THE TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND BELLS

The temple was built on an island and it held a thousand bells. Big bells, small bells, bells fashioned by the finest craftsmen in the world. When a wind blew or a storm raged, all the bells would be peal out in unison, a symphony that would send the heart of the hearer into raptures. But over the centuries the island sank into the sea and, with it, the temple bells.
An ancient legend said that the bells continued to peal out, ceaselessly, and could be heard by anyone who listened attentively.
Inspired by this tradition, a young man travelled thousands of miles, determined to hear those bells.
Finally he found this village and he was taken to an old, wise man. (the key keeper)
This old man listened to the enthusiasm and the desire of the young man and he brought him to the place where he could hear the bells.
He sat for days on the shore, facing the vanished island, and listened with all his might. But all he could hear was the sound of the waves, of the sea. He made every effort to push away the sound of the waves, of the sea so that he could hear the bells. But to no avail; the sound of the sea seemed to flood the world. He kept at his task for weeks. When he got disheartened he would listen to the words of the village pundits who spoke with unction of the legend of the temple bells and of those who had heard them and proved the legend to be true.
Then his heart would be aflame as he heard their words…only to become discouraged again when weeks of further effort yielded no results.
Finally, he decided to give up the attempt. Perhaps he was not destined to hear the bells. Perhaps the legend was not true.
He felt he had given everything. With a heavy heart he slowly went back to the village and with tears in his eyes he went to say goodbye to the friendly, old, wise man.
The old man spoke “I can understand you give it up. It is not an easy task and it is not for everyone. But please go back before you leave, just one more time to the coast, to the place
where you spent so much time and say thanks to the nature she provided you”. And so the young man went back to the place at the shore to say thanks and to say goodbye.
It was his final day. He thanked the fresh water flow and the bushes and trees for their berries and fruits.
He lay on the sands, and for the first time he listened to the sound of the sea. He did not resist that sound that day.
Soon he was so lost in the sound that he was barely conscious of himself, so deep was the silence that the sound produced. In the depth of that silence, he heard it! The tinkle of a tiny bell, followed by another, and another and another…and soon every one of the thousand temple bells was pealing out in harmony, and his heart was rapt in joyous ecstasy.

Original source unknown.