ABSTRACT
“Invoking the Spirit of Kindness Through Sound” is a recording of the first section of a Tibetan Buddhist ritual. The vocal chant portion of this recording belongs to a category of Tibetan Buddhist chant called dbyangs, a Tibetan word that is translated “vowel” (Ellingson 1979:112–156). The system used to notate the melodies of dbyangs chant dates back to the sixth century CE. This graphic notation indicates intonation (pitch) levels and other instructions, including the spirit in which the chant should be sung, how the voice should be modified, etc. However, dbyangs notation does not indicate rhythmic duration. The example below dates from the nineteenth century CE; please note that it is not the notation for the chant portion of the Gateway 4 recording, but rather a representative sample of dbyangs notation.
