Spreading Love and Joy through Buddhist Chants

By LIJIA TSERING

THERE is a kind of music that is natural， healing， and melodious. Listeners can gain spiritual edification and release the pressure in their soul by listening to its songs and chants. Its roots extend back to ages ago， yet still lingering with us today. It is Buddhist mantras.

Birth of a New Music Style

This type of music， originally a medium of praying for blessings， has now gained national recognition as a national intangible cultural heritage. Four years ago in September 2017， five young people from Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region founded a band named Tuo Le. They combined folk music with Buddhist chants to create a new music genre which is written in the form of Tibetan Buddhist praying. It is beautiful， soothing， and relaxing.

Tuo Les band members include two Tibetan women， who are twin sisters， and three Tibetan men. During the performance， they sing gentle melodies that come from the faraway QinghaiTibet Plateau. For their performances， they use neither complicated instruments nor multifarious stage effects. What lingers in the hearts of the audience is only the melodious music of their gentle singing accompanied by musical instruments. Audiences sit enraptured during every performance， while being carried away by the music to the snow-capped land of Tibet.

The music Tuo Le produces originated from a music form of Tibetan Buddhist chanting. The five band members Tsewang， Rinchen， Zhade， Tseji， and Limao all studied under the tutelage of Sonam Drolma， a national inheritor of the Tibetan Buddhist chants.

In September 2017， the bands debut performance was held in Kunming， Yunnan Province. The tension of that first performance still remains fresh in the minds of each band member to date. Despite their previous rich stage experience， they were still nervous about how the new musical genre and expression would be received by the audience.

“Even though traditional Tibetan music has many forms of expression， this still is a new attempt and bold breakthrough to bring the recitative Tibetan chanting to the inland stage，” said Sonam Drolma， chief planner of the band. “‘Tuo means the rhyme of songs in the Tang Dynasty （618-907） and ‘Le means happiness. Spreading love and happiness through music is not only our goal but also our mission.” She has great confidence in the five band members and their music.

Indeed， the band members are always touched by the responses of their audiences during their performances ranging from tears to smiles. They are overwhelmed again and again by the natural flow of emotions between audiences and themselves.

Love for Tibetan Culture and Music

Before setting up Tuo Le， each member had their own bands. Though not trained as musical professionals， they were all pursuing their music dreams relying on their own talents and what they have gained from the environment in which they grew up.

“In the past， each of us was involved in different bands， and mainly played popular music. As a child， we all heard a lot of old men chanting sutras in our hometowns， but none thought of it as a kind of music. To young people who only wanted to go out of the mountains to the bigger world， the chanting was not at all attractive，” said Tsewang， the band leader.

Over time， they gradually changed their minds. As the central government has increased support for the protection of intangible cultural heritage of ethnic minorities， this traditional Tibetan music form has been injected with new vitality. Its primitive， pleas- ant， and elegant tunes attracted the attention of the five band members.

“As I grew older， I become more and more attracted to this unique singing style. In order to share this quiet， peaceful， and healing music with more people， we founded Tuo Le，” Tsewang said.

“We were lucky to encounter Sonam Drolma， who then became our teacher， and we also feel lucky to have each other. Living in a country where you could spread love and joy through music to help others relax is a blessing，” said Tseji and Limao， who are twin sisters. The two of them enjoy the experience of making and sharing music in the band.

Facing Challenges Together

In the early days of the band， the five members encountered many difficulties. Language barriers and lack of knowledge in basic music theory stood in their way of making good quality music. To solve various problems， they studied music beginning with the basic theories and worked hard to become qualified ambassadors of Tibetan music.

“Though we all have a similar understanding of Tibetan music， inevitably differences arise between us as band members when it comes to the creation of a new song. When disputes arise， we use the method of voting to settle them. After deciding on the final plan， we practice our music again and again in order to present the best performance we can，” said Rinchen， the bands percussionist， who believed that properly resolving differences is the key to guaranteeing the bands success.

“What weve been exploring is how to present traditional musical elements in a modern way. After much practicing， we finally decided to hit the heart of listeners with the simplest yet still charming elements，” said Zhade， songwriter and guitarist of the band， who firmly believed that the shared understanding of music and collective mission of his fellow band members would lead to good music.

Since its inception， Tuo Le has given more than 100 performances at home and abroad， and every performance was warmly received by audience. Their music brings listeners back to nature at once， creating a place where pure love and joy permeate. Everyone is enthralled with the music.

Tian Qing， a famous Chinese musician and expert on intangible cultural heritage， affirmed their achievements in protecting the cultural inheritance of Tibetan music and encouraged them to share it with the whole world.

“The band uses zha nian [a six-stringed vertical fiddle]， supplemented by guitars and drums. The singers do not apply too many techniques to their singing style. On the stage， the five members perform in a manner that totally immerses the audience in their music， enabling them to feel the emotions delivered through the music，” said their teacher Sonam Drolma， who loves the band as a mother loves her children.

Their efforts have gradually gained them much popularity. They have won many honors such as the title of cultural ambassador from the second Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Spring Festival held by China Central Television （CCTV）. But beyond all this glamor and honor lies their initial dreams. Sonam Drolma said， “Honors and fame are the recognition we get from our audience， but our goal is to help people enjoy Tibetan music. We hope to share the love and joy of China with other countries around the world.”

In 2020， the band dedicated an original song“Kindness of the Earth” to medical workers who fought the epidemic in the city of Wuhan. The song is a praise of humans protection of the earth， and all the people who have helped each other in the face of the global pandemic. The lyrics are as follows：

Between heaven and earth，

Rivers and seas rise and fall，

Flowers grow and wither on the warm earth；

Between heaven and earth，

My love goes to you and yours to me，

The world is at peace on the warm earth.