A Day at Goyosa: Service Times, Bells, Monks and Night Sky
Hapjang (합장) is an online temple in your browser, and at its temple, Goyosa, a full day passes roughly every 17 real minutes. The Dharma drum sounds at 03:12 at dawn and 17:12 in the evening (Goyosa time), the temple bell rings 28 times at 03:20 and 33 times at 17:20, and the service begins at 03:30 and 17:40. By day the monks sweep the courtyard and circle the pagoda; at night come fireflies and 4,103 stars.
- Length of a day
- One Goyosa day ≈ 17 real minutes (slower at sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset)
- Dharma drum
- 03:12 · 17:12
- Temple bell
- 03:20 dawn, 28 strikes · 17:20 evening, 33 strikes
- Service (yebul)
- 03:30–04:10 · 17:40–18:10
- Elder Elm Sunim's pagoda circling
- 06:30 · 15:00 · 15:45
- Night
- Fireflies (summer and autumn, 20:00–23:30), 4,103 stars, the real moon phase
How long is a day at Goyosa?
A day at Goyosa takes about 17 minutes of real time. On average, one Goyosa hour takes less than a minute, but sunrise, sunset and moonrise pass more slowly, so you can watch the sea horizon for a long while. The time is the same for everyone online, so people who come in together see the same dawn and the same evening.
All the times below are Goyosa time, not your real clock.
What sounds at dawn and in the evening?
The same sequence repeats twice a day, at dawn and in the evening. First the Dharma drum sounds at the Bell Pavilion, then the great temple bell rings, and then the service (yebul) begins in the Main Buddha Hall.
- Dharma drum (beopgo) 03:12 · 17:12 — the first sound telling you the service is near. An invitation to a cushion in the hall appears at this moment.
- Temple bell (beomjong) 03:20, 28 strikes at dawn · 17:20, 33 strikes in the evening.
- Service 03:30–04:10 · 17:40–18:10 — the monks bow first, and you can follow along with captions of the Chiljeongnye (Seven-Part Homage).
Why is the temple bell struck 28 times at dawn and 33 times at night?
Striking the temple bell 28 times at dawn and 33 times in the evening is a custom widely kept in Korean temples. It is often explained that 28 stands for the twenty-eight heavens of the Buddhist cosmos, and 33 for the thirty-three heavens of Trayastrimsa (Doricheon). Goyosa follows these numbers too.
If you want to strike the bell yourself, there is ringing the temple bell for a wish. You can do it once a day by the real calendar date, but not between 21:00–04:36 or 17:00–18:18 Goyosa time.
How do you join the service?
Just be sitting on a cushion in the hall when the Dharma drum sounds. Before the service a monk beckons you with a gesture, and once it starts, the Chiljeongnye appears line by line as captions while you bow together with the monks. Sitting on a cushion in the hall during the service adds the 誦 (chanting) stamp to your Goyosa notebook. The full order is in Following the morning and evening service.
How do the monks spend the day?
In winter the monks wear quilted robes (nubi). Everything you can do with the monks is collected in With the monks.
- Pinewind Sunim: sweeps the courtyard and looks after the temple grounds.
- Elder Elm Sunim: the old master. At 06:30, 15:00 and 15:45 Goyosa time he does pagoda circling around the Stone Pagoda, and up to three people can follow him.
- Windbell Sunim: strikes the moktak (wooden percussion block) in the hall. Up to three people can join in walking slowly around the hall to the sound of his moktak.
- Little Monk Bori: a child monk who is out on the grounds from 07:00 to 19:00.
What can you see at night?
After sunset, 4,103 stars taken from a real star catalog come out, and the moon follows the real moon's phase as it waxes and wanes. In summer and autumn, fireflies drift about from 20:00 to 23:30 Goyosa time. Night is a good time to stay by the lanterns of the Lantern Courtyard or the fire at the Campfire Nook.
Try it in Hapjang
Stay a little over 17 minutes after entering and you will pass through one full Goyosa day. When the Dharma drum sounds, an invitation to the hall appears; accept it and you walk slowly to a cushion and join the service. You can see the current time on the sun-and-moon clock on screen.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the service at Goyosa in Hapjang?
At 03:30–04:10 at dawn and 17:40–18:10 in the evening, Goyosa time. A Goyosa day lasts about 17 real minutes, so the twice-daily services come around often.
How many times is a Korean temple bell struck?
Korean temples commonly strike it 28 times at dawn and 33 times in the evening. At Goyosa in Hapjang (합장), the temple bell rings 28 times at 03:20 and 33 times at 17:20.
How many real minutes is a day in Hapjang?
A Goyosa day is about 17 minutes of real time. Sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset pass a little more slowly.
When can I see fireflies in Hapjang?
In summer and autumn, between 20:00 and 23:30 Goyosa time. You can choose the season in the menu or with ?season= in the address.
Related pages
- Korean Temple Service (Yebul): Seven Bows of ChiljeongnyeHow dawn and evening services flow at a Korean temple and what the seven-bow Chiljeongnye means. Follow the bows to a monk's moktak in Hapjang.
- Ringing a Korean Temple Bell: Steps and 28 or 33 StrikesHow to ring a Korean temple bell with a wish, step by step, and why monks strike it 28 times at dawn and 33 at dusk. Ring it once a day at Hapjang.
- Bell Pavilion: The Temple Bell and Four InstrumentsA Korean temple's bell pavilion houses the bell, drum, wooden fish, and cloud gong. In Hapjang you can ring the bell once a day and play all four.
- With the Monks: Tea, Pagoda Circling, and a Wrist MalaSpend time with Hapjang's monks through gesture, not words: a cup of tea, pagoda circling, shared work, walking to the moktak, and a daily wrist mala.
- Dharma Drum, Wooden Fish, Cloud Gong: Temple InstrumentsThe four instruments of a Korean temple and who each sounds for: Dharma drum, wooden fish, cloud gong and bell. Strike them yourself in Hapjang.
- Goyosa's Forest, Animals, Seasons and WeatherGoyosa in Hapjang is ringed by about 3,400 trees of 14 Korean mountain species and home to 26 animals. How to choose the season and weather you see.
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