Wooden Fish

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A wooden fish (Chinese: 木魚, pinyin: mùyú), (Japanese: mokugyo), (Korean: Moktak), sometimes known as a Chinese block, is a wooden percussion instrument similar to the Western wood block. The wooden fish is used by monks ordained in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. It is used during rituals usually involving recitation of sutras, mantras, or other Buddhist texts. The wooden fish is mainly used by Buddhist disciples in China, Japan and Korea. In Zen/Ch'an Buddhism, it serves as a signal to start and end a meditation session, and in Pure Land Buddhism, it is used to chant the name of Amitabha Buddha.

The Taoist clergy has also adapted the wooden fish into their rituals.

[edit] Types of wooden fish

There are two kinds of wooden fish. One is the well known wooden fish that is round in shape with scales carved on its top. In Buddhism the fish, which never sleeps, symbolizes wakefulness. Therefore, it is to remind the chanting monks to be concentrate on their sutra. The round wooden fish comes in many sizes, ranging from 6 inches to 4 feet.

The other is literally in the shape of a fish. It is found suspended in front of the dining hall of a Buddhist monastery. When having breakfast and lunch, the monks beat it call all monastics and laity to eat.

[edit] History

There are many legends regarding the origin of the wooden fish, most of which take place in China. One legend about the wooden fish in particular states that a Chinese Buddhist monk went to India to acquire sutras. One day, on his way to India, he found himself to be blocked by a flooding wide river. There appeared neither bridge nor boat. At this moment, a big fish swam up and back him across the river. The fish told the monk that he wanted to atone for a crime he did when he was a human. The fish asked if the Buddhist could meet with the Buddha, and ask if the fish could become a Bodhisattva.

The monk agreed to let the fish help, and continued his quest for seventeen years. After getting the scriptures, he returned to China and the river, which was flooding again. While worrying, the fish came back to help, and asked if he had asked the Buddha. To the monk's dismay, he had forgotten, and the fish became furious. The fish then vibrated only to get the monk and his sutras soaked into the water. A fisherman who happened to pass by, helped him out of water, unfortunately, the sutras were scattered by the flood.

The monk came home, full of anger. Seventeen years of efforts wasted! Filled with anger at the fish, he made a wooden effigy of a fish head. When he recalled his adversity, he beat the fish head with a wooden hammer. To his surprise, each time he beat the wooden fish, the fish opened its mouth and vomited a character. He became so happy that if he had time, he always beat the fish. A few years passing by, he got back what he had lost in water from the wooden fish's mouth.

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