The Great Bell Chant: A Meditation
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
This video is a compassion meditation of sorts, featuring the words and voice of one of our most enduring guests, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. I wonder if this short film can’t serve as a sort of loosely guided meditation in its own right. If you have several minutes, use this video as a guided meditation. After you’re finished, reflect on your experience and comment on these questions:
- How did the sound of the bell and the words of Thich Nhat Hanh help you in focusing your attention?
- In what ways did the cinematography of sweeping, aerial vistas and intimate portraits aid you in your focus of nature and fellow people?
- Did you find that Phap Niem’s fluid chanting helped you in letting go and being more aware of the compassion inside you?
- How did/didn’t the combination of visuals and audio help guide you in this exercise? Did you find them more distracting then helpful?
And, if you’re looking for a more aural focus, try this four-part bell meditation with Arthur Zajonc.
