Every time we hear the bell, we stop talking, we stop thinking, we just enjoy our in-breath and our out-breath for three times. The sound of the bell is like the voice of the Buddha from within us calling us back to our true home. There is a Buddha inside of every one of us. And that is the capacity to understand, to love, to be peaceful.

Every time we hear the bell, we stop talking, we stop thinking, we pay attention to our in-breath. We breathe in and we say: “I listen, I listen.” And we breathe out, we say: “This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home.” My true home is here. My true home is not in the past or in the future. My true home is here and now where life is available.

Breathing in, I bring my mind back to my body and I establish myself in the here and the now. And if we are truly in the here and the now, we can get in touch with many wonders of life that are within and around. There are so many refreshing, nourishing, and healing elements available in the here and the now that we can get in touch with. And being in the here and the now, we can have also an opportunity to take care of our suffering, our difficulties.

So during the whole retreat, we listen to the bell like we listen to the Buddha in order to go home to the here and the now. If we know how to listen deeply, then the sound of the bell can penetrate into every cell of our body and touch off the energy of peace and compassion inside. Listening deeply means you invite all the cells in your body to join you in listening.