[One Thousand Characters a Day] The Mysterious Animal Dictionary Hidden in Cultural Heritage＜5＞

Editor's NoteHuman's infinite imagination about the sea creates fantastical images that do not exist in reality. The Kraken appearing in French novelist Jules Verne's representative work <20,000 Leagues Under the Sea> and the Leviathan mentioned in the Catholic Bible are typical examples that simultaneously show human curiosity and fear of gigantic sea monsters. The , the oldest encyclopedia in East Asia passed down since before the Warring States period in China, features unprecedented and extraordinary aquatic creatures. These various mysterious elements appearing in East Asian traditional culture can be seen not as mere fanciful delusions but as records based on observation and experience, combined with imagination and creativity. The mysterious fish and mermaids appearing in old stories also influenced Korean Buddhist culture, playing a role in beautifully and mystically decorating the Buddha's world. Word count: 909.

Passing through Iljumun (One-Pillar Gate) and Cheonwangmun (Heavenly Kings Gate), the gateways to the Land of Bliss, one encounters a pavilion called Beomjongnu (Bell Pavilion). In Beomjongnu, there are the Four Buddhist Instruments (Buddhist Hall Four Objects) that awaken sentient beings through sound: the Beomjong (Bronze Bell), Beopgo (Dharma Drum), Unpan (Cloud-shaped Wooden Gong), and Mokgeum (Wooden Fish). The Mokgeum has the shape of a fish with a hollow inside, which is struck to produce sound.

The Mokgeum carries two major meanings. The first is that the sound of striking the Mokgeum awakens all sentient beings living in aquatic realms. The second signifies continuous practice. As everyone knows, fish have no eyelids. Therefore, they must sleep with their eyes open, but thanks to this, they can remain alert to danger even while resting. The Mokgeum embodies the meaning that one should not doze off or be distracted by idle thoughts like a fish with open eyes but should devote oneself solely to practice to attain enlightenment. This is a glimpse into our ancestors' ingenious idea of expressing the importance of practice and enlightenment through the metaphor of a fish.

In this way, fish are familiar animals frequently appearing in Buddhism. Temples related to fish can be easily found nationwide, such as Gimhae Eunhasa (Silver River Temple) and Busan Beomeosa (Beomeo Temple) located at the foot of Sin-eosan (Sacred Fish Mountain), Pohang Oeosa (My Fish Temple), and Miryang Maneosa (Ten Thousand Fish Temple). Buddhist music called Beompae is also alternatively called Usan Beompae (Fish Mountain Buddhist Chant), meaning that its melody is as natural and flexible as fish swimming up and down a mountain, encouraging practitioners to approach practice like fish. Perhaps for this reason, temples feature a wide variety of fish. From Makara, the Magala fish in Indian mythology, to the fish dragons with dragon heads, the diversity is remarkable. Using fish as symbols not only represents the meaning of practice but also reflects the wish to ward off fire demons by placing fish throughout wooden temple buildings.

－Kim Yongdeok,