How to Use a Singing Bowl: Strike, Rim, and Listen
A singing bowl is a metal bowl you strike with a mallet or rub around the rim so it rings for a long time, and it is often used for meditation by listening until the sound fades away. Rest the bowl on your open palm, tap the outer side once lightly with the mallet, then hold the mallet against the outside of the rim and circle it at a steady speed. At Hapjang (합장), the online temple Goyosa, you can strike and rim a singing bowl at two spots in the Main Buddha Hall.
- How to play
- Strike · Rub the rim
- Where
- 2 singing bowl spots in the Main Buddha Hall
- Time needed
- No set time. A few rings are enough
- What you need
- Nothing. Earphones help you hear the fading tone
Where do singing bowls come from?
Singing bowls are often introduced as coming from the Himalayan region, and today they are widely used in yoga and meditation. They are not a traditional ritual instrument of Korean mountain temples, so they serve a different role from a temple's great bell or the moktak (wooden percussion block). In Hapjang, the bowl sits in the Dharma hall as a way to gather your attention on a single sound.
Why does my singing bowl rattle or cut out?
- Gripping the bowl with your fingers muffles it. Open your hand flat and let it rest on your palm.
- Rubbing too fast or pressing too hard makes the mallet bounce and rattle. Circle slowly with even pressure and the sound will build.
- Once the sound starts to swell, don't change speed; just keep going.
Listening is the practice
The heart of singing bowl meditation is the listening ear more than the striking hand. If you follow the tail of the sound as it fades rather than its loudest moment, you begin to sense where the sound ends and silence begins. If following your breath feels difficult, holding on to a sound like this may come more easily.
How to play a singing bowl
- Rest the bowl Place the bowl on your open palm or on a cushion, keeping your fingers off its sides.
- Strike once Tap the upper part of the bowl's outer side once, lightly, with the mallet.
- Listen to the end Don't do anything else until the sound has completely disappeared; just listen.
- Touch the rim Hold the mallet upright like a pencil and press it against the outside of the rim.
- Circle the rim Using your whole arm, slowly trace circles around the rim with the same pressure and speed. When the sound builds, keep going as you are.
- Stop and listen Lift the mallet away and stay still until the remaining ring fades out.
Try it in Hapjang
Go up to whichever of the two singing bowl spots in the Main Buddha Hall is free, and you can choose to strike or to rub the rim. Strike once and listen to the fading tone, or rub the rim to draw the sound out longer. The sound is clearest with earphones. There are only two spots, so if someone is using one, wait a moment and then sit down.
Frequently asked questions
Is a singing bowl a Buddhist instrument?
It is a sound instrument said to come from the Himalayan region, not a traditional ritual instrument of Korean temples. Today it is widely used in meditation as something to focus on by sound.
My singing bowl makes a rattling sound when I rub it. Why?
This usually happens when you rub too fast or too hard. Slow down, keep the pressure even, and rest the bowl on your palm instead of gripping it with your fingers.
Do singing bowls have healing effects?
Hapjang presents the singing bowl only as a way to rest while listening to sound. Please don't treat it as a remedy for physical or mental illness, and consult a professional if you need help.
Related pages
- Main Buddha Hall (Daeungjeon) — Sit and Bow OnlineThe Main Buddha Hall is the heart of a Korean temple. In Hapjang, sit on one of 312 cushions to breathe, bow, copy sutras and ring a singing bowl.
- Simple Breathing Meditation: Inhale 4, Exhale 6The easiest meditation: sit and watch your breath. How to start with a 4-second inhale and 6-second exhale, and breathe with others online in Hapjang.
- Dharma Drum, Wooden Fish, Cloud Gong: Temple InstrumentsThe four instruments of a Korean temple and who each sounds for: Dharma drum, wooden fish, cloud gong and bell. Strike them yourself in Hapjang.
- A 5- or 10-Minute Break: How to Rest Your Mind QuicklyFive minutes at work, ten before bed. Short ways to breathe, walk and simply watch at Hapjang, Goyosa, an online temple you open in your browser.
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