Special Bells

On a craggy mountain at the end of a 14 hour long and difficult foot trail in Tibet is a monastary, occupied by only two or three monks at a time. Subsisting only on offerings of food and supplies of the occasional visitor and by donations from the townspeople at the foot of the trail, these monks make it their life’s work to study, meditate, and craft tiny bells out of brass.

These tiny bells are made entirely by hand, strung together on strings, and hung from the ceiling, walls and rafters of the temple. On each and every bell in the temple is carved a unique prayer or message, no two bells may be the same. It is believed that each time the bell is rung, the message is carried to heaven for the gods to hear. Heard often enough, the prayer is answered, or the message delivered.

They hang for years, swaying in breeze, tinkling only when disturbed. As the monks move about in the temple, they will raise their arms, gently brushing the strings along their path, enticing the bells to ring. Thus, each day, thousands upon thousands of bells are rung, sending their unique messages to the gods.

Once the string breaks from rot or fatigue, the bell-string is gifted away, having served its purpose. You see, the bell, once touched by the ground is no longer pure and its message can no longer be carried away, so it must be given to the people of earth for the message to be read.

Over the centuries, tens of thousands of such bells have been made, served their purpose and then gifted away. No doubt these bells and their messages have traveled the earth touching every continent and country, every city, their messages told and retold circling the globe.

Sometimes, translation from the monks engraved message can be difficult, or even misleading. It is up to the reader to interpret the message to the best of their ability.

I saw one once. A tiny, tarnished and bent bell, with a little “clink” when rung. The message, faded, worn, and scratched was difficult to read. Consulting various texts, I worked hard to translate this heavenly message. When my work was done, I had translated “The weebles always wobble, but they won’t fall down”.

I’m not sure that’s totally accurate, but it was what I got out of it