There was once a poor monastery that had no
bell-ringer. The monastery possessed a beautiful bell tower and bell, but
alas, there was no one qualified to ring the bell. One day a strange monk
appeared at the gate of the monastery seeking an audience with the
leaders.
When asked his business he stated that he was a bell ringer. This caused
some confusion among the listeners,due to the fact that the stranger
possessed no arms. How could he then pull the ropes to ring the bell? He
replied that all he asked was to be given a chance to prove himself and
requested that he be taken to the bell tower.
Curious by now, the monks agreed and sojourned to the bell tower, where,
when asked to demonstrate his skill, the armless monk ran across the bell
tower and slammed his face into the bell. A most gratifying tone from the
bell was heard across the land. All the monks rejoiced and put the bell
ringer to work immediately.
Morning, Noon, and Night the bell ringer toiled at his duty. At the
appointed times he ran across the bell tower and slammed his face into the
bell. Never had the bell sounded so beautifully. During all this time the
bell ringer never divulged his name, preferring to be called simply “the
bell ringer”.
One morning as he was ringing the bell in a call to prayer, the bell
ringer ran across the room as before but missed the bell completely, fell
through the opening in the side of the bell tower and plunged to his death
on the pavement below.
As the sad monks gathered around his body one of them asked, “Does
anyone know his name?” After a moment of silence one replied, “No, but
his face sure rings a bell.”
A month passed by and the monastery mourned the silent bell. Then one day
a stranger appeared at the gate. This monk requested to meet with the
leaders and when it was granted he informed them that he was a bell
ringer. He had heard that the monastery needed one and he came to apply.
Astonished, the monks pointed out to him that he had no arms and only one
leg! They informed him that the last monk who had the job was disabled and
that it eventually contributed to his death.
Undaunted, the monk said simply, “Give me a chance to demonstrate my
skill.”
Taken to the bell tower, the monks watched in awe as the one-legged monk
hopped madly across the room to strike the bell with his face. Sadly,
being one-legged threw his aim off somewhat and he missed the bell and
plunged through the window and fell to his death.
As they gathered around his body someone asked, “Does anyone know who he
is?” Looking at his lifeless corpse one monk replied, “No, but he is a
dead ringer for the guy who was here last month!”
