Room of Quiet Contemplation: The Pensive Bodhisattvas

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul. Shh... lower your voice a little. We're entering the most famous room in the whole museum. The Room of Quiet Contemplation.

Inside, it's dark. The walls are covered in reddish earth, and the floor is very slightly tilted, so you feel like you're walking into another world. And at the end, two golden-brown figures are sitting in the light. These are the pensive bodhisattvas. In Korean, bangasayusang.

Look at the pose. One leg is crossed over the other knee. One finger is gently touching the cheek. And the face? A tiny, mysterious smile. A bodhisattva is a being who could become a Buddha, but stays behind to help people. So this is someone thinking very, very deeply about how to save the world. Honestly, same mood as me before an exam.

Both statues are made of gilt bronze, and both are around fourteen hundred years old. The one on the left is from the late sixth century, and the one on the right is from the early seventh century. Many scholars think they were made in Baekje, though some say Silla. Nobody knows for sure, and I kind of love that.

Here's the plot twist. For decades, the museum showed only one of them at a time. They took turns, like idols in a rotation. Then in 2021, the museum built this special room so the two could finally sit together, side by side. In its first year alone, more than six hundred sixty thousand people came to see them.

Yul's tip! Don't rush. Stand at the back, then walk slowly around them. The smile changes depending on where you stand. And yes, the mini statues in the museum shop are always sold out. Now you know why.