Let's put Bodhidharma to work:
Dalma Daesa, as he's called in Korea, is a dour-faced Indian saint who went to China to preach the dharma. Legend has it that he meditated for nine years straight to gain enlightenment, during which time he ripped off his eyelids to prevent himself from ever falling asleep—hence the way he's always portrayed as having a bug-eyed glower. His biggest claims to fame: he's the First Patriarch of Ch'an (Jpn. Zen, Kor. Seon) Buddhism, and he's the father of kung fu, having taught the Chinese monks a series of combative, calisthenic-style asanas (postures) to improve their poor health. This evolved into the various styles of martial arts now known all throughout China and the world. As a folk image, Dalma Daesa is supposed to bring luck to your abode. We'll see whether placing Dalma on my fridge (the mount for the chimes has two super-strong magnets on it) makes the food I cook any luckier. I've placed the chimes at such a height that they'll ring no matter which fridge door I open and close.
5 comments:
I can see that placement becoming cumbersome very quickly. I will be curious to hear how long it takes for you to move it.
Well, if I do move it, it'll be maybe 5 inches up.
That's what I figure. Where it is now, it looks like those bells are going to get caught in the lower door every time you decide to close it. Maybe the Dalma will ward off the heat and keep in the cold for you.
The angle of the shot doesn't it make it clear, but the only part of the chimes that's dangling past the door line is that pendulous element at the very bottom. When I open and close the fridge door, that element drags lightly across the top and doesn't get caught. The chiming doesn't actually start until the door is either wide open or fully closed.
I think I've missed the sound of chimes for a while, and when I was strolling through Insa-dong, I first encountered a lady selling a variety of chimes, including a Dalma one, for W18,000. I went into that big, tourist-trappy store that sits just within the mouth of the alley, and the lady inside had Dalma chimes for W15,000. So I grabbed them up. The chimes are loud, so they might indeed become annoying after a while, but for the moment, I'm happy to hear them sending out the dharma to the world.
Ah, OK. It looks like the bells are dangling below the door line as well.
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