In 1989, recording artist, David Parsons, traveled to Dharamsala, India to experience the mystical sounds of Tibetan ritual music. He was received by the Dip Tse Chok Ling Monastery School and given permission to incorporate his DAT recordings of their rituals into his 1990 album of original music, Yatra (18072-2). In return for the monks' kindness, Parsons decided to release selected ceremonial performances in their original state. The results were presented in 1990 on Fortuna's release, Sacred Ceremonies: Ritual Music from Tibetan Buddhism (17074-2).When Parsons returned to Dharamsala in 1990 as a part of a documentary film crew, he found that the Dip Tse Chok Ling monks had been practicing for another album. He was amazed at the difference between the two recording sessions. "The first time, they didn't understand why anyone would want to listen to what they did," Parsons recalls. "I also had to explain a lot about recording techniques, and we had to keep rearranging the instruments to get a nice stereo image. It took three months to get the right recording. This time, the monks didn't need to be told anything. They set up completely by themselves. I just went down there, turned on the DAT and recorded Sacred Ceremonies 2 in a couple of hours."
Parsons is pleased with the ten selections captured that night. There are the sounds of the conch shell for remembering death, and the invocation of the deities through ritual instruments like the gya ling (Tibetan oboes) and dung chen (twelve-foot metal trumpets). This time, the monks also created a sonic representation of the emanations of Buddha and the great empowerment of Bandruya, Kind of the Universe. "They really got adventurous on this new album," says Parsons. "Most recordings of Tibetan monks are primarily chanting. On the first, Sacred Ceremonies (17074-2), I convinced them to bring out as many instruments as possible. On this second album, they decided to add even more instruments, and it makes for a very exciting listening experience."
Music from Sacred Ceremonies 2 was featured in Heaven & Earth directed by Oliver Stone and Little Buddha directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
