- HOME
- Programs Available
- Templestay
Templestay
What is Templestay?
Koreans have been practicing with Buddhism for more than 1,700 years. The Bongeunsa Templestay is a program in which you can experience Buddhist tradition through the monastic daily life and purify your mind and body. You can put your busy mind down and take a deep breath to look inside of yourself in Bongeunsa and then you can meet your true nature.
The harmony of Buddhism, tradition and human beings.
Two programs are available - one day program and overnight program in the millennial Bongeunsa temple of the city. For contemporary people who are too busy to reflect themselves, this programs willingly offer chances of introspection into your existence, relationships with others and also the right direction for your life. You will have precious time to get the wisdom through this program. The sound of Dharma Bell gives peaceful mind to the busy citizens who want to get out of the delusions.
Templestay timetable
| Division | time | program | Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day1 | 14:00~14:20 | Opening / Learning for temple etiquette | Traditional Culture Center |
| 14:20~14:40 | Assingning rooms / Wearing a uniform | ||
| 14:50~15:40 | Temple Tour | Temple grounds | |
| 15:40~16:20 | Tea Ceremony | Traditional Culture Center | |
| 16:20~17:00 | Monastic Meal | Dining Hall | |
| 17:00~17:40 | Evening Buddhist ceremonial service (Yebul) | Main Buddha Hall | |
| 18:30~19:30 | Meditation | Traditional Culture Center | |
| 17:30~21:30 | Brealc | ||
| 21:30 ~ | Lights Out | ||
| Day2 | 04:00~04:17 | Waking up | Traditional Culture Center |
| 04:30~05:00 | Morning Buddhist ceremonial service (Yebul) | Main Buddha Hall | |
| 05:00~05:40 | 108 Prostrations | Traditional Culture Center | |
| 06:00~09:00 | Monastic meal and Break time | Traditional Culture Center in a basement | |
| 09:00~10:00 | Tea conversation with sunim | Traditional Culture Center | |
| 10:00~11:00 | Survey & group photo & Clean up |
Regular Templestay program
| Division | Content |
|---|---|
| schedule | Two days and one night on every 1st Saturday to Sunday(2;00pm.~10:00am.) |
| participants | international visitors over 18 years of age |
| Fee | KR₩90,000 per person |
| reservation | By phone or e-mail (a week prior reservation is suggested) |
| language | in English |
| preparation | Toiletries(with towels), extra clothes, socks, sneakers, personal medicine, Umbrella (rainy weather), etc. |
Group Templestay program
| Division | Content |
|---|---|
| schedule | Two days and one night. available everyday |
| participants | minimum 10 up to 20 persons |
| Fee | KR\90,000 over 18 years of age |
| reservation | By phone or e-mail (a week prior reservation is suggested) |
| language | in English |
| preparation | Toiletries(with towels), extra clothes, socks, sneakers, personal medicine, Umbrella (rainy weather), etc. |
※ This schedule is subject to change without notice according to the temple’s situation
Temple Etiquette
- Please keep the noble silence during your stay in the temple.
- Smoking, drinking(alcohol) and revealing clothes are forbidden in the temple.
- Please turn off the cell phone while you are participating in the program.
- Please do not disturb other participants.
- After the program has ended, please put back your training outfit and blanket in an organized manner.
- After your stay, please clean up your room.
Yebool
A day of the temple begins with Yebool. Yebool is a ceremony that we pay respect to the Sakyamuni Buddha, Bodhisattvas and all his diciples. It affords a chance for self-reflection of practice. In the Buddhist chanting, it contains that Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, Buddha’s teachings and Shangha (the community of Buddhist monks and nuns), and wish to be a buddha through practice constantly. While you are listening to Buddhist chanting, you will feel calm and purified mind
Temple tour
Temple tour is not only visiting the Buddhist temple but experiencing Korean Buddhism and culture. Korean Buddhist temples have been the bedrock on which brilliant Korean culture has been blooming over the past 1700 years since Buddhism was first introduced to Korea. Various Buddhist cultural properties including the structure, architecture, sculpture, art, craft, Buddhist painting and Dancheong (temple paintwork) contain the teachings of the Buddha.
Cham-Seon ( Seon meditation )
Seon meditation is to cut off all thoughts. Through Cham-Seon, you can learn mindfulness and concentration. Cham-Seon is the important method of Korean Buddhist practice. We hope you look for your true nature with concentration and observation through learning the basic of Cham-Seon at the head temple of Seon sect, Bongeunsa.
Da-Seon (Tea Ceremony)
It is one of the meditations to practice of mindfulness and concentration through brewing and drinking tea. Tea and meditation are the same that is why it is said Da-Seon-il-mil. When you drink tea, your five senses work at the same time. Your eyes see the color, ears hear the sound of water, nose smells the fragrance, the tongue tastes the flavor of the tea and your hands feel the warmth of the cup.
Ulyeok (Communal Work)
Ulyeok means working together. It is also called Unyeok which means gathering individual power like cloud. In secular world, labor means a part of our life but especially in Seon sect., Ulyeok has another meaning, that is one of the important practice in the Buddhist temple. There is a famous story about Ven. Baekjang, who was a Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty, China. Despite his age 90, he did Ulyeok everyday. One day, his disciple worried his teacher’s health. So he hid his teacher’s plow. And then Ven. Baekjang didn’t have a meal that day. His disciple asked him the reason why he did not eat whole day. Then, Ven. Baekjang said, “A day without work, a day without food” This story refers that practice does not separate from our daily life.
108 Prostrations
The practice of Buddhism is by lowering myself. Bowing is to take refuge in The Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sanga), respect for others, and keep a humble mind in Buddhism. 108 defilements represent the worldly sufferings. One bow purifies one defilement
Copying Sutra(Dark blue paper, Gold ink)
Sagyeong is one of the Buddhist practices to copy sutras word by word by hand. When copying the sutra, we have respectful mind to the Buddha and write a certain amount of Sutra letters on time steadily. After finishing copying the sutra with concentration, you will learn the truth of Buddha’s teachings.
Salt Mandala
Mandala is a method of the practices in traditional Tibetan Buddhism. It is a work to fill up with colorful salt inside the circle after drawing your own shapes. Recently, Mandala is used for the one way of mind therapy, known to inspire well-balance and self-confidence as well overcoming difficulties by drawing it. Participants can obtain concentration, relaxing of the tension, and consciousness of community and purification effect of mind through this work.
Experience of Korean Traditional Culture
This is a program to experience of various (Korean) traditional culture linked with historical characteristics of Buddhist temple.You can learn many traditional culture such as Lotus Flower Lantern Making, Ingyeong ( Wood Block Printing from the Tripitaka Koreana ), Making Temple food and so on by yourself.
