“Sounds of Buddhism” brings the #Trànsits 24-25 programme to a close with a whole host of activities at the Monastery of Pedralbes
The third edition of #Trànsits concludes with a different format that extends over three days from 22 to 24 May. In this case, the usual organisers of the programme, the Museu de la Música de Barcelona, and the Religious Affairs Office (OAR), have teamed up with the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities (CCEB), the Casa Àsia and the Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes to offer a programme that invites participants to learn more about the conception of sound and music in Buddhism, through an extensive programme of activities.
THE FULL PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES CAN BE FOUND HERE!
THE #TRÀNSITS PROGRAMME
The programme “Trànsits, les músiques de l’esperit” [Transitions: music of the spirit] , co-organised by the Museu de la Música de Barcelona and Barcelona City Council’s Religious Affairs Office (OAR), continues its commitment to a plural and intercultural vision that seeks to showcase the historical connection between music, spirituality, and the cultural and religious practices of the different communities living together in the city. Teaming up for this final session are the Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes, the Casa Àsia and the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities (CCEB).
In the “Trànsits” programme, spirituality becomes a gateway for fostering intercultural dialogue through music. Activities such as this one aim not only to raise awareness of this plurality among the public, but also to enhance its value. Religious traditions also contribute to enriching the city culturally. In this case, through music. “Trànsits, les músiques de l’esperit” [Transitions: music of the spirit] is a meeting place and a space for debate, knowledge and enjoyment, allowing the public to become more aware of how music plays a role in shaping collective identities. The third edition of Trànsits concludes with a three-day programme of activities around Buddhism and its different spiritual traditions.
A PLACE OF SPIRITUALITY: THE REIAL MONESTIR DE SANTA MARIA DE PEDRALBES
The Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes, like many other monasteries, including Buddhist monasteries, is a place of collective and individual spirituality, and is a space for finding inner peace, which is also shared by Buddhism. So, “Sounds of Buddhism” invites members of the public to participate in an experience of spiritual deepening and sound awakening in a privileged historical setting in the city.
Casa Àsia and the CCEB will be contributing to these three activity-packed days at the monastery, bringing their knowledge and expertise, and will also be contributing to a programme that reflects some of the different branches of Buddhism and different formats of music, practise and meditation.
A THREE-DAY PROGRAMME PACKED FULL OF ACTIVITIES!
The Trànsits programme is usually formed of sessions that are split into a prior conversation and a celebration (either a ritual, liturgy or a concert), where music and sound play a prominent role. This final session breaks away from this format. Between Thursday 22 and Saturday 24 May, the monastery will present a programme of concerts, lectures, talks, meditations and workshops that will offer participants the chance to immerse themselves in the soundscapes of different currents of Buddhism through a range of activities. Over the course of the three-day event, spaces for reflection will be combined with more participative and experiential activities, and not forgetting the music, meditation and recitation of this religious and spiritual tradition.
Also, on these days, participants will have the chance to attend the celebration of Vesak, a Buddhist festival that commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddharta Gautama, known as Buddha. This celebration will enable visitors to experience first-hand the meditation of various Buddhist traditions and liturgical chanting through workshops, and to take part in discussions and talks on related issues. Different Buddhist traditions around the world celebrate the festival of Vesak in very different ways. However, most of them include common elements like cleaning, illuminating and decorating temples, and chants and hymns that recall the words of Buddha, and have a marked solidarity nature, supporting the people most in need. Although festive customs differ from one country to another, light is an element that always plays a central role in this festival.
This three-day event includes a full programme of activities which you can see HERE. Highlights include:
- 22/05. A shakuhachi CONCERT, featuring Kakizakai Kaoru, the internationally renowned Japanese performer and teacher of the shakuhachi, and specialist in the honkyoku repertoire. The shakuhachi is a bamboo flute used by Japanese zen komusō monks in the practise of suizen or “blowing meditation”. The shakuhachi is a bamboo flute used by Japanese zen komusō monks in the practise of suizen or “blowing meditation”. The repertoire to be performed at this concert, known as honkyoku, has its own distinctive sound.
- 23/05. TALK “Vesak: commemorating the life of Buddha”, led by Agustí Pàniker, researcher and writer specialising in South Asia, and director of the publishing house Kairós, and moderated by Glòria Puig Kowerdowicz, president of the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities (CCEB) and member of Sakyadhita Spain. The writer and thinker Agustí Pàniker offers a didactic approach to the figure of Buddha and the events that Vesak commemorates: birth, awakening and parinirvana.
- 24/05. CONVERSATION-TALK “Sound, music and senses in Buddhism” with lama Ngawang Norbu, from Casa Virupa; Elisabeth Serrano Ferré, frrom Soka Gakkai, and Ngagmo Ngawang Dëter, from Sangha Activa. Moderated by Horacio Curti. What is the role of sound and music in Buddhism? They will explore how these dimensions manifest in rituals, meditations and the everyday life of different traditions.
- 24/05. “Shōmyō WORKSHOP: Buddhist liturgical chanting”, led by Junko Ueda, internationally renowned singer and performer of satsuma biwa who specialises both in epic storytelling and shōmyō Buddhist chant (Japanese liturgical chant with medieval origins, linked to Buddhism). He will work on the vocalisation techniques of this tradition, paying attention to breathing, posture and bodily presence.
- 24/05. Satsuma Biwa CONCERT, with Junko Ueda. The biwa is a Japanese lute linked to the oral narrative traditions of feudal Japan. This traditional repertoire incorporates themes and values that are central to Buddhism such as recognition of impermanence, the transience of all things, and the suffering arising from attachment.
INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
- DAY: From 22 to 24 May 2025
- VENUE: Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes (baixada del Monestir, 9)
- HOW TO GET THERE
- By public transport:
- FGC: L12. (Reina Elisenda)
- Metro: Maria Cristina, Palau Reial (L3)
- Bus: H4, V5, 63, 68, 75 and 78
- By car: Exit 9 on Ronda de Dalt
- By public transport:
- REGISTRATION: Some of the activities are free to access until capacity is reached, while for others prior booking is required.