7 Hundred Years Of Music In Tibet inside

7 HUNDRED yEftRS Of Musie

Tn Tiret

Mnntrns & Cbmits Of The Dniał Lama

THE SINGING NUNS OF CHURCHIKJAL

Who are these women? The nuns of Chuchikjall are mostly from Tibet and neighboring villages. Most women are chosen by their families to become nuns and are ordained in their early teens before they build their own meditation celi on the cliff (with the help of family members).

In the second month (March), they spend a week or morę reading and chanting the entire “Perfection of Wisdom” text which represents the core of the Buddha’s teachings. The merit gained from these and other rituals is dedicated to the ultimate enlightenment and the cessation of suffering among all sentient beings. The nun’s ritual calendar culminates in the “Great Prayer Festival” (Smon Lam Chenmo) which is held in the fourth Tibetan month (May). This is the time of the Buddha's birth, death, and enlightenment.

THE BUDDHIST MONKS OF MAITRI VIHAR MONASTERY

Swoyambu Nath-located on the top of a smali hill near Kathmandu-is an important place of buddhistic pilgrimage. About fifty monks are living in the buddhistic monastery Maitri Vihar, which is located at the foot of the hill. The buddhistic monks come from Tibet. Inside the beautifully decorated gompa-the temple-the monks celebrate their prayers from the early morning until nighttime. On this CD you can hear mantras with deep voice singing, chants and prayers.

An important job of the monks in the monastery is the education of the young monks. At the age of five the young boys join the monastery to visit the school. When the monks are grown up they have to decide to stay with the community or to leave the monastery.

CD 452