The sound of the han opens the period of seated meditation, or zazen, in a zendo. The slow, methodical cadence gets progressively faster and faster and faster. And then stops. A forceful reminder that the clock is ticking and that there is work to be done. The inscription on the han reads:
Great is the matter of birth and death
Life slips quickly by
Time waits for no one
Wake up, wake up
Don't waste a moment
[NOTE: The han shown in the clip is in the Empty Hand Zen Center (EHZC); the hand on the striker is that of Susan Jion Postal, main teacher and founder of the EHZC (gassho)].