 3.1 Findings The world is ever changing and in which nothing is permanent.
- Gautam Buddha And so did change Buddhism. Over the years, it has given place to many rituals, practices, gods and new beliefs. While learning more about the musical instruments, I learnt about the new additions in Buddhism too. I nd it necessary to mention about these changes and additions here, as musical instruments too are a part of it. Buddhism is said to be more of philosophy than a religion. The teachings of Buddha is the guidance to nd the path of truth and liberate from ignorance. Buddha was a human being who attained enlightenment and claimed all human beings are potential Buddhas. But in the present time, at many places, he is treated as a god. In many texts he is addressed as Bhagwan Buddha. Buddha, as the central gure of the system, soon became invested with the supernatural Buddhism is based on personal experience. As such it is rational and not speculative.
-Buddha and his Teachings 107 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds All rites and ceremonies so greatly emphasized in vedas play no part in Buddhism.
-Buddha and his Teachings Buddhists are not idol worshippers, but they do sometimes keep the images of Buddha to pay their respects. Mention of worshipping Buddhas images or idols is found a few centuries later of Buddhas death. Below is an excerpt from Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism: The worship of Buddha's own image seems to date from this period, the rst century of our era, and about four or ve centuries after Buddha's death ; and it was followed by a variety of polytheistic forms, the creation of which was probably facilitated by the Grecian Art inuences then prevalent in Northern India. Different forms of Buddha's image, originally intended to represent different epochs in his life, were afterwards idealized into various Celestial Buddhas, from whom the human Buddhas were held to be derived as material reexes. When I asked in the family about the idols at home and the prayers offered, I was told, keeping images or idols started as a tool for concentration. Later on, it moved on to a habit and to offering prayers.
Cho is a famous ritual in Tibetan Buddhism that deals with tantric practices, exorcism, and bardo. All these rituals dont nd any place in the primitive Buddhism but are widely followed as per the effect of Bon-pa, the native religion of Tibet. Bardo, talks about a better life after death and thus a series of ritualistic practices are followed to guide the soul of a dead person to a better life. Buddha denies the existence of soul as it is not seen by anyone or proved in anyway. It is believed that as a body dies, the soul takes rebirth in form of another human body. As mentioned earlier, Buddhas idea of rebirth was enitirely different. He believed in the regeneration of matter and not in the rebirth of the soul. This belief of Buddha is in agreement with science that energy is never lost but changes form. Reincarnation of great lamas nds a lot of mention in Tibetan Buddhism, which is similar to the concept of rebirth and thus, contradict the teachings of Buddha. There is no denial that all the rituals followed must be having a certain reason behind it. But the question is if the reasons are parallel to the main teachings of Buddha? Many of the novice monks I interviewed, only knew the broader picture. When asked why the use of musical instruments, their answers were, wo to bade lama ne bola hai ( it has been told by the higher lama) or keetabo mein likha hai (its been written in the books). Such type of blind faith is questionable. As mentioned earliear in section 3.2, Buddha himself asks his students to question his teachings and not to accept anything he says without understanding. Buddha has talked about Sankhya System, i.e proof needed to establish the truth. Many of the therioes I was told about, there were no valid reasons behind them. 108 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design All the monasteries I visited had differently decorated, all kinds of statues of Buddha and the other Bodhisattvas and the gods they follow. Highly ornamented statues and at some places of gold was a common scene. At many places huge and tall statues are built and they are major attraction for tourists. I couldnt help but think whether this is what all this has become, Tourist Attraction. Also, there is a huge market of these statues for people who like to buy it. All this seems highly commercialized. According to the Buddha, existence is a dynamic process; as part of which, all sentient beings, including humans, are caught up in an innite cycle of birth, growth, decay and death. This process is symbolically depicted in Buddhist art by a wheel - the Wheel of Life. This wheel explains how rebirth into next life is based on the behaviour in past lives. In the centre of the wheel, pig, snake and cock is seen, representing, greed, lust and hatred respectively. Outer six sections shows the six states of existence. All living beings are born in one of the six states, mentioned below: a. Beings in hell: The lowest and worst realm, wracked by torture and characterized by aggression. b. Hungry Ghosts: The realm of hungry spirits; characterized by great craving and eternal starvation. c. Animals: The realm of animals and livestock, characterized by stupidity and servitude. d. Asura: The realm of anger, jealousy, and constant war. The asura are demigods, semi-blessed beings. They are powerful, erce and quarrelsome; like humans, they are partly good and partly evil. e. Humans: The human realm; beings who are both good and evil. Enlightenment is within their grasp, yet most are blinded and consumed by their desires. f. Deva: The realm of heavenly beings lled with pleasure. The deva hold godlike powers; some reign over celestial kingdoms; most live in delightful happiness and splendor. They live for countless ages, but even the deva belong to the world of suffering, for their powers blind them to the world of suffering and ll them with pride and thus even the deva grow old and die. Above description, if taken symbolically, makes some sense and can be accepted. But believing that beings are born as ghosts or deva or demigods, based on the past life actions, is something that is without proof and proper explaination. 