Fascinating and mystical ritual Chod drum, beautifully decorated with colourful tassel and fringes, which produces a perfect balanced sound. Easy to roll up and store in the accompanying brocade cover. Excellent quality wooden ritual drum with leather cover. The exact pitch and sound of the drum varies depending on conditions of dampness, temperature and so on.
Played slowly, and methodically, the droning of the drum accompanies the haunting melodies and chants of the Buddhist Chöd ritual, as of which are accompaniments for the inner meditations and visualisations that are at the heart of this spiritual practice.
Symbolism of the Ritual Drum
In Buddhist philosofy, sound is considered to be a symbol of emptiness, shunyata. The shape of the damaru takes its roots in ancient India – where one side of the drum is seen to represent the male energy of method, and the other represents the female energy of wisdom. The two sides of the drum joined together, also represent relative and ultimate Bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment.
In the Tantric Buddhist Chod ritual, the drum instructs and reminds us of impermanence as the sound summons forth the female deities called Dakinis. Another interpretation of the sound suggests that the drum depicts the powers of the rhythm of the heart beat.
In Hinduism, especially by Shiva devotees, it is believed that the beating of a ritual drum by Shiva produced the very first sound (nada). This first sound was made in the void of nothingness. Shiva began His dance of creation to the rhythm of the Drum. From His dance, the world came into being.
