Search - Tibet :: Tibet: Buddhist Chant I

Incredible Example of Tibetian Buddhist Chanting

Lesley M. Schultz | Oakland, CA United States | 10/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I can respect the previous reviewer's saying that the audio quality is uneven, with the voices of the monks coming in often less clear than the instruments, for that is true. However, I didn't find this deficiency any great distraction. Listening to this recording is still an amazing experience. The chanting starts out slow, then gets faster, with a a long sequence of repetitions of the sutra, and then the instruments break in. As the chanting gets more intense, the intervals between the chanting and the instrumentals get shorter and shorter. When the instruments start, it absolutely transports you into another dimension. As the chant goes on, the intervals in between the chanting and the instruments get shorter and shorter. Your head starts to move back in forth in time with the chant. You get drawn in deeper and deeper. You can almost chant along with the fifty monks, even though you don't know the words. You're journing inwards, not upwards, like in the beautiful and marvellous "Chant" albums that were very popular a few years back. That wonderful chanting was intended to lift you higher. This chanting draws you within more deeply. Soon you realize that you're going into the same place, spiritually, as both within and without are Divine. This chant is part of the Buddhist ritual for the dead, to help the dead to leave this earthly plane and move into the higher dimensions of being. You can almost go there yourself, if you want to, listening to this music. It's absolutely shattering. I highly recommend it for all kinds of audiences, as it is also a valuable tool is understanding the beliefs of other cultures and appreciating their power and beauty."

Sound quality not so hot.

Lesley M. Schultz | 04/09/1999

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Alternates between inaudible mumbling and deafening blast of a horn. I found my self continually turning the volume up and down."

Excellent content for those interested in Bhuddist chants

Lesley M. Schultz | 06/27/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For anyone interested in Bhuddist chants with otherworldly instrumental accompaniment, this recording fills the bill. This is the real thing, too, having been recorded live, not a studio rendering. While the live aspect may be one of this recordings strength's, it is also the source of it's one weakness, that being the apparent difficulty in getting the same recording level on the chanting as there is on the instruments; the instruments come through much better. A solid choice in an uncrowded field though."