109 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 3.1 Wheel of life depicted in Tibetan Buddhist Art is shown 110 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design explained, Ye sab bajana utna zaruri nahi hai. prarthna karna zyada zaruri hai. (playing all these instruments is not important. Praying is more important.) Lobsang Ph. Lhalungpa in his paper Tibetan Music: Sacred and Secular has mentioned Truth can be discovered through traversing many paths; music denitely is one such avenue in the life of Tibetan initiates. But it is always a means to an end, not an end in itself. All these rituals, beliefs, offerings and musical instruments can be called accessories to the philosphy of Buddhism. These arent utmost necessity but an addition to help in achieving the nal path. Buddhist way of life, is a simple, plain and reasonable. It shoudnt be confused with traditions or different ways of practice. These are just different covers of the book, while book of good actions and pure mind remains the same. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is realization of enlightenment, whichever the way is. In Dhammapada, Buddha has spoken about compassion towards all living beings, that all are capable of feeling sufferings and so all be treated equally. In Gangtok, I got the chance to have a discussion with the owner of the hotel I was staying in. He was explaining about how misdeeds can affect us in next births and that we can born as animals, which is considered a spiritual setback. In the wheel of life, state of animal is held synonym to the state of stupidity and servitude. Are we putting animals on a lower level? There is a strong belief in making offerings to Buddha and the other gods and dieties. Flowers, food, oil for lamps and many other things are offered as a sign of respect and to please them. A monk explained, When a guest comes to your house, you make all the arrangements to make him comfortable. Similar way, it is done to please the gods. There isnt any limit to the things that are presented. In a few famous monasteries, there were hundreds of litres of oil offered to light the lamps. At some places, packets of snacks like Kukure were also sighted. In a few rituals, alcohol is offered to the Gods. When asked, reason given was, Tibet is a cold place and milk as an offering is not possible. Hence, alcohol is offered. Playing musical instruments is also called an offering. It is considered as a way of welcome while invoking the gods. When asked how the use of these instruments started, the most common answer was it has been going on for years. When asked, why different instruments for different dieties, connection to the kind of sound they produced was made. A senior monk pointing to the importance of different musical instruments said, saanp been bajane se hi aayega, shankh ya drum bajane se nahi, vaise hi devi devtaon ke liye vibhinn prakaar ke yantra hain. kisi ke liye radung, kisi ke liye kangling (snake responds to been, the snake charmer instrument, and not to conch shell or drum. Same way for different gods and dieties, instrument is different). Question that raised was, who decided which instrument is suitable for which god? May be it is the texture of sounds produced, but again, what if a wrathful diety is interested in the sound of gyaling rather than radung? An other monk 111 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Revised Objective Device a means that would initiate a thought process in the user to know more about Buddhism and its philosophy. An installation that would use musical instruments as a medium to create awareness amongst people about the current Buddhist practices and plant a thought to carry out the comparison between primitive Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. 3.2 Revised Project Brief Changed Approach As I compared the primitive Buddhism and its current state, the question raised was how to portray the gist of the entire analysis in simple terms. Now, the focus was more on the philosophy of Buddhism as compared to the musical instruments. Use and signicance of musical instruments became an additional part instead being the main focus of the project. Sir Jigmee once mentioned in one of the talks at his place, All these instruments, rituals, they are part of daily life of a monk. What is more important is the dedication he has towards achieving what is required. In the end, what holds signicance is my capability of meditating my way towards liberation. This statement then became the centre idea of this project. I decided on using the musical instruments as a metaphor or a medium to depict the accessorization of Buddhism. Now, the idea was to create an interest