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Thay teaching Inviting Bell, Sitting, Chanting
Being a bell master requires spiritual strength, concentration, and stability to ensure the sound of the bell has quality. Before inviting the full sound, a half sound is used to wake the bell and warn the community to stop all thinking, dreaming, and talking. This preparation allows everyone to return to their true home and welcome the Buddha within. The practice of breathing with the bell should be pleasant and joyful, not a chore, leading to peace and solidity. The bell master practices according to the gatha: “Body, speech, and mind in perfect harmony. I send my heart along with the sound of this bell. May the hearers awaken from their forgetfulness and transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow.”
The Four Recollections provide a structured path for mindfulness:
- Buddha: The noble teacher who is the worthy one, endowed with perfect understanding, and the highest charioteer for humans.
- Dharma: The teaching that is well-proclaimed (svākkhāto), can be realized right here and now (sandiṭṭhiko), is immediately effective (akāliko), and invites all to come and see directly (ehipassiko).
- Sangha: The community moving toward goodness, truth, and beauty, consisting of four pairs (cattāri purisayugāni) and eight categories (aṭṭha purisapuggalā) of holy people.
- Sila: The mindfulness trainings that remain unbroken and flawless, protecting self and others while leading to concentration, insight, and total emancipation.
Practicing mindfulness involves recognizing seeds of suffering while staying present to life’s wonders through the six senses. By training in compassionate listening and loving speech, communication is re-established, and suffering is diminished. This path of transformation allows for the creation of a pure land in the present moment, transcending fear of birth and death through the support of the Sangha. Living in the Sangha enables one to participate in the work of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, transforming afflictions into understanding and love.