Templestay in South Korea
Spend a night in a Buddhist temple with the monks as your company.
Take a deep breath, leave that hotel behind and set out for an adventure at a Templestay in South Korea.
The monk’s seemingly stiff, gray outfit molds to his body as he crouches at an angle to the left. A second later he jumps five feet in the air, legs straight out to either side, reaches out with both hands and touches his toes, then lands back in his original crouch, but at an angle to the right. It may look like he’s training to fight, but his goal is quite different. This Korean, Buddhist monk is attaining enlightenment by harmonizing his body, mind, and breath through something called sunmudo, a Zen martial art. He lives at Golgul temple in Gyeongju, South Korea, where he can practice his Buddhism in the only cave temple in Korea.
Fulfilling a need.
Golgul temple is one of 43 temples across South Korea that is part of Templestay Korea. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism created the program to meet the inflow of tourists for the 2002 World Cup soccer tournament held in Korea and Japan. The Templestay offers a 24-hour stay program, half-day, or extended three- to four-day stays, and it’s becoming a popular way for foreigners to get out of cheap motels and set out on a traditionally Korean experience.
The Templestay offers visitors a chance to follow in the footsteps of monks and learn about temple life. Programs include Zen meditation, a pre-dawn ceremonial service, a meal offering, a tea ceremony, and a temple tour. Some temples include other aspects of Buddhist tradition – Golgul temple takes its visitors through an evening’s worth of sunmudo training.
Not all soul-searching and meditation.
On its website, the Templestay program says it “offers participants the opportunity to experience traditional Korean Buddhist culture.” Though the experience is a window into the culture, don’t let this phrase fool you into thinking that your stay is going to be a walk in a spiritual park.
At 4am a moktak – a long, wooden, percussion instrument Buddhist monks use to start their day – will sound as an alarm. Unlike hotel and motel alarms that you can ignore by refusing to pick up the phone, this moktak alarm is not optional. This is why:
“If anyone absent the morning chant (4:30am), he or she should do 3,000 times of bow for punishment, and everyone in Golgul-Temple should fast one day.” This quote is written on the itinerary in broken English but it can’t be misread: lateness is unacceptable.
Luckily for the straggler who wants to sleep in, the moktak is impossible to ignore and waking shouldn’t be a problem. The morning chant can feel pretty long, though, especially if you visit the temple on one of the colder months. Make sure to bundle up, and keep an open mind if you are not a practicing Buddhist. There will be daily ceremonies where everyone has to perform 108 bows in a row – a bit trying for those with sore knees or bad backs.
Worth it.
Despite the lack of sleep, repeated bowing, and rigorous schedule, a Templestay can open your eyes to a life you’ve never imagined. If you find yourself in South Korea looking for a place to stay, check out Templestay Korea to find the temple that best suits you. Fellow foreigners, Koreans, Buddhist monks, and temple dogs wearing Buddhist prayer beads will be waiting.
 |
 |
 |
 |
