Bells of Mindfulness

Listen, listen, the sound of this bell brings me back to my true home. What is my true home you might ask? Thich Nhat Hanh would say, “The here and now.” Sayadaw U Tejaniya would say, “Presence. Awareness.” I’d say, “Yes! And yes!”

Learning to come back to the here and now, in present moment awareness is a gift to yourself and all (people, plants and minerals) with whom you come in contact. As we are more present and aware we are more conscious of body, speech and mind and consequently more skillful. Don’t we all want that?

In the Plum Village Tradition we have Bells of Mindfulness – things that bring us back to the present moment – the sound of a bell, church bells, a horn, a car alarm, an ambulance siren – these can all be bells of mindfulness calling us home to ourselves – you can even create bells of mindfulness in your home (phone apps = Westminster Chimes, iQi Clock).

When we hear a Bell of Mindfulness we stop what we are doing and return to ourselves resting into the body, resting into the moment. For many of us three (3) to five (5) maybe ten (10) breaths in awareness offers us this opportunity to be present in the moment.

This video offers a few examples of Bells of Mindfulness and encourages you to develop some of your own.

Please enjoy your practice and let us know how it goes.

You might also be supported by this video of Senior Monastic, Sister Dang Nghoem inviting the bell (large bell, small bell, walking bell). She offers guidance and support for inviting the bell.