A Still Sitting customer has been sharing our rin bells with his close circle of friends for years. He enjoys the connection that comes from each friend experiencing the resonance from the same bell. This past year he had the idea of creating a similar gift for his mother and her friends. His mom has Alzheimer’s and is no longer able to socialize with her close group of friends.
“Mom’s friends aren’t Buddhist…not even close. (Some of them are, in fact (now) cloistered Catholic nuns.) But how cool might it be for them to each have a rin? A rin that [my mom] has rung. A rin that [my mom] has heard. A rin, that when rung on their end, might just provide some of the resonance that I and my little circle of rin-lets have each experienced.”
He ordered 12 small rin bells as gifts for his mother and her close friends. He had them engraved in honor of his mother and included a card with a picture of his mother ringing the group of bells.
In his card he wrote,
“I thought, perhaps, even though she is no longer able to reach out to you, she might still enjoy a bit of resonance, (or connection..such that it is) in knowing that the sound you hear, is the very same sound she also hears. And on the occasions when you ring your rin, there is a *very good* chance that she has recently heard (as well as felt) the resonance of hers as well! :-)”
We are so inspired by this story. It is always heartening to hear our customers’ stories and learn how our meditation supplies are incorporated into real lives.
A bell or gong can be a beautiful way to mark time in our meditation practices. It can help us to settle into our practice as well as transition out. Have a listen to our rin bell in the video below.
We look forward to hearing how you use bells in your meditation practice or in your life in general.