20170831
close shot of a drum
After looking at the main building of Donghaksa, I looked around the temple once more. It was my 5 or 6th visiting of Donghaksa.
It was my college freshman years when I visited Donghaksa at first. I met some friends in college, we visited one of my friends' home. His home town was DaeJeon. We were welcomed by his parents. Eventhough more than 30 years have passed, I stil vividly remember his mom and dad. Alas, I heard they passed away some years ago.
It was winter vacation when we had visited Daejeon.
At that time we were 18 years old. His daddy recommended to visit the Donghaksa Temple. He was a fervent Buddhist.
I remember it took a long time to get to the Donghaksa Temple from his home due to the inconvenience of traffic, even though Donghaksa Temple was not far from DaeJeon.
Any way we got up early in the morning, we looked around the temple and climbed the Mt. Gyeryong in a day. There was nobody on the road when we returned from summit to the temple . At that time I heard the soft sound of the Bell and the Drum from far away.
The sound came from a Buddhist Bell Tower. At the Bell Tower, 5-6 Buddhist nuns were hitting the Bell and the Drum in the sunset. That sound permeated into my heart. It was one of the most beautiful moment I ever have experienced in my life.
Every thing is changing. The Bell Tower seemed to be changed also. What made me disappointed was the convenient store of the first story of the Bell Tower.
Fortunately, the Bell and the Drum have not been changed so much.
Donghaksa temple bell tower is very special, because this bell tower has more instruments than other temple. Normaly common temple has a bell only. Even Ghilsangsa temple whrere I had posted already has one bell too.
I don't know exactly what these instruments mean. But Donghaksa bell tower is unique in composition of the instruements.
Drawings on the Drum was so impressive.
Wooden Fish was also impressive.
In Buddhist temple, the sound of the bell and drum mean a teaching of Buddha. By hitting the Bell and the Drum, they could spread Buddha's teaching to everything in the world, so every creatures weather plants or animals could get chance to study Buddha's teaching.
May be the wooden fish was made for the fishes to attain 'Dao'
One of characteristics of the bell tower is the carved drangon. It was first time I had seen dragon sculptures in the bell tower. 4 Dragon sculptures were carved under the roof at the top of the main poles. The Dragon means the vehicle animal for Kannon Bodhisattva (Goddess of Mercy) in Buddhism.
Thank you for reading.