for the viewer to know more about Buddhism and realize himself/herself the logical reasoning behind various practices and facts present. EXPLORATIONS PROTOTYPING 4 114 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 4.1 Explorations While visualising an output for the research and analysis that I had done, I could visualise a means that would initiate a thought process amongst people to ponder upon the present scenario of Buddhism and to start rethinking with a fresh perspective; Something to logically see and compare the things and faiths present around us; But again, something that is not hurting the feelings or faith of an individual. To depict this, a few explorations were thought of; that would put the facts in front of the audience and rest will be left to the audience to make a meaning out of it. Expl orat i on 1 : Interactive website in the form of comic strip Initial exploration for interactive website was to design a comic strip setup involving a conversation between Gautama Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava discussing Buddhism, Guru Padmasambhava giving Buddha the updates since he died and Buddha questioning Guru Padmasambhava about the new things he is encountering. Idea behind this exploration was, user will get an idea about the changes or progress that has happened over the years. 115 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 116 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 117 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 118 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 119 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 120 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 121 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 122 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 123 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 124 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 125 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds instrument is displayed on the page, either in the form of text or a small video. Once the user deselects the instrument, instrument from the monks hands is gone and the monk still keeps walking without any interruption.
A few more basic interactions were thought of in order to give more information on Buddhism if the user seems interested in knowing further, giving glimpses of the research that I had carried out. journey on the path of truth or enlightenment. A list of musical instruments is also present on the screen, depicting the changes or the accessories that have come into picture over the years. Once a user selects an instrument from the list of different instruments, that instrument is seen in monks hands. Monk plays it, and its sound can be heard. Also, information about that Expl orat i on 2 : Interactive website in the form of animation An other interaction was sketched with a gure of monk and a series of instruments . In this, the monk is walking continuously, depicting 126 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 127 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds might question about the need of it, and thus initiate a chain reaction of thoughts leading to the changes happened over the period of so many years. Expl orat i on 3 : Installation with Mirror This installation was on the similar lines. A user can see himself in the mirror with backdrop of a path, symbolizing the path to the goal of Buddhism. As the user picks up an instrument, he can get the information on that instrument on the top of the mirror, again, as a video or text. But in the reection, the instrument cant be seen, only the user on the path, raising a question in users head about the instrument.
Thought behind this exploration was, if the user starts questioning about the instrument, he Key idea for the above two explorations was that the musical instruments are just the accessories, not a necessity for meditating or towards the path of enlightenment. They, being present or not, dont affect the journey on the path but the determination to nd the goal does. 128 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design the user is just following the already drawn lines. Its depicting how in the present state, the teachings are just followed without being questioned. Expl orat i on 4 : Installation with Tracing as Interaction Idea for the next exploration was of an installation. An installation that can be kept in a museum or a similar space. The user interactions that were thought of for this installation were tracing and erasing the outlines of the instruments on a canvas. Below are the images explaining the idea. Following are the reasons that were in mind while coming up with these interactions: Tracing can be dened as an act of bringing something forward or making something clear that lies underneath. Similarly, tracing here brings the sound and the information in front. Erasing is connected with removing that information. Also, tracing the outlines of already drawn instruments, can also show, that 129 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 130 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 131 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 132 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 133 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds 134 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 135 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Moving on with Tracing Installation First two explorations, interactive website and the installation