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Bell Masters and Impermanence
You sit upright, solid like a mountain—beginning in half lotus and, when ready, full lotus—and practice sitting meditation even for one or two minutes. Children organize circles of five to fifteen, choose a leader who becomes bell master, and use a small bell and “bell inviter.” Smiling relaxes the face; breathing in you say “in,” breathing out “out”—that is mindful breathing. The bell sequence is:
- a half-sound to give everyone time to prepare (at least one in-breath calming, one out-breath smiling)
- three full sounds, each followed by three mindful breaths (in = calm, out = smile)
- after two or three minutes of silent sitting, a half-sound and one full sound to end.
Thay then tells of a Dharma drama on impermanence and no-self: a newlywed asked, “Are you the same person I married yesterday?” and answered, “Although I’m not the same person, I’m not another person.” Looking into the five skandhas—form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness—we see everything flows. True freedom comes not from the idea of impermanence but from the insight of impermanence: training daily to breathe mindfully, visualizing yourself and your beloved 300 years hence, touching the reality of change, and thus liberating anger and cherishing each present moment.
