The temple has an education building across the street from it that organizes overnight Temple Stays, which is what I did at the temple. The Temple Stays allow you to learn about Buddhism from a monk, learn to meditate, share a monastic meal and more. One of the highlights of the program is waking up at 3AM to the sound of the temple bells and walking to the temple to pray with the monks. It was unbelievably empowering and calming to be bowing and praying alongside the chanting monks in the early morning. It was especially meaningful since I had learned about the purpose of the bows and did group exercises to reflect on my life the previous evening. After the morning prayers at the temple with the monk we performed the traditional 108 bows. The entire temple stay group arranged our pillows in a circle and rotated as we bowed 108 times. You are supposed to ask for forgiveness or offer a prayer/wish with each bow. I was really surprised by how spiritually moved I felt by the entire experience.
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| Some of the Koreans who participated in the Temple Stay |
Another really powerful component of the temple stay was learning about the Buddhist belief of cause and effect. The monk who worked with my group continually stressed that the only way to lead a fulfilling life and to help other, particularly your family, is to first help yourself and find your own inner happiness. One way to do this is by offering compliments because Buddhists believe that if you continually offer positivity that positivity will then return to you. In order to witness this we were asked to compliment the various members of our program whom we had only known for a few hours. Each person took a turn receiving compliments from all the other members of the group. We then embraced and bowed to each other. Buddhists believe everyone is precious and unique and therefore should be celebrated and bowed to by others. The exercises were initially a little awkward but it was remarkable how quickly we all become comfortable with each other. The positive effects of the exercises were readily felt by all of us.
Another wonderful aspect of the weekend was learning to meditate. We learned how to meditate both sitting and walking. Buddhists believe in valuing all forms of life and therefore spend a lot of time connecting with nature. We went on a walk in the mountains behind the temple and were instructed on how to meditate and connect with nature. It was a really powerful experience, especially for an earthy, environmentalist, like me.
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| We listened to traditional music before having tea with a monk |
After my wonderful weekend at the temple concluded I had time to go on a short hike in Seoul before heading home. I then took the subway to Mt. Achasan in Seoul- I still can't get over how AMAZING it is that you can take the subway to so many incredible hikes right in the heart of Seoul. I then climbed Mt. Achasan before walking along the mountain's ridge to Mt. Yongmasan. The entire hike up Mt. Achasan and down Mt. Yongmasan only took 2 hours but offered incredible views of Seoul and the Han River. I was continually stunned by the incredible views throughout the hike. Moreover, I was surprised by how kind Koreans were to me when they saw me hiking alone. Many Koreans came up to me offering me directions. I ended up chatting with an older Korean couple on my way down the mountain and they eventually invited me to come home with them to drink makgeoli and eat dinner. I really wanted to go but unfortunately their home was too far away. Maybe next time!
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| The Korean couple that invited me to dinner |
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