involving mirror were found to be too simplistic and more for school educational videos. Third exploration of installation having tracing and erasing interactions provided a greater degree of interaction and more for the person who interfaces with it to do. A few more layers were then thought of adding to it to give it more depth. Further Renements A canvas having the outlines of instruments was the rst thing that I started with. One canvas having ten musical instruments and considering enough drawable area for each instrument, pointed to a big size of canvas. This problem was sorted with deciding on number of canvases, one for each instrument and setting up a space for keeping them. A few spaces were sketched for housing the canvases. User could travel from one end to another while he is coming across different instruments, depicting a path with different stops. Different angles for the position of canvases were also tried, as I wanted to see which angle will be more convenient for the user. 136 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 4.1 Space 1 with three different angles for canvas 137 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 4.2 Space 2 with canvases on wall 138 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 4.3 Space 3 with two angles for canvas 139 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Having sand and chakpur as the medium to trace puts a limit to the angle of the canvas. Canvas needs to be horizontal for the sand not to fall off. Also, for using a chakpur, one needs to rst get familiar with the tool which is not an easy task and takes time. And therefore, this option was ruled out. Adding Details To provide the user with more things to do, interactions like tapping and blowing were added. Tapping corresponding to the family of percussion instruments and blowing to the family of wind instruments. These interactions could start the display of information about the instruments in form of text or video. Information in form of text could get boring and user may loose interest and so videos for each and every instrument were decided. Again, question arised, how much sound I can put in the videos. Since, tracing is starting the sound 2. Black Ink and Paint Brush Black ink is something that has been used for centuries for writing the tibetan Buddhist scriptures. One can also nd its mention dating back to the invent of tibetan script. Equipments for Tracing When deciding on the equipments being used for tracing, I was looking for something that I could connect to Tibet; something related to tibetan Buddhist culture. The two options that came forward were 1. Sand and Chakpur Chakpur is a metal used for sand paintings, especially for making sand mandalas in the monasteries by monks. Fig 4.5 Black Ink used for tibetan script Fig 4.4 Chakpur being used for sand mandala 140 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design of the instrument, sound in the video will end up adding confusion. Also, as the video will start, the focus will be shifted to the visuals, taking the focus from the sound of the instrument. One more possibility could be, user may directly shift to visual, not giving much time to the audio of the instruments. I wanted the user to spend more time with the sounds and so the idea of visual information was dropped. One more problem that came ahead was, more number of interactions to perform, like tapping and blowing, may result in confusion for the user. To keep it simple for the user, only one set of interactions(Tracing and Erasing) was nalised. As these basic things were sorted out and a form started emerging, the process moved onto prototyping. 141 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 4.6 Brainstorming sheet for artefacts forms 142 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 4.2 Prototyping Keeping the interactions of tracing and erasing in mind, a method needed to be devised which will respond as required when tracing is complete or erasing is done; A circuit which will get completed with the completion of tracing, and break with the erasing. Different possible options that could be used for the purpose of completing the circuit were listed down; Their positive and negative points were weighed. Circuit scribe, a pen that that uses conductive silver ink, was the best option but was not available. An LDR circuit seemed the next best option. Fig 4.7 Options for completing the circuit 143 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Prototype 1 After weighing the options, the rst prototype started with a simple LDR circuit. The outlines of the instruments were tted with a few LDRs. As the tracing was done using a black paint, light was getting obstructed and the value od LDRs gave variation and thus triggering the sound of the instrument traced. Adjacent gure is the circuit diagram that was followed for connecting the LDR to the arduino to get the readings. Fig 4.8 Circuit diagram for LDR 144 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 4.9a Setup of canvas having LDR circuit 145 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 4.9b Placement of LDR 146 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 2. Value of LDR was uctuating even with the shadow of the user. 3. There was a possibility of broken lines drawn by the user, which may or may not cover the LDR and thus, result in incompletion of the circuit. Problems faced 1. Value of LDR was uctuating with the day light and the light in the room. Everytime the value changed, changes in the code needed to be made for proper calibration. Below is the sequence of images in that shows the working of the rst prototype. 