In a forest monastery the bell is rung ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro
In a forest monastery the bell is rung for the first time every morning at three a.m., and then at intervals throughout the day, signalling each event in the daily schedule. The value of the bell is not restricted to announcing the time. Monks are taught to use it as a means of establishing mindfulness. How do they feel when hear the sound of the bell? Is their immediate reaction one of enthusiasm, pleasure, indifference or resistance? How does their reaction to the sound of the bell vary throughout the day and from one day to the next? Simplifying our life allows us to observe our reactions to the regularly recurring elements in it. By observing again and again how our mind reacts to repetitive events we gain insight into how our mind works, to its prejudices, its desires and fears, its resolution and goodness.
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