In the Bajoran faith, the Pagh is the soul of an individual, or the spiritual force present in all life forms. Members of the Bajoran faith assess the strength of a person's Pagh by grasping a person's ear. Commander Benjamin Sisko became used to having members of the Bajoran clergy grasp his ear to assess his Pagh whenever he met them. However when he met Bareil Antos, Sisko was surprised when the man made no move to grasp his ear. Bareil had not liked the practice ever since the first time his own ear was grasped by an elderly monk who Bariel claimed could probably squeeze the Pagh right out of a person. Bareil also stated that if possible he would've done away with the practice. (DS9 episodes: "Emissary", "In the Hands of the Prophets")