THREE SOUNDS OF THE BELL - Thich Phuoc Tinh

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Today is the closing day of the three-month Winter Retreat, and I would like to share the following experience. Sometimes I get really tired. But if I have the opportunity to listen to three sounds of the bell, to be able to listen to the dharma of the sound of the bell, it is wonderful

You may be wondering, “What do monks have to do to get tired?” Well, there are days when we do get tired. Imagine that on a Saturday afternoon, I go out to a temple to teach and then come back. And on Sunday morning I give a dharma talk here, and at two o’clock in the afternoon I give another dharma talk somewhere else far from the monastery. In addition, many unexpected things continuously happen during the day that we have to respond to. On some mornings I transmit the Three Refuges and give a dharma talk, and in the afternoon I do the same thing in another temple. Personally I find that nothing can make me more tired than having to speak a lot. And the most challenging thing for me is when I run into people that I know before and after my talks and classes. I cannot speak continuously all the time. It’s kind of funny. So I have to reflect and look deeply into the things that I would like to share with them one on one. There may be old ideas I’d like to share, but I want to say them in a new way so that my friends can understand them.  At times, when I am away from the monastery and I get tired, all I really want is to listen to three sounds of the bell to refresh my spirit. But it is difficult outside of the monastery, because the way they invite the bell at other temples is not the same as it is here.

Here at Deer Park we have a lot of time and a lot of conditions to practice, to listen to the sound of the bell, to look at our friends, and to walk during walking meditation. Sometimes, when we find that we are unmindful, we can rely on the collective energy of the sangha to help us return to our practice. That way it’s easy. But when we are out in the city, it is very rare to have the opportunity to listen to the bell with a lot of freedom and ease and to just come back to our breathing with that sound of the bell.  At times when we are really busy, when we are really tired, if we have the opportunity to come back to three breaths, that is a great happiness!

BE LIKE A TREE

Zen Talks by Thích Phước Tịnh

Edited and Illustrated by Karen Hilsberg

Jasmine Roots Press – 2008

CHAPTER NINE

The Energy of Avalokiteshvara