| TIBETAN BUDDHIST RITES FROM THE MONASTERIES OF BHUTAN
Volume 3: Temple Rituals and Public Ceremonies
This volume is dedicated to His Majesty King Jigme Senge Wangchuk.
Recordings, notes and photographs by John Levy. Detailed notes and more photographs are to be found in the enclosed folder.
“ . . . Of the whole enormous area which was once the spirited domain of Tibetan culture and religion . . .now only Bhutan seems to survive as the one resolute and self-contained representative of a fast disappearing civilization.”
To be heard in this third volume are the child’s voice of a little reincarnated lama, the subjugation of an evil spirit, the impressive sound of monks in procession round an altar (madala), playing the portable monastic instruments, recorded live at the annual festival of a Nyingmapa (Old Order) Monastery; other live recordings at an annual festival of sacred dance in another temple in a remote valley, the monks playing their instruments and chanting with an animation heard only on such occasions, while a clown (another monk) takes them off; an elaborate song and dance performed originally by monks who formed the bodyguard of travelling Chief Abbots, with a lute (dramnyen) solo played by one of their number; wandering ascetices (manip) singing mystical poems by Milarepa (1040-1123); solos on a cross-flute and a pair of cymbals struck horizontally. All these unfamiliar sounds, beautiful and often exciting, make up a rich and varied program.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME 3.
Annual Restival, drubchen, Great Tantric Attainment, in Nyingmapa Monastery at Kyichu.
1: Myule Drelwa, Calling Down of deities to subjugate evil spirit; and Kulwa, its death, stabbed by Black Hat.
2: Part of Junbeb, The Coming /down of Grace.
3: Monks in procession playing portable instruments followed by chanting of the Heart-Drop Teaching. Recorded in Thimphu.
4: Dramnyen Choshe, Song of Offering, with lute (dramnyen). Lute solo, followed by chorus, in praise of sons of Bhutan.
5: Dramnyen Choshe, chorus only, Song in Praise of Chinese Silk.
Annual Restival of Sacred Dance, at Jampai Lhakhang (Temple of the Future Buddha in Bumthang Dt., E. Bhutan).
Bands 6,7 and 8: Monks, a clown, crowds and instruments.
Band 9: End of festival, with temple bell, and drums and trumpets.
Bands 10 and 11: Wandering ascetic (manip) chanting a Milarepa poem and a mantra.
Band 12: Cymbals (silnyen) played solo.
Band 13: Cross-flute (zurlim), folk-song from E. Bhutan.
Band 14: Another manip chanting Milarepa poem.
Band 15: First manip as story-teller. |
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