Every morning at 8:30 the bells go off at Seishin Junior High School and Seishin High School, and a melodic tune plays for everyone. It usually plays for about 15 seconds and everyone at the school is silent. When I first arrived at Seishin, I was unprepared for how quiet the whole school became. Even students that were in the halls became quiet to respect the morning toll of the bells.
I asked the older English teachers at Seishin why the tradition exists at the school. They told me that the meditation is used to calm the students and help them focus on the next class. This moment of silence is great for students after a long intensive class because it allows students to refocus quickly and adjust to the next class topic.
The Seishin community has had this tradition for a long time. The school is a Catholic school but it maintains a strong connection to Japanese culture. The students are expected to have a strong sense of inward understanding. Once a week after the morning meditation, the nun Sister Moriwake reads a prayer over the loudspeakers. Christian passages are read and there is always a prayer for understanding and peace.