147 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Prototype 2 To avoid the problems of an LDR, Hall Effect sensor was used. Brush or pen was tted with a magnet that would activate the sensor and thus giving the required output. Only thing that needed to be kept in the mind were, no other source of magnet was present. As the idea evolved, method of tracing changed too. In order to hide hall effect sensor, idea of keeping a stencil of the instrument (instead of outlines underneath) came into picture. It had the advantage of, getting the exact lines of instrument from the user and thus, making sure that the circuit is complete. It looked aesthitically pleasing too. It also provided a chance of a take away for the user in the form of a paper with the drawing of the istrument drawn by the user. Images on the next page shows the sequence of the working of this prototype. Fig 4.10 Circuit diagram for Hall Effect Sensor 148 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 149 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Problems Faced So many sounds together created a confusion. Also a person could relate to any sound and so nding a common base was not possible. 2. Finding the bigger picture A set of text, mainly the teachings of Buddha. When seen with a concave lens ( makes things look smaller, Opposite of magnifying glass), a text would appear that would guide the user to look inside self. Problems Faced Since all the layers of the box contained sounds, having so much text at the end, seemed disconnected. Box as an artefact Selecting and going ahead with the box had its reason. The process of opening the box, layer by layer and looking inside was compared with the process of searching answers at each level of life, going deeper and then nally nding the answers inside self. Bottom of the box As the user opens each layer and reaches the bottom of the box, he/she should encounter something that leaves enough impact to plant a thought. Therefore, the element at the bottom of the box needed to be strong. Options considered 1. Listening to the inner voice A way that would emphasize on listening to the inner voice. For this, a list of many sounds were found, and the user needed to nd the sound to which he could connect the most like sound of breathing. Moving on to artefact While guring out different designs for the installation setup, a senior professor suggested the idea of portability. So the idea of artefact came into existence. An artefact, which can be carried anywhere and the sounds can be heard whenever a person wants to. The best form that complimented this was a book. Book as an artefact A book that can be owned by the user, user can carry and listen to it as per his needs; a book that can be used as a tool for meditation too. The book sounded like a personalised object. Since, the idea behind the project was to create awareness and make people think of the present state of Buddhism, a personalised object was not serving the purpose. Also, it helping in meditation purpose, made it like an addition in the already existing list of meditation tools. Keeping these reasons in mind, idea of book was discarded. The next form that made sense was a box. 150 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 4.11 Example of the text for nding the bigger picture 151 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Different Designs for the box A few explorations were done for the box to think of the different ways it can be opened. Interactions for the two most suited designs are shown in the pictures here. Way out Since all the layers of the box contained sounds, having sound at the bottom of the box, instead of text, seemed apt. So a way had to be devised that would focus on listening to the inner voice. Having many sounds and connecting to one created confusion and so I decided upon keeping one sound to which everyone could relate, that is the sound of the breathing. Also, since its one of the most calm and peaceful sound, when starting with meditation, we usually start with focusing on our breathing. After an orchestra of monastic musical instruments through the layers of the box, suddenly dropping to the calmness of breathing, posed a contradiction or conict that suited the theme of the box. 152 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 4.12 Box Type 1 153 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Fig 4.13 Box Type 2 154 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design You cant live in a shell forever, He said. Open up and seek the truth. Should I follow, and trace the prints you left? I asked. Should I follow the path paved by you? I asked again. Know well, what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. He answered. