济群法师:三点自测,你是否活在当下?

来源:济群法师 2025年04月06日

济群法师:三点自测,你是否活在当下?

The Amrita Retreat Center has installed a mindfulness bell. The bell rings every hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., reminding everyone to bring your minds back to the present and cultivate mindfulness.

As a bell striker, one should fully devote this time to mindfulness practice, avoiding reading books or using a cell phone. Before striking the bell, join hands and silently recite, “May the sound of the awakening bell spread throughout the world; may all beings move towards awakening.” Then, strike the bell with this aspiration. For those who don’t have the chance to hear the bell, a mindfulness reminder can be set on their phone to alert them at the scheduled time.

When we hear the bell, we should immediately bring our minds back to the present. What exactly is the present? It exists on three levels.

The first level is the activity we are engaged in at the moment. Usually, while walking, our minds wander, drifting to the past or future. The same happens while working; our minds drift off. This is a sign of distraction, so we need to cultivate mindfulness, focusing on the current activity with utmost concentration.

The second level is awareness, which is being fully clear and distinct about the activity process. Each thought has subjective, objective, and self-witnessing aspects; awareness is the self-witnessing aspect, as well as the power of self-awakening.

The third level is the non-discriminative mind, the ultimate present beyond time and space. We may not be able to fully realize this in the short term, but with continuous practice, the power of delusion diminishes, and the clear mind gradually reveals itself. Then, thoughts become passing clouds, not affecting us at all. Whatever we do leaves no trace, like wild geese flying across the sky.

The clarity of mind is inherently present in everyone; it only becomes obscured by ignorance and thoughts. What we need to do now is to reactivate it. When we hear the bell, we must remind ourselves to bring our minds back to the present. If you are alone, take this opportunity to calm down, sitting quietly for a minute or two or even ten minutes.

In summary, the bell serves as an aid to remind us to maintain mindfulness. With continuous training, mindfulness will become our habit, eventually integrating seamlessly into our lives.

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