The Sound of a Thousand Bells

Once upon a time, on an island, there was a temple with a thousand bells. 

The bells were of different sizes and shapes and were made by the cleverest artists from all over the world. 

Whenever the wind blew on the island, all the bells would peal out in a symphony that brought joy to anybody who heard it.

After many years, during an earthquake, the island sank into the ocean. Unfortunately, the famous temple with the thousand bells also sank. The people in a village near the seashore said that the bells still ring all the time and could be heard by anyone who listened. 

A young man from another country heard this story and determined to see this for himself. He travelled for several miles and reached the shore which faced the sunken island. 

In the blue distance, he listened with utmost attention for the sound of the thousand bells. All he heard was the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. He tried to listen carefully but it was of no use because the sound of waves was too loud. 

He camped in the village and came to the shore every day. Many weeks passed but he had no success. 

Whenever he felt sad, he went to the village elders who told him the story of the sunken temple with thousand bells which still ring all the time and could be heard by anyone who listened. The young man’s heart would fill with hope again on hearing this story. But alas, he was disappointed whenever he visited the shore and heard no bells. 

The young man spent a month trying to listen to the bells. One day, he gave up hope, and decided to leave.  He thought that perhaps the story was not true. Or maybe he was not destined to listen to the mystical bells. He went to the shore to bid farewell to the golden sand, the blue-green sea, the gentle breeze, and the coconut trees which had offered him shade. 

Free of any stress, and empty of any desire, he lay peacefully on the sand. He felt the soft breeze, the sun-warmed sand, and for the first time, he listened to the sound of the sea. He became so absorbed in the sound of the sea that he was barely conscious of his own body. The sound of the sea brought him a calming silence. 

Then, in that silence, he heard it! 

A tinkle of a tiny bell!

Then another one, and yet another...

Soon all the thousand temple bells were ringing in harmony.

The young man’s heart filled with heavenly joy.

The young man didn't hear the bells when he listened for 'the sound of the bells'. He heard the temple bells only when he listened to 'the sound of the sea'.

On a different level, this story tells us that if we wish to seek God, we must look carefully at Nature/creation.

(Retold)