Chartres Cathedral, France
Eastern and Western Meditation Traditions: Both Cultures Use Bells and Chimes
Bells and chimes are used in both Eastern and Western meditation traditions. In the Christian monastic tradition, the ringing of the bell during meditation reminds the practitioners to return to the object of worship.
Zen Monks
Similarly, Zen monks have used gongs and “mindfulness chimes” to begin their meditations and during meditation to bring them out of their mental processes back to the stillpoint of tranquility.
The use of metal alloy bowls for devotional purposes can be traced back to the beginnings of metallurgy in China prior to 1,000 B.C. The bowl that comes with our Zen Timepiece is modeled after a Japanese “rin gong,” or Keisu, that is periodically struck with a stick to punctuate sutra-reading in Buddhist temples.
The Himalayan peoples have been using metal bowls in their rituals and as offerings to Deities since at least 560 B.C. These hand-hammered Himalayan alloy bowls have come to be known as “Tibetan Singing Bowls” because of the unique way they are sounded by rubbing a mallet over the rim so as to produce harmonic resonances and overtones. Although the bowl that comes with our Zen Timepiece is not technically a Tibetan Singing Bowl, it will produce harmonic effects if a mallet or striking stick is rubbed around its edge in a circular motion.
Bowl-gong Clock has a long-resonating chime sound
The bowl that comes with the Zen Timepiece is made from the following five metals: copper, zinc, lead, iron, and tin. It has been formed using the same forging techniques that have been used in Asia for two thousand years. Unlike hand-hammered Himalayan-style bowls, our Zen Timepiece’s rin gong bowl is made using methods which first appeared in Japan in the first century. Following these traditions, our bowl’s long-resonating tone has been carefully selected to bring beauty and harmony to your environment.
Now & Zen – The Gradual Alarm Clock Store
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(800) 779-6383
Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Truth, zen monks, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers
