Bells or gongs play an important role in virtually every religion. When I was growing up, I appreciated the bells of the nearby Catholic church, which marked time through its chimes, sounding every 15 minutes. They gave a sense of security with their regularity and resonance. Later, in Kyoto, we could hear the Buddhist temple bells resounding through the community early in the morning and in the approaching dusk. The booming sounds offered a sense of tranquility to the boundaries of the day.

In Buddhism, bells are used in various ways. The Kansho, or summoning bell, calls people to the temple and marks the beginning of a service. At the Honpa Hongwanji, it is a small representation of the Bonsho or inverted Indian bell or sacred bell, which has a clanging sound, compared with the deeper, resonant tone of the large Indian bells found on the temple grounds, such as we have at the Byodoin in Kane'ohe. These bells are struck from the outside with a heavy beam that creates their distinctive sound, in contrast to Western bells, which usually have clappers inside.

Further, a large metal bowl-like gong announces the beginning of sutra chanting and punctuates various parts of the worship ritual. Hand bells are used often in meditation sessions.

The new year service, called Joya-e, is a gathering to abolish the evil karma of the past year, symbolized by striking the New Year's bell at midnight 108 times.

It is filled with symbolism for followers: Buddhism speaks of 108 passions. However, these are not separate discrete passions but are arrived at through a mathematical computation that begins with our sense organs (including the mind) and the sensations (=12). They give rise to our judgments of good, bad, indifferent (x3), and the periods of the past, present and future (x3). When all are added and multiplied, they come out to 108.

Beyond the mathematics, the 108 passions symbolize the breadth and depth of our passionate involvement in life. They are the dynamism of life. Rather than simply repressing them, they are to be directed toward greater ends. We are to endow the new year with a hope for peace and justice for all instead of merely fulfilling our ego interests. Striking the bell announces our hope to abolish this karma in the new year. Displacing that karma, Saichi, a famous spiritual layperson, has written in the light of Amida Buddha's compassion: "84,000 delusions, 84,000 lights, 84,000 joys abounding."

The bell also has the significance of reminding us of impermanence. As we pass from one year to the next, the vibrations of the bells and their fading away signify the fleeting character of life, which vanishes like the ripples of sound.

Buddhism tells us that it is hard to be born into human life, but now we are living it. Our window of opportunity is short to make the most of our life for the good of all whom we touch. The opening of the new year in Buddhism is a time of reflection and also a time of decision.

The Rev. Al Bloom, a Buddhist, is professor emeritus of religion at the University of Hawai'i.