Dharma Drum, Wooden Fish, Cloud Gong: Temple Instruments
The four instruments (samul) of a Korean mountain temple are the bell, the Dharma drum, the wooden fish and the cloud gong, sounded before dawn and evening services in the hope that the teaching reaches every living being. The Dharma drum (beopgo) is commonly said to sound for creatures on land, the wooden fish (mogeo) for life in water, and the cloud gong (unpan) for creatures of the sky. In the online temple Hapjang (합장) you can climb to the Bell Loft above the Bell Pavilion and sound the Dharma drum, wooden fish and cloud gong yourself.
- Where
- Bell Loft, upper floor of the Bell Pavilion
- How to play
- Tap the surface or use the on-screen buttons
- Monk's Dharma drum
- 03:12 · 17:12 Goyosa time
- Monk's temple bell
- 03:20 (28 strikes) · 17:20 (33 strikes) Goyosa time
- What you need
- Nothing. Earphones help you hear the resonance
What each instrument means
- Dharma drum (beopgo, 法鼓): a large drum covered in cowhide, struck in the hope that its sound reaches the animals that live on land. Drummers are often seen moving the sticks as if writing the character for "mind" (心).
- Wooden fish (mogeo, 木魚): a fish carved from hollowed wood, struck for life in the water. Because fish never close their eyes, it's read as a call for practitioners to stay awake, and the hand-held moktak is said to have come from it.
- Cloud gong (unpan, 雲板): a cloud-shaped bronze plate, struck for the birds that fly in the sky.
- Temple bell (beomjong, 梵鐘): struck in the hope that its sound reaches even suffering beings deep beneath the earth. It's covered in detail in Ringing the temple bell.
When are they played, and in what order?
The instruments are usually sounded one after another ahead of the dawn and evening services. Which goes first and how many times each is struck differ from temple to temple. At Goyosa a monk sounds the Dharma drum first, strikes the bell a little later, and then the service begins.
Try it in Hapjang
Climb to the Bell Loft on the upper floor of the Bell Pavilion to find the Dharma drum, wooden fish and cloud gong. Tap each instrument's surface or press the on-screen buttons to sound it yourself. At 03:12 and 17:12 Goyosa time a monk plays the Dharma drum, and the bell rings 28 times at 03:20 and 33 times at 17:20. A Goyosa day lasts about 17 real minutes, so if you stay a while you can catch the monk sounding the instruments.
Frequently asked questions
What are the four instruments of a Korean Buddhist temple?
The temple bell, Dharma drum, wooden fish and cloud gong. They're commonly explained as sending the teaching to beings beneath the earth, on land, in water and in the sky.
How is the wooden fish related to the moktak?
The moktak is said to be the fish-shaped mogeo made small and round so it can be held and tapped in the hand. Both carry the idea of staying awake.
Why is the cloud gong shaped like a cloud?
It's commonly explained that the cloud shape reflects sending sound to the creatures that fly in the sky.
Related pages
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- A Day at Goyosa: Service Times, Bells, Monks and Night SkyA day at Goyosa in Hapjang lasts about 17 real minutes. Drum at 03:12 and 17:12, bell 28 and 33 strikes, services, the elder monk's walk, fireflies, stars.
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