The Cham Dance, associated with some sects of Buddhism, is a lively dance which employs dancers wearing masks and ornamented costumes. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan instruments. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The dances often offer moral instruction relating to compassion for sentient beings and are held to bring merit to all who perceive them. A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive subjectively. It is an important concept in the philosophy of Animal rights, in buddhist philosophy and in
This picture is of a Black Hat Dance (shana) which is not generally considered a cham dance. Examples of chams, masked dances, can be seen at http://englander-workshops.com/gallery.php?gid=6
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Nomenclature and etymology
Cham may also be orthographically represented as tscham.
Cham Dance as morality play and mystery rite
Padmasambhava
The dances also often depict incidents from the life of Padmasambhava, the 9th century Nyingmapa teacher and other saints. Padmasambhava () The Lotus Born, is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug) [1]
Cham Dance of the Council of Samye held in Kum-Bum Dshamba Ling
The great debate of the 'Council of Samye' or 'Council of Llasa' between the two principal debators or dialecticians, Mo Ho Yen and Kamalaśīla is narrated and depicted in a specific Cham Dance once held annually at Kum-Bum Dshamba Ling, Tibet. The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa ( is the first Buddhist Monastery built in Tibet, constructed in approximately 775 AD under Heshang Moheyan (和尚摩訶衍 Wade-Giles: Ho-shang Mo-ho-yen; Héshang Móhēyǎn or Hvashang Moheyan in Tibetan sources was a late eighth [2]
Meditative rite and offering
Chams are considered to be a form of meditation, and an offering to the Gods. The leader of the cham is typically a musician, keeping time using some percussion instrument like cymbals, the one exception being Dramyin Cham - where time is kept using dramyin. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their Dramyin Cham ( Dzongkha: Dramnyen Cham) is a form of Cham dance - a masked and costumed dance performed in Tibetan Buddhism ceremonies in For the article about the band see Dramyin For the related dance see Dramyin Cham, and for the related style of song see Dramyin Choeshay [1]
Localities
Bhutan
In Bhutan, the dances are performed during an annual religious festival known as Tsechu, which is held in each district. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community Tsechu (literally "day ten" are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or Dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the Only monks or male members of the Royal Academy of Performing Arts are allowed to perform a Cham dance in Bhutan. [1]
Tibet
Cham dances are considered illegal in Tibet by the governing body of the Peoples Republic of China. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES
See also
References
- ^ a b c Dancing on the demon's back: the dramnyen dance and song of Bhutan, by Elaine Dobson, John Blacking Symposium: Music Culture and Society, Callaway Centre, University of Western Australia, July 2003
- ^ Roccasalvo, Joseph F. Chöd (Sanskrit ccheda-sadhana, Tibetan gChod sgrub thabs) is a Tantric ritual practice primarily found in Tibetan Buddhism. The Nechung Oracle is the State Oracle of Tibet. The medium of the State Oracle currently resides with the current Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Trance denotes a variety of processes techniques modalities and states of mind awareness and consciousness (1980). 'The debate at bsam yas: religious contrast and correspondence. ' Philosphy East and West 30:4 (October,1980). The University of Press of Hawaii. Pp. 505-520. Source: [1] (accessed: December 17, 2007)
Further information
- Pearlman, Ellen (2002). Tibetan Sacred Dance: a journey into the religious and folk traditions. Rochester, Vermont, USA: Inner Traditions. ISBN 0-89281-918-0
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