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Living Bells: Turning Phones and Red Lights into Calls to Mindfulness
Every time you hear the bell of mindfulness—whether a temple bell, a telephone ring, a clock chime or a red traffic light—you stop thinking and speaking, return to the in-breath and out-breath, and listen deeply as if the Buddha’s voice were calling you home to peace, stability and freedom. In Plum Village this practice extends to telephone meditation, using a four-line gatha to guide two breaths before dialing and pausing for at least five ring-breaths before answering, all with a calm smile and loving speech.
Ordinary sounds and sights become sacred reminders: the Québec license-plate motto Je me souviens prompts mindful breathing and smiling while driving; the kitchen becomes an altar as you chop vegetables with each movement synchronized to your breath; every quarter-hour clock melody and every red light invites a pause to enjoy the here and now.
Taking refuge in the Sangha and the Dharma provides the strong, loving arms of community and practice that nourish your seed of mindfulness. Walking, sitting, drinking tea or cooking in unity with fellow practitioners generates the energy of mindfulness—the Buddha’s energy—so you can hold and look deeply into your pain, embrace what has not gone wrong yet, and transform suffering into healing and joy.