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. These lines are written considering four musical instruments for the nal sketch of the box shown on the next page. When more number of instruments, more lines can be added up. instructions to the user for him/her to know how the box works. I had to nd a way, which will connect the box and the tracing equipment and also guides the user about the working of the box. Way out Not having a set of instructions like Open the Box, Trace the outlines made it a bit difcult to understand the box, but also, having such direct instructions seemed inappropriate as I wanted the user to think as he/she was working with the box, instead of blindly following the instructions. To sort this out, a narrative was prepared which will give a cue about what needs to be done and not tell it straight away. The narrative was made, keeping in mind the teachings of Buddha and the inspiration was taken from the Buddhist text. The lines of this narrative was put in each layer of the box, guiding the user. Following are the lines of the narrative, one on each layer. Working of the box As the user opens the cover of the box, he/ she can hear the sound of chanting. Each layer of the box has stencil of a musical instrument. When user traces that musical instrument, sound of that instrument gets added in the chanting. That layer is complete and the user moves on to the next layer with a different instrument. After each layer is complete, sound of all the instruments are added in the chanting. As the nal layer is opened, all the sounds of instruments and chanting stop, and only the sound of breathing can be heard. Problems faced If a box is kept in front, its out of curiosity that I will open uo the box. If a canvas is kept in front of me with a paint brush, it is an instinct to draw on it, but if it is kept inside the box, how will a user know its purpose? Stencil inside the box, seemed a bit disconnected and without having instructions, it was difcult to understand the purpose of it. I did not want to give direct 155 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Final sketch of the box can be seen below. The colour pallette chosen for the box is as per the colours of the robes of monks. Image on the next page shows the scale of the box. Final box is under construction as per the sketches and the scale shown in the following images. 156 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig 4.14 Scale of the Box CONCLUSION 5 158 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design 5.1 FUTURE SCOPE The artefact is open to interpretation and doesnt have a denite conclusion. It is an attempt to initiate a thought process amongst people. May be later, after receiving various interpretations from users, a denite output can be mapped. Different forms can be given to the artefact which can make it more interactive and interesting. The concept of the artefact can be developed into an installation, which can be put up in a space, covering more area and more aspects on Buddhism. Such artefact or installation can also be developed for various other religions, keeping their values in mind. Future scope of this project will be able to display it in public areas where people can get to know about basic aspects of Buddhism in a simple way. It should be able to create an interest in people that they would like to know more about Buddha and his teachings. 159 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Abiding faith does not depend on borrowed concepts. Rather, it is the magnetic force of a bone-deep, lived understanding, one that draws us to realize our ideals, walk our talk, and act in accord with what we know to be true. - Sharon Salzberg, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience When I questioned myself, whether I believe in god, I found myself not reaching to an answer. From childhood I have been told to pray and be good, as someones watching over me and my actions, and then I get to know about the debate over Gods existence and logical reasoning behind it, it was natural to get shaken up. Not that I am a religious person or a spiritual one, but everyone does leave a few things to God. For my mind to be at peace, I had to draw a conclusion, which I did as per my understanding. All these rituals, religious tools, mention about different gods and their powers are the ways to keep us on track, and be good. It is a belief from which we draw strength, when we are in need. It is not that some super power force will make things right for us, but a faith that in time, we will get strength to handle things in a better way or we will be able to handle situations much better. At the end of the day, it is our instinct, our conscience that decides our actions and this is a learning that I will carry forth from this project. 5.2 EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING When I started with this project, it was the curiosity about sounds and the musical instruments that drew me towards this subject. As I come to the end of this project, it is not just the effect of different sounds and musical instruments I have, but a better insight about having faith. This project inspired me to understand the basic teachings of Buddha in a better way. As I spent more time reading and making meanings out of the innumerable text present on this topic, I couldnt help getting more confused about it. I started questioning my own faith, my beliefs; I started asking questions like How and Why for the various rituals those are followed. And, it very much started from my own family. I asked questions for which elders in the family had no answers to or had answers to which I couldnt relate. The more I read I realized many simple things which can be presented to us in so many complex ways. For example, people can present hundreds of rules or ways for one to behave, whereas just telling one to have right thoughts and right understanding is enough, as these things decide ones actions. A N N E X U R E 6 162 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design Fig. 2.38 http://www.nationsonline.org/ oneworld/Chinese_Customs/8_buddhist_ symbols.htm Fig. 2.39 http://www.vanishingtattoo. com/tattoos_designs_symbols_conch_shell_ buddhist.htm Fig. 2.40 www.thepiazza.org.uk Fig. 2.48 h t t p : / / c d n 3 . v o l u s i o n . com/ymaxg.l fnas/v/vspfi l es/phot os/ kangling32ew-2.jpg?1347512977 Fig. 2.71 Beer, Robert. Encyclopedia of Tibetan symbols and motifs Fig. 3.1 www.mountainsoftravelphotos. com Fig. 4.4 myron.smugmug.com Fig. 4.5 http://www.absolutechinatours. com/china-travel/China-Scholar-Study.html
