SACRED CEREMONIES 2

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Release Date: 26-10-1998

Label: Celestial Harmonies

Catalog Number: 17079-2

Barcode: 13711707922

Musical Style: Zen

Description:

In 1989, recording artist, David Parsons, traveled to Dharamsala, India to experience the mystical sounds of Tibetan ritual music. He was received by the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery School and given permission to incorporate his DAT recordings of their rituals into his 1990 album of original music, Yatra. In return for the monks' kindness, Parsons decided to release selected ceremonial performances in their original state. The results were presented in 1990 on Fortuna's release, Sacred Ceremonies: Ritual Music from Tibetan Buddhism. When Parsons returned to Dharamsala in 1990 as a part of a documentary film crew, he found that the Dip Tse Chok Ling monks had been practicing for another album. He was amazed at the difference between the two recording sessions. The first time, they didn't understand why anyone would want to listen to what they did,' Parsons recalls. 'I also had to explain a lot about recording techniques and we had to keep rearranging the instruments to get a nice stereo image. It took three months to get the right recording. This time, the monks didn't need to be told anything. They set up completely by themselves. I just went down there, turned on the DAT and recorded Sacred Ceremonies in a couple of hours.' Parsons is pleased with the ten selections captured that night. There are the sounds of the conch shell for remembering death and the invocation of the deities through ritual instruments like the gya ling (Tibetan oboes) and dung chen (twelve–foot metal trumpets). This time, the monks also created a sonic representation of the emanations of Buddha and the great empowerment of Bandruya, Kind of the Universe. 'They really got adventurous on this new album,' says Parsons. 'Most recordings of Tibetan monks are primarily chanting. On the first Sacred Ceremonies, I convinced them to bring out as many instruments as possible. On this second album, they decided to add even more instruments and it makes for a very exciting listening experience.''

Biography:

The Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery was founded in 18th century Tibet by the Venerable Yongzin Yeshi Gyaltsen, tutor to the eighth Dalai Lama. The lineage of the monastery continued until 1959, when Tibet suffered the devastating Lhasa uprising. Together with over 3,000 other practicing monasteries, Dip Tse Chok Ling was razed to the ground. Fortunately, its inmates managed to salvage many religious artifacts and documents and escape with them to Nepal. In 1976, the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery was reestablished in Dharamsala, India, by Lama Tashi and construction began in 1984 on the present day monastery. Lama Tashi lived the remainder of his life there, rebuilding and reestablishing the old way of life. Since his passing in 1992, a stupa (memorial) has been built next to the temple. Today, the monastery continues to house numerous monks and students. Producer David Parsons has explored and field recorded in many remote and war–torn areas of the globe, producing traditional and lost arts music. These series include the critically acclaimed The Music of Vietnam , voted one of the top ten albums for 1995 by The New York Times,The Music of Cambodia , The Music of Armenia and The Music of Islam

Additional Attributes:

Relaxing	Uplifting	Meditative	Exercise	Healing	Chant

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