Music plays an integral role in Tantric Buddhism, seen as a means to transform the whole stream of being into illumined awareness. The Sangwa Düpa tantra, which is concerned with discovering the self-existing sacredness of the universe and always performed a cappella, is chanted here by 40 lamas and monks of the Gyütö Tantric College. It is paired with the Mahakala tantra, chanted with musical accompaniment by 12 lamas and monks.
Music plays an integral role in Tantric Buddhism, seen as a means to transform the whole stream of being into illumined awareness. Chanting, such as that heard on this recording, is recognized as a powerful medium for inward transformation, since it is a dynamic form of meditation.
The Sangwa Düpa tantra, which is concerned with discovering the self-existing sacredness of the universe and always performed a cappella, is chanted here by 40 lamas and monks of the Gyütö Tantric College. It is paired with the Mahakala tantra, chanted with musical accompaniment by 12 lamas and monks.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Recorded by David Lewiston in 1972 at Gyütö Tantric College in Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, India
Field Assistant: Sarah B. Larrabee
Tape editing: Ben Taylor
Mastering by Robert C. Ludwig (Masterdisk Corp.)
Coordinator: Teresa Sterne
Cover illustration: Detail of a t'anka of Sangwa Düpa from the collection of the Gyütö Tantric College
Originally released on CD on June 15, 1988. Reissued on October 4, 2011.
79198
MUSICIANS
Lamas and monks of the Gyütö Tantric College
