In Buddhism, objects such as bells play an indispensable part in meditation or prayer rituals as they indicate important concepts. It is seen as a way to symbolize Buddha’s voice. The sound of the bell equals that of the Dharma, the law or the entity, which is to keep order of things in the universe.
Some children strike a bell with enthusiasm while the rest are praying with fingers crossed. [Photo/sxwts.gov.cn] |
Mount Wutai has 55 bells in total. The Youming Bell in the Bell Tower of Xiantong Temple is the largest bronze bell on the mountain. The bell is 2.5m high, the thickness of its body is about 8cm, and has an outer diameter of 1.8m. It weighs 9,999.5 jin (4,999.75 kg). It was firstly competed in the 48th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Emperor Wanli (1620). A Buddhist sutra of more than 10,000 Chinese characters was engraved in regular scripts over the body of the bell, which can still be clearly recognized. Once rung, the bell’s sound lasts for a long time.
The Bell Tower of Xiantong Temple at Mount Wutai and the Youming Bell inside it. [Photo/360doc.com] |
The Bell Tower of Xiantong Temple at Mount Wutai and the Youming Bell inside it. [Photo/360doc.com] |
The Youming Bell also contributes a lot to the fame of Xiantong Temple around the mountain, and even throughout the whole country.
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