Since moving to Korea, I have been enamored by the colorful Buddhist temples all over the country which I can assure you are quite a different aesthetic of the southern Baptist churches in North Carolina. Moving to Korea has afforded me the opportunity to explore Korean Buddhism, and one of those ways was with a recent temple stay.

Nestled in the base of Sognisan Mountain is Beopjusa Temple (translates to Buddha stays here). Estimated to have its earliest beginnings traced back to 553 AD, Beopjusa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a 100-foot bronze Buddha. It is also home the only five story wooden pagoda in Korea (Palsangjeon). The grounds itself are rich in history and culture, and this temple is one of the 26 temples in Korea that offers a temple stay program.

A temple stay program is where you have a chance to immerse yourself in Korean Buddhism and essentially live like the monks for a day (or two depending on your program). Upon arrival, I checked in with a program leader who provided me with the uniform for the duration of the program, then directed me to my room and advised me of the orientation time. The room is simple by design, you are provided with a mat for sleeping and if you want to pay a little extra, you can have a full bathroom in your room with a shower.

*Temple stay accommodations at Beopjusa*

*Templestay room at Beopjusa (pillows and linens were provided)*

During orientation, I met the others in our group-a group that was comprised of three Germans, two Belgians, one Scandinavian and one Greek along with myself from the United States. After brief introductions, we learned the history of the temple, Buddhism in Korea as well as temple etiquette-i.e how and when to hapjang, when to kowtow and how to respectfully walk around temple grounds.

For those completely not familiar with Buddhism, or Korean Buddhism I’ll define some terms as they were explained to me. Hapjang is when you clasp your palms together in front of you while standing and perform a half bow, bending at the waist. Typically, you will do this upon entering the temple grounds, such as in front of the bronze buddha at Beopjusa and it is a considered a sign of respect towards others. When entering the temple, you perform three bows (prostrations): first to show devotion to Buddha, the second for Buddha’s teachings (dharma) and the third for the Buddhist community. A kowtow is when you kneel to the ground and place your head on the ground in front of you. Lastly while walking around the temple, you should have your hands in the “chasu” position, placing your right hand over top of your left.

*Our temple stay guide James giving us a history of the temple and grounds*

After the temple tour, I followed everyone to the dining hall for our first meal, dinner. Meals are buffet style comprised of very clean and healthy vegetarian Korean dishes such as tofu, seaweed salads, soups, fruits and of course, kimchi. After we ate, we washed our dishes and placed them in the drying rack which would become routine for us after each meal. Pro tip, get there early before the food runs out!

At 6:30 PM, reminiscent of elementary school days, we lined up two by two in front of our lodging and silently made our way out to the temple grounds for the start of the evening Buddhist ceremony (Yebul). The ceremony began with the playing of the Dharma drum, followed by the ringing of the temple bell, the wooden fish and concluding with the cloud gong.

*Monk playing the drum at Beopjusa Temple*

The ceremony the first evening was mesmerizing to be a part of. Though I could not understand most of it, they provided the translation on a laminated sheet to make it easier to follow along. The whole experience was completely new to me though I did find some similarities to Christian worship services.

The great thing about a temple stay is having the grounds virtually to yourself in the evening and early mornings. After the evening ceremony we were dismissed and free to roam the grounds until closing. Some took to meditation on the grounds, others to selfies with Buddha and I myself found a nice tree to sit under to write and observe. The mountain air was crisp, birds chirped loudly all around and the beat from the monks still worshipping played off in the distance.

*Above: Templestay attendees at sunset*
*Below: Our snazzy uniforms and my turn posing with Buddha*

Lights in our rooms were required to be out by 9:30 PM- we had a 4 AM wakeup the following morning so that was fine by me. By 4:20 AM we were back in our uniforms standing in our two-by-two line to walk to the morning ceremony. After the morning ceremony, we performed our 108 prostrations (act of repentance) and strung our prayer beads. No one in our group really had any idea of what to expect for this portion, so when our guide, James, explained we would have to perform 108 kowtows, some of our eyes widened in surprise as we all looked around at each other.

You perform one kowtow, string a bead, stand back up and repeat, 108 times. I performed 109 unknowingly since I had an extra bead so that was an extra for good measure. Throughout the prostrations the girl next to me and I fell in sync and we simultaneously completed them together as if having our own little race to finish-and we did, finish first in case you were wondering.

It took about 30 minutes to string prayer beads, then after that we were dismissed for breakfast. There was some free time after breakfast and most of the group crawled back onto the sleeping mats for a much-needed snooze. Post free time, we reassembled for a two-hour hike down the road that King Json took walked when he came to Beopjusa. It was a beautiful stroll in lush greenery complete with views of the mountains and water.

After our morning hike, we gathered for one last meal together before heading our separate ways. Many in the group were continuing further south in their travels across Korea, some venturing north back to Seoul, and I was heading home to Pyeongtaek via a two-hour drive.

Our program didn’t have a tea ceremony ritual which I was really looking forward to, so I am planning to do another stay at a different temple in the near future. Perfect weather, Korean culture and new acquaintances from across the world created an experience I will never forget.

Booking Information: https://eng.templestay.com (select your temple choice from the drop down)

Cost: Adult 80,000 won/child 40,000. For 100,000 won you can have your own room with a shower.

Address: 405 Beopjusa-ro, Songnisan-myeon, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea

Parking: For templestay attendees, you let the gate guard know you are there for the temple stay and they will direct you to park near the program housing.

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