Bell of Peace

In the neighbourhood where my aunt lives in Warsaw, they’ve installed some wonderful features to enhance the local environment – a culture centre, dancing fountains, 2 outdoor gyms. A family of beavers have taken up residence in the nearby lake too. In addition, there’s a pagoda with a Bell of World Peace.
 
World peace is a grand goal but, it feels to me, one that I can do little to bring about. What I can work on is inner peace – being at peace within myself. From a place of inner stillness and present-moment awareness, I can bring peace into my relationships and offer peaceful energy to those I think of or meet. Perhaps, in a small way, that is making a contribution to peace in the wider world. Of course, I frequently forget to be present – I get caught up in my own thinking, in my plans and general ‘busyness’. That is where a regular reminder to pause and to take a few deep, mindful, breaths can help. I can’t carry the Bell of World Peace around with me. (It’s a hefty thing!) But I’ve downloaded the excellent Plum Village app onto my phone and set it to sound a gong every 15 minutes – it’s my own, portable, Bell of Peace to recall me to the present moment and restore my mind to peace.