Mantra chanting may still be a relatively unfamiliar concept to many Vietnamese audiences, even though countless people have listened to and embraced this stream of sacred sound for decades.
Sound Healing World (SHW) – Sound Healing World Company Limited – is the first organization in Vietnam to present mantra chanting to the public through a professionally produced live concert.
When speaking of Sanskrit mantra chanting, Ani Choying Drolma stands as an iconic and pioneering figure. Yet everything begins with the natural current of mantra that has always lived within her.
Ani Choying Drolma is a Buddhist nun and practitioner who once led chanting ceremonies at Nagi Gompa Nunnery, nestled within a forest on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. There, she served in the role of an “Umze” – the person who guides and leads communal chanting.
Ani Choying does not regard what she offers simply as singing, nor does she define herself merely as a singer. At heart, she remains a mantra chanter – one who carries the sound of sacred seed syllables and allows them to awaken seeds of awareness through vibration and the faculty of listening.
Mantra chanting is not confined to any single faith, nor does it recognize borders. Across peoples, cultures and lands throughout the world, sentient beings have created forms of chanting that carry their own distinct tonal colours and expressions.
Whether Sanskrit mantras are heard among the snow-covered Himalayan ranges, within Vajrayana monasteries, across remote valleys or inside the meditation caves of yogis, they remain sounds that plant seeds beyond the boundaries of language.
Mantra chanting can be understood as an echo of the primordial sound of the universe. The sacred syllable OM, formed through the three sounds A–U–M, is often regarded as an original, pure and elemental vibration.
A live mantra chanting concert, therefore, is far more than a musical performance. It is a sound arising from the depths of consciousness – a sound that does not belong to the chanter alone.
Within that concert space, every member of the audience becomes part of the chanting.
