Thich Nhất Hạnh
Thich Nhất Hạnh, a Zen monk, and native of Huế; has written on the bell in his monastery:
Body, speech and mind in perfect harmony
I send my heart along with the sound of the bell.
May the hearers awaken from forgetfulness
and transcend all anxiety and sorrow.
Listening to the bell, I feel the afflictions in me begin to dissolve.
My mind becomes calm, my body relaxed.
A smile is born on my lips.
Following the sound of the bell, my breath guides me back to the safe island of mindfulness.
In the garden of my heart, the flower of peace blooms beautifully.
Returning to Huế on our bike that morning, we passed some shops with bells, candlesticks, gongs and altar silks. It occurred to me that a bell, a chuông chuá, would give me a continuing memory of the state of mindfulness, library mindfulness we are in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nhat_Hanh
