2. Bell Pavilion of Buseoksa Temple

[Man]
The Bell Pavilion of Buseoksa Temple is located above Manseru Pavilion in Buseoksa Temple. The Bell Pavilion was newly constructed in 1980 after the renovation work, and was built to have three sections at the front and two sections at the side for opening. There is a bell installed in the Bell Pavilion.


[Tourist]
“Hello. Is this the Bell Pavilion?”

[Buddhist Monk]
"Yes, that's right."

[Tourist]
"May I ask you a question? Does this pavilion have only a bell? Doesn’t it normally have the four Buddhist instruments of a Dharma drum, a cloud-shaped brass, a wooden fish-shaped gong, and a great bell?

[Buddhist Monk]
"Normally the four Buddhist instruments are installed in a bell pavilion, and here in Buseoksa Temple, the great bell is installed separately in the Great Bell Pavilion, while a Dharma drum, cloud-shaped brass, and wooden fish-shaped gong are installed here in the Bell Pavilion.

[Tourist]
“Aha, I see. Please tell me more about the great bell."

[Buddhist Monk]
“Certainly. The great bell is one of the four Buddhist instruments. A great bell is also called a gyeong bell, dan bell, or jo bell. We set it up with the belief that we will be able to renounce our worldly desires at least for the moment that we hear the bell.

[Tourist]
“Then when do you use the great bell?

[Buddhist Monk]
"Normally we use the bell during morning and evening prayer chants and big events at the temple.”

[Tourist]
"Thank you. May I take a picture of the great bell?”

[Buddhist Monk]
“Sure.”

[Woman]
The great bell is a special type of Buddhist metalwork that leads the list. In many Buddhist countries, large and small bells of all kinds have been made since long ago. The Korea, the bell has its own unique style, as it even has its own scientific name, the Korean bell. In particular, the excellence of the bells of Silla has been widely known both domestically and abroad. Many of the existing Korean bells have been taken to Japan, where more than 20 remain designated as their national treasures.

[Man]
The Dharma drum refers to a drum used in Buddhist rituals. It is also called Honggo (Hong drum), and just drum for short. The body of the drum is primarily made of well-dried wood, and both sides that are hit to make a sound are made of cowhide. At the time, the leather of both cows and bulls would be attached to either side of the drum to form harmony and make a good sound. The drum, one of the four instruments of the Bell Pavilion, is played in the morning and evening prayer chants, and this is to guide the wandering spirits of animals. The drum is a musical instrument that is familiar among the lives of ordinary people along with our folklore.

[Woman]
The cloud-shaped gong is a type of musical instrument that makes a clear sound when tapped with a wide cloud-shaped bronze plate used in Buddhist rituals. It is not known whether it was first used in India, but in the Zen Buddhism of China and Korea it was hung in a shrine or kitchen and used as an instrument to inform the public of the meal time. The cloud-shaped gong got its name from its cloud-like shape. It is known to be played for feathered animals and the souls that wander in the air. Currently, it is used as a ritual tool to play with the great bell, Dharma drum, and wooden fish-shaped drum during the morning and evening prayer chants rather than at meal times.

[Man]
The wooden fish-shaped drum is one of the tools for Buddhist rituals that is used to make a sound by hanging it in the shape of a piece of meat with wood and drumming it. It is one of the four Buddhist instruments along with the great bell, Dharma drum, and cloud-shaped gong, and it is also called Eogo and Eopan. Having originated from China, this Dharma craft was made by emptying the stomach of the fish and hitting the walls on either side of its stomach to make sounds. Currently, the wooden fish-shaped drum is played during the dawn and evening prayer chants and large events, along with other instruments such as the great bell, and this implies the symbolic meaning of guiding all life forms living under the water. The wooden fish-shaped drum is the predecessor of the wooden gong in terms of its function, and currently the wooden gong is often used instead of the wooden fish-shaped drum.

[Woman]
Buseoksa Temple stands as if flying towards the Sobaeksan Mountain Range, and if the Bell Pavilion were to face the front, the building would appear heavy overall, and thus the pavilion was placed at the side and its rear was finished with a gabled roof.