Chant of monks
It is a sound which can only be heard in the monasteries and hermitages of Tibet, the chant of the monks and the spontaneous chants of the yogis, steeped in clarity and devotion. Wish-fulfilling prayers and mantras - unique, precious and ancient. However, it is also a sound which is in danger of being lost forever because it is predominated more and more by the quacking of modern age, by Chinese pop music and propaganda. As with many things from the world's rooftop, this way of chanting is threatened by systematic destruction.
Now a German has recorded and interpreted the Tibetan Dharma Chants in a new way - to preserve them. With her CD "Jewels of Great Joy" Munich resident Amrit Stein has arranged this collection of slow, meditative-like melodies which date back to some extent as far as 800 years ago. The outcome is much more than the commonly expected Tibet sound.
The yoga teacher and dancer has been practicing Buddhism since 1979 and also lived in India and Japan for 14 years. She sings in Tibetan and is accompanied by ritual instruments as well as the horse-head violin (piwang) played by Swiss resident and musician Tsering Topten Nelung. For her CD, Amrit Stein has been nominated at the Tibetan Music Awards in the category of "best international artist for Tibet".
Part of the proceeds goes to the nuns of Nangchen who, in this remote area of Eastern Tibet, exercise ancient rituals and yoga practices. Ever since the nuns returned back in 1980 to their monasteries, destroyed by the Chinese, in order to rebuild them, they have been dwelling in shelters of mud and stone which rarely endure a hard winter. The nuns have no medical care; no reading glasses, but a faith that helps them to keep a tradition alive which without them would already have been lost. Written by Ricarda Solms
Stein/Nelung "Jewels of Great Joy"
Inner Worlds Music (USA)
Windpferd Publication (Germany)