[todaysdate]
The Spokane Buddhist Temple will host a New Year’s Eve Joya-E Service, or Bell of the Last Night, on Dec. 31 at 7 p.m.
The service is a spiritual way for guests to “ring out 2014 and ring in 2015,” by ringing the large Japanese Kansho bell 108 times.
According to a press release, everyone who attends will participate in ringing the “calling bell” during the service.
“This act of ringing the bell 108 times symbolically ‘rings out’ the 108 delusions of woman and man and ‘rings in’ our aspiration to overcome ignorance, greed and anger in the coming year,” the release reads.
There will also be a short service. Buddhists and non-Buddhists are welcome to attend.
The temple’s Kansho bell was dedicated in 1965. The Kansho, or summoning bell, calls people to the temple and marks the beginning of each of the services. The bell does not have a metal clapper in the center, as do other large bells, like the Liberty Bell. Instead, people strike it with a large wooden mallet.
Why is the Kansho Rung 108 Times?
Because, according to the temple, human passions (or delusions) originate in the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, plus a sixth sense of consciousness. These sensations can occur in three forms: pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral for a total of 18. These feeling states are either attached to pleasure or unattached to pleasure. Thus, 18 times two equals 36. These 36 may manifest in the past, present, or future. Multiplying 36 by three gives a total of 108 delusions.
According to the temple, “Practically speaking, it’s impossible to imagine all 108 of these afflictions. The important point is that human suffering arises from our faulty perceptions about reality, which lead to attachment, greed and anger. On New Years, the Kansho is rung 108 times to symbolically “ring-out” the delusions that afflict us. The end of the year is also a time to reflect with gratitude for the infinite causes and conditions that have allowed us to live another year.”
