Joy-Giving to Lost Species: 108 Bell Rings
Monday, November 30th
6:00 – 8:00 am
November 30, 2015, International Remembrance Day for Lost Species, ex·tinc·tion wit·ness hosts bell ringing and mourning ritual at the Bozeman Dharma Center.
In joy-giving, 3 bowls will be rung 36 times each for a total of 108 rings, during which participants are welcome to sit in meditation and visit the grief altar where species’ names will be recognized.
Joy-Giving to Lost Species: 108 Bell Rings is the practice of moving through emotions inspired by loss of individuals among an estimated 75 to 200 species per day in the past year of the present mass extinction event. Past and anticipated losses will also be honored. By inviting and honoring all emotions, we remember and celebrate lost species in acknowledgment of their joy in living, and restore peace to those surviving their loss.
SCHEDULE:
Please arrive by 5:55 A.M. MST. Dharma Center doors will open at 5:30 AM if you prefer to arrive and sit in silence before bell ringing begins.
Upon entry, there will be invitation to write a species name and/or prayer on a card for the grief altar.
Brief opening circle begins at 6:00 A.M.
Bell ringing begins at 6:08 A.M. MST (1:08 P.M. GMT)
We will close in circle as we began and anticipate being complete by 8:00 A.M.
This is an open practice. Welcome everyone.
Why 108 rings?
Vedic mathematicians viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence. 108 also connects Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of Sun and Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. This is why there are 108 mala beads. Multiple significant appearances of 108 gives rise to ritual use.
In some schools of Buddhism it is believed that there are 108 feelings. According to Bhante Gunaratana, 108 is reached by multiplying the senses smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight, and consciousness by whether they are painful, pleasant or neutral, and again by whether these are internally generated or externally occurring, and then again by past, present and future, to total 108 feelings. 6 × 3 × 2 × 3 = 108.
In Japan, a bell is chimed 108 times in Buddhist temples to finish the old year and welcome the new one. Each ring of the bell represents one of 108 earthly temptations (Bonnō) a person must overcome to achieve nirvana.
More on 108 at Isha Foundation:
“For the first time, we have the necessary capability, technology and resources to address almost every fundamental problem on this planet, including concerns about nourishment, health, education and the environment. Never before was this possible. Everything is in place, but the only thing missing is human willingness to make it happen. For this to take place, a certain inclusive consciousness is needed. Raising human consciousness in the world is the most important thing that needs to happen right now.”
http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/yoga-meditation/science-of-yoga/the-significance-of-108/
Joy-Giving to Lost Species: 108 Bell Rings is part of International Remembrance Day for Lost Species driven by a growing coalition of artists and educators and is supported by the MEMO project and Extinction Symbol.
See Toll a Bell on Remembrance Day for Lost Species: