"Harmonizing body and mind in breath awareness. Awakening to your True nature." ~ Sunmudo Grandmaster, Jeog Un.
For those coming to live in Korea, or those just wandering through, I feel no visit is complete until you’ve experienced a temple stay. It really is such a unique opportunity as you can learn about Korean Buddhist culture and participate in various activities promoting your own well being. And to top it all off, you get to hang out with monks! How cool is that??!!
Haha…okay, I’m sure some of you can think of better things to do on your Saturday night…like hanging in a club, gin in one hand, a menthol in the other, flirting with that dude that can’t speak English very well...followed by sweaty grinding to Gaga’s love games/disco stick…all…night…looooooooooonggggg. Sighhhhhh. Sorry…just reliving a past life I think…
…but seriously, you can sweat it out at the temple, too…I promise ;)
A few weekends ago, Aran and I stayed at Golgulsa which is a temple in Gyeongju in Gyeongsanbuk Province. The program was for two days, one night, so we departed Seoul early Saturday morning and arrived at Golgulsa five hours later. It’s a long bus ride for just a weekend excursion, but it was well worth it. The countryside air felt fresh and the landscape was amazing!
…but seriously, you can sweat it out at the temple, too…I promise ;)
A few weekends ago, Aran and I stayed at Golgulsa which is a temple in Gyeongju in Gyeongsanbuk Province. The program was for two days, one night, so we departed Seoul early Saturday morning and arrived at Golgulsa five hours later. It’s a long bus ride for just a weekend excursion, but it was well worth it. The countryside air felt fresh and the landscape was amazing!
Scenery & Landscape. Golgulsa is located at the foot of Mt. Hamwol and has a unique Buddhist history that dates back to the 6th century. It’s home to a stone Buddha carving dating over 1500 years ago, surrounded by limestone caves used for meditation and prayer. The area surrounding the temple is covered in trees, and a trail winds around and climbs up the forested area, leading to a breathtaking view of the grounds. The temples have all been restored and stand tall, looking beautiful and mystical against the sky.
Sleeping. I’ve had the pleasure to stay at two temples and for both experiences, accommodations meant sleeping on the heated, wooden floors. No mattress, just two comforters and a pillow and the cozy warmth of the floor heating to snuggle with. Aran and I shared a room, which contained two large storage cabinets, a fridge and a bathroom. Having our own bathroom was a luxury, as our last temple stay we had to use the communal bath and shower room, which was on another floor far from where we slept. Sleeping on the floor for an evening or two isn’t so bad, and I’ve actually felt quite comfortable and slept pretty well considering.
Temple Food. Nothing makes me happier than indulging at the temple. Being vegetarian, Aran and I are in bliss at every meal. The temple really looks after you during your stay with a solid three meals a day. But beware. Never take more than you can eat because wasting food is not an option. It is encouraged to only take what you think you can eat and if you are still hungry, you may go up for seconds. Monks on the other hand, have a different view. They only eat enough to sustain themselves, which I noticed is very little food compared to the portions Aran and I were taking to sustain ourselves…oops!
Meditation & Bowing. Waking before dawn in order to practice proper meditation and bowing is usually the norm of any temple stay program. We both set our alarm for 4 a.m. as temple was to begin at 4:30. A quick rinse of the face and brush of the teeth and we were off, bundled in our winter gear, making our way up the steep incline to the temple located at the very top of the hill. We were told that the top temple was our location for meditation, but the path leading there was pitch black and looked very scary, so we decided to head to a closer temple where we saw lights on and the walk seemed less treacherous. When we arrived, bowing had already begun, so we took our place along the women’s side of the temple and kneeled on our mats. Looking around, I didn’t see any familiar faces of those who were in our program, just Korean people who looked like they knew what they were doing. It would seem that we had stumbled into an actual session of worship. We looked at each other, shrugged and decided to stay. Already knowing how to properly bow and having practiced meditation, made staying a possibility for us. We just followed along with everyone else and successfully bowed and meditated. This really made for an authentic temple experience and one I’ll never forget.
Meditation & Bowing. Waking before dawn in order to practice proper meditation and bowing is usually the norm of any temple stay program. We both set our alarm for 4 a.m. as temple was to begin at 4:30. A quick rinse of the face and brush of the teeth and we were off, bundled in our winter gear, making our way up the steep incline to the temple located at the very top of the hill. We were told that the top temple was our location for meditation, but the path leading there was pitch black and looked very scary, so we decided to head to a closer temple where we saw lights on and the walk seemed less treacherous. When we arrived, bowing had already begun, so we took our place along the women’s side of the temple and kneeled on our mats. Looking around, I didn’t see any familiar faces of those who were in our program, just Korean people who looked like they knew what they were doing. It would seem that we had stumbled into an actual session of worship. We looked at each other, shrugged and decided to stay. Already knowing how to properly bow and having practiced meditation, made staying a possibility for us. We just followed along with everyone else and successfully bowed and meditated. This really made for an authentic temple experience and one I’ll never forget.
Sunmudo. Sunmudo is an ancient Buddhist martial art, now used to promote peaceful meditation and yoga. We were lucky enough to be able to learn some moves and practice with one of the monks. It ended up being quite the workout for us, but the monk barely broke a sweat. He also called me out while practicing as I was cheating on one of the moves, making it easier on myself. He kindly took notice by looking at me and making a little announcement of what NOT to do while kicking. Although quite strenuous and feeling like death while learning some basics, this was a once in a lifetime experience. Golgulsa is known worldwide for this practice and people come from all over to learn Sunmudo here.
Tea Time and Monk Talks. Our temple stay ended with a tea ceremony and a question & answer period with one of the monks. Our monk considered himself a ‘Baby Monk’, which explained his fancy cell phone and quick fingers when using the Korean/English translation application. He could speak English quite well, but often used his app on his phone when at a loss for words. The best moment for me came when Aran posed one simple question for Baby Monk. She asked what he believed to be the best advice he could give us to take home, and use in our daily lives. He pondered her question for what seemed an eternity and I thought she had stumped him.
Finally, he replied, “Pay attention to your breath. We breathe every day and never pay attention to this, but worry about everything else”. He went on to explain what he meant, and I sat there, listening intently...just letting it all sink in…listening to only his words, in that moment. I wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone. My mind was completely in tune and open. I was relaxed and taking notice of my breath. It really was a great moment.
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