Description
Kangling literally translated as “leg” (kang) “flute” (ling), is the Tibetan name for a trumpet or horn made out of a human tibia or femur. The instrument is used in Tibetan Buddhism for various chöd rituals as well as funerals performed by a chöpa. The leg bone of a criminal or a person who died a violent death is preferred, alternatively, the leg bone of a respected teacher may also be used. The kangling should only be used in chöd rituals performed outdoors with the chöd damaru and bell. In Tantric chöd practice, the practitioner, motivated by compassion, plays the kangling as a gesture of fearlessness, to summon hungry spirits and demons so that she or he may satisfy their hunger and thereby relieve their sufferings. It is also played as a way of “cutting off” of the ego.
