Footnotes

Footnotes:

1. Dalai Lama literally means "Ocean of Wisdom." He is the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. The Dalai Lama is a God King, being the physical manifestation of Avalokitesvara (Tibetan: Chenrezig), God of Compassion. The present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyaltso, is the 14th incarnation.

2. According to the Tibetan Mahayana tradition, there have been many Buddhas in the past, and many more to come in the future. The next coming Buddha is known as "Maitreya". It is interesting to note that one translation of the name Maitreya is "harmonic resonance"!

3. According to Tibetan sources singing bowls are reputed to be made of an alloy consisting of (depending upon who one is talking to) five, seven, or nine different metals. Legends state that one of these metals is meteorite iron. It has been hypothesized that this use of meteorite iron may be one of the reasons why Tibetan bells have such amazing sounds. As the meteorites found in Tibet have traveled through a thinner layer of oxygen there would have been less burn-up of the meteorite iron, hence the meteorites found there may have a quality different than any others found in the world.

4. Before this interview, Lama Leshe stated that he had seen over four thousand monks at one time playing singing bell bowls during a religious ceremony at Drepung Monastery.

5. This refers to the Tibetan custom of offering water placed in seven bowls on the alter each morning. This is done both in monasteries and in homes, as each household has it's own alter. Although it is conceivable that small singing bowls could be used for water offerings, the traditional shape of water offering bowls is much different than that of any singing bowl.

6. While doing research throughout the Himalayas over the last nine years have also asked many Nepalese about the usage of singing bell bowls. A number of times the persons questioned have stated that these bowls were used as eating bowls. It seems that the Nepalese not knowing of the Tibetan traditional usage of the bowls, as instruments for producing sound, simple put them to use as utilitarian objects.

7. According to Henry Wolf. See album notes, TIBETAN BELLS II, by Henry Wolf and Nancy Hennings, ©1979, Pacific Arts Records.

8. This refers to the usage of hand and body gestures (Sanskrit: mudra) symbolic of different Dharma concepts. This is similar to using sign language.

9. Dharmachakra means "the wheel of the Law". This refers to the first teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha (see Four Noble Truths) at which time he put the wheel (chakra) of the law (Dharma) into motion.

10. Hidden texts are one of the eighteen types of hidden treasure (Tib. derma) which Padmasambhava is said to have hidden inside caves, mountains, etc. These texts contain valuable teachings and information which were hidden in order to preserve them for a future time when they would be needed.