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One day, just as Zen Master Ekido was coming out of Samadhi, the melodious sound of the bell drifted in waves over him. He listened with all his heart, then sent for the novice monk who mad the sound. “What was your state of mind,” he asked, “when you struck the bell?” The monk answered, “I just struck it to make it ring.” Master Ekido pressed him. “As you were striking the bell, you must have thought about something.”
The monk reflected and then said, “Actually, I didn’t consciously think about anything. But my teacher, before I left alone, often reminded me to think of the bell as the Buddha, and to sound it with a mind of respect and with the Chan mind of Samadhi.” This greatly pleased Master Ekido, who added, “When handling affairs, always keep the Chan mind you had when sounding the bell.”
This novice mink, whom we know as Zen Master Morita Goyu, had from childhood cultivated a habit of respect. Following Master Ekido’s advice, he kept the Chan mind in all his thoughts and actions. With the Chan mind, you cannot fail. As the maxim says, “You can measure a person’s resolve by now determined he is when building a fire and sweeping the floor.”