Buddhist temples are scattered throughout the forests in the mountainous Korean Peninsula. Their traditional rooflines dip in the center and then rise at the outer edge, the downslope often hosting a parade of mythical animal creatures. Customarily the temple’s entry is guarded by two giant monster-warriors facing one another other across a cobblestone walkway which leads to the temple’s great bell, the beonjong. My souvenir is a miniature replica of the largest and most famous copper beonjong in South Korea, “The Bell of King Seongdeok,” cast in 771 A.D., 12 feet tall, and weighing almost 19 tons.
The temple bell’s unique design is described as a marriage of art and science, allowing its rolling sounds to reverberate deeply and be heard for long distances. Ringing the bell at daybreak is intended to waken hearers to a principal tenet of Buddhism: to travel the path of spiritual enlightenment, one must empty the heart of material distraction and open it to a sense of peace. That’s a rather “do-it-yourself” kind of spirituality, isn’t it?
On Sunday morning, our church bells often ring three times. The tolling sound rolls across the corn and soybean fields surrounding our country churches, and it drifts down the streets of the neighborhoods among our urban churches. What’s the message of our ringing bell?
“It is time to worship the Triune God.”
“You are welcome here in this church with us.”
“We’re calling out for your attention because we have good news for you: God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5).”
ELS mission work in South Korea is conducted by the Asia Committee of the ELS Board for World Outreach.
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Steve Petersen
