Tibetan Ritual Music

This ritual music was performed by the monks of the Drepung-Loseling Monastery. There are three parts: Nyen-sen (Invoking the Spirit of Goodness), Kha-dro Ten-zhug (The Longevity Dance of the Space Beings), and Deng-kar Dor-je (Offering of the White Diamond Throne).

The Drepung Monastery was established near Lhasa, Tibet in 1416. At one time it was the home of more than 10,000 monks. The Drepung Monastery was also important historically because it was the place of training for the Dalai Lamas. At the time of the Chinese invastion of Tibet in 1959, the population of the monastery was about 8,000. Of these, some 7,500 were either killed or sent to concentration camps. Only about 500 were able to escape to India. Of the eight lamas heard on this recording, three were of that group.

The recording opens with the traditional 12-foot long horns (dung-chen) which are common to Tibetan ritual music. Also heard are cymbals, bells, and other trumpets.

At about 6:48 the "Dance of the Space Beings" (so called because the dancers represent beings not of this world) is heard. Each dancer represents a color of the rainbow and they sing of the shortcomings of this world and they invite the wise to join them in their travels to other worlds, though they beg the monks not to leave, but, rather, to remain and use their wisdom to enlighten the world.

The last section (at about 14:15) is the "Offering of the White Diamond Throne" (or the wisdom throne). It is a song that prays for wisdom and goodness to be the guiding forces of the planet until the end of time. The wise ones agree to remain in this world and the diamond throne is offered to them.