Fig. 2.22 http://www.tibetology.net/ staff/3contract.html Fig. 2.24 http://shelf3d.com/i/Buddhism Fig. 2.26 http://www.freetibet.org/about/ introduction-to-tibet Fig. 2.27 http://lightworkers.org/wisdom/ julie-miller/186036/ancient-tibetan-bonpo- shamanism www.thephora.net Fig. 2.29 http://tibetanshanga.wordpress. com/2010/09/05/his-holiness-the-17th- karmapa-ogyen-trinley-dorje/ Fig. 2.30 http://speradisole.wordpress. com/2011/07/04/il-dalai-lama-e-gli-uomini- delloccidente/ Fig. 2.32 article.wn.com Fig. 2.35 Beer, Robert. Encyclopedia of Tibetan symbols and motifs IMAGES All images are taken by me unless otherwise specied here. Fig. 1.1 Story of India, Documentary by Michael wood Fig. 2.3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Namgyal_Monastery ht t p: //www. ket t i k. com/ travel/Asia/India/Himachal/Dharamsala/ photos/413 http://www.tibetoday.com/ Tibetans-pray-for-%20late-Arunachal-CM- Tibetan-govt-and-parliament-mourn.htm http://ashok-maurya.blogspot. in/2010/12/trip-to-vaishnodevi-dalhousie- and_11.html Fig. 2.17 http://ickrhivemind.net/Tags/ chandazik/Interesting http://www.klanc.cz/blog/ cestovani?item=165 ht t p: //www. pbase. com/ image/127161378 Fig. 2.18 http://travel-in-home.blogspot. in/2010_04_01_archive.html 163 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds Dhundup, Tsering. A Beginners Guide to the Bon Religion, A Collection of Studies on Bon. N.D Beck, Guy L. Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2006
Kvaerne , Per . The Bon Religion - An Introduction, A Collection of Studies on Bon. N.D N.A, Ritual instruments : The Tools of the Trade, N.D Docmentaries The Story Of India, Directed by Jeremy Jeffs, Based on book by Michael Woods, 2007 Yogis Of Tibet, Directed by Phil and Jo Borack, JEHM Films, 2002 Buddha Educational Foundation Taipei, Taiwan. July 1998 Samuel, Geoffrey. Tantric Revisionings: New Understandings of Tibetan Buddhism and Indian Religion. Motilal Banarsidass; 2005 Murthy, Krishna K. Sculptures of Vajrayana Buddhism. Classics India Publications, 1989 Beer, Robert. Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs. Shambhala Publications Inc., 1999 Bell, Charles. Religion of Tibet. Motilal Banarsidass (2nd edition),1995 Hope, Jane. Introducing Buddha: A Graphic Guide. Faber, 2008 Beer, Robert. The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols. Serindia Publications, Inc., 2003 Clearwaters, Deborah, Robert W. Clark, Sacred Arts of Tibet. 2001 BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Powers, John. A concise introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Snow Lion, 2008 Waddell, L. A. Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism. London : W.H. Allen & Co., 1895 Bapat, P. Y. 2500 years of Buddhism. The Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1956 Sinha, Nirmal C. An Introduction to the History and Religion of Tibet. Himalindia Publications, 1991 Ambedkar, B. R. Buddha and his dhamma. People's Education Society, 1957 Scheidegger, Daniel A. Tibetan ritual music : a general survey with special reference to the Mindroling tradition, Opuscula Tibetana. Fasc. 19, Rikon : Tibet-Institut, 1988 Venerable Narada Mahathera, The Buddha and His teachings. The Corporate Body of the 164 Snehal Somkuwar|New Media Design National Music Museum http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Tibet/TibetNepal. html Tibetan Instruments http://larkinam.com/Tibet.html BUDDHISM IN TIBET http://viewonbuddhism. org/tibet.html Ritual instruments http://www.namgyalmonastery.org/the- rituals/ritual-instruments/ Bon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/ en/archives/study/comparison_buddhist_ traditions/tibetan_traditions/bon_tibetan_ buddhism.html http://www.buddhanet.net/ http://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/ index.php?id=689&lang=en Zla-ba-tshe-ria, Precious Deposits: Historical Relics of Tibet, China, Volume 5, Morning Glory, 2000 Weblinks Buddhist culture and art http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ culture_and_art Tibetan horn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_horn Music of Tibet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Tibet
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Dorje Ngakpa Rig'dzin. Ultimate Gesture, Sacred Hoop, Issue 7, 1994 Yan Zhongyi, Cheng'an Jiang, Wenlei Zheng, 165 Diploma Project|Buddhism Through Sounds BASIC CONCEPTS OF "TIBETAN" BUDDHISM, http://library.brown.edu/cds/ BuddhistTempleArt/buddhism.html BBC Religions, http://www.bbc.co.uk/ religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/ tibetan_1.shtml ht t p: //www. abuddhi s t l i br ar y. com/ Buddhism/A%20-%20Tibetan%20Buddhism/ Subjects/Tantra/Introductory%20essays/ Deities/Deities.htm h t t p: //bu ddh i s m. abou t . c om/od/ basicbuddhistteachings/a/philosophy.htm http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/ qanda03.htm http://www.thedhamma.com/whos_who.htm http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/ budgod.html Snehal Somkuwar somkuwarsnehal@gmail.com|www.snehalsomkuwar.com