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Inviting the Bell: Family Mindfulness and Breath Practice with Children
In Plum Village, walking meditation with children brings “freshness” and “innocence,” nourishing both adult and child. The bell is treated as a bodhisattva friend who “helps us to wake up,” so we invite the bell to sound rather than striking it. Even a mini-bell rests on the palm as a lotus-flower cushion: bow, mindful breathing, recite the four-line poem, then proceed.
Mini-bell invitation procedure:
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Bow, hold bell on palm (imagined as a lotus flower), practice two full in-breath/out-breaths with the poem:
• “Body, speech, and mind in perfect oneness…”
• “…I send my heart along with the sound…”
• “…awaken from forgetfulness…”
• “…transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow.” - Offer a half-sound (“inviter” against bell) and allow one in-breath + one out-breath (8–10 sec) for listeners to prepare.
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Offer three full sounds; after each, listeners take three in-breaths/out-breaths with the two-line verses:
• In: “I listen, I really listen (with all my cells).”
• Out: “This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.” - Between sounds, allow extra time for adults to complete their breaths. Lower the bell, bow to it, and the bell-master’s task is complete.
A breathing room at home (a small bell + cushions) allows family members to sit before school or bedtime, or in moments of anger or sadness, to practice listening together and restore peace.
The Sutra on Mindful Breathing offers eight exercises; the first two are:
- Identify your in-breath as in-breath and out-breath as out-breath.
- Follow each in-breath (and each out-breath) from beginning to end without interruption.
