The Living Journal - The Sound of The Heavenly Melodies

The journal today is about Tibetan religious musical instrument, the Tibetan’s white conch shell. It's widely known as the sound of the heavenly melodies. In Vajrayana tradition, we offerings  religious music to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the enlightened beings during the ritual and other prayer practices.

The Buddhas, enlightened beings they do not requiring these kinds of music offerings. We make these offerings is for accumulation of merits and wisdoms, enlightenment, Buddha hood, is achieved through these great qualities - accumulation and purifications. As we knew the Buddhas had limitless of qualities which were attained through these two mentioned qualities.

“Dung-Dkar” literally means “white conch” in Tibetan language, because most of the trumpet made of white conch shell. Most Tibetan Dung-Dkar trumpet was made of conch shell; sometimes you can see some natural inclusions in the conch shell. Most of the Dung-Dkar trumpet is heavily decorated with ornate patterns in metals, such as silver, bronze or tin. Some beautiful stones will add on it, such as ruby, sapphire and so on. 

Dung-Dkar trumpet has a bright bead; someone even was inserted with beautiful turquoise and coral. When you blow through the mouthpiece on one end, the sound will be created, and it sounds like a trumpet, companioning music sheds long ago, it seems takes you to somewhere beyond the highest Himalaya peak.

Throughout recorded history, the Dung-Dkar has been used as a religious musical instrument, Tibetan people believe that it can invoke spirits or banish evil which is said to represent good energy. It is really a rare artwork and worth collecting for those people who interested in Tibetan culture! Explore Tibet offers you the most sincere invitation to Tibet.

There are different types of instruments, cymbals, bells, guitars, lutes, all are for offerings. Their nature is wisdom, which makes an offering to the ears of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings. Sound represents wisdom because wisdom is a special power of the mind which penetrates phenomena. Compassion is achieved through great wisdom; interdependence of all phenomena is realized through great wisdom.

All phenomena have the nature of interdependence, causes and conditions, but sound is rather easy to understand. If you play a guitar, what does the sound depend on? It does not come just from the piece of wood, the string, not from the fingers, so where does it come from? Actually it comes from all these things; none is sufficient to produce the sound. That nature is called illusion.

We can hear the sound, but it has no independent existence. We should see all sound are having the nature, it just comes and goes like an echo. The realization is wisdom, and through that realization we can attain super mundane quality. 

May the wisdom, that quality of the super mundane, arise within the minds of all sentient beings and free them from all confusion and ignorance. May them achieve enlightenment. In one’s future lives one will be born with beautiful voice and always hear pleasant sound, especially the sound of Dharma.

Thank you for reading , may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps spread the Buddha's precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world. 

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

May the precious Bodhichitta arise

Where it has not arisen

And where it has arisen may it not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note*
I do not own or infringe any copyright of these photos.

Photos courtesy and credit to the rightful owners.