Tibet: Ritual Traditions of the Bonpos

TIBET: TRADITIONS RITUELLES DES BONPOS

Bon is considered to be the ensemble of pre-Buddhist beliefs of the Tibetans; it embodies a vast mass of ritual practices bearing on exorcism, divination and the appeasement of wrathful divinities, and elaborate teachings for spiritual realisation –which place Bon among the great mystico-philosophical systems of the world despite its relatively small number of followers. These recordings illustrate various facets of the religious activities of the Bonpos through their chant and their psalmodic recitation. They intend to bring to a wider audience the musical aspects of a ritual tradition that is largely unknown to the Western World and has remained obscure to the Tibetan themselves.

The rituals here are based in chants whose repetitive simplicity makes a perfect background for meditation. You will go – as I did – into a trance, out of which the final track will wake you with its exultant cymbals, pipes slowly ascending in unison, a grainy bass horn, and the regular thud of a drum, all combining to create a wonderful feeling of release.
BBC Music Magazine - March 2021 *****