Hello everyone, it
has been a while since I have written last. I am trying to fit in quite a bit
before I have to leave this amazing country. Well, I have crossed off pretty
much everything that I wanted to do while I was here. This post is the last on
the list- temple stay.
My friends and I spent two days living at a
temple, meditating, seeing/participating in various Buddhist rituals, and
eating what monks eat. Most Koreans are Buddhist, Christian or Agnostic. I
really did not know much about Buddhism except for my experiences I have had in
Cambodia and Thailand, which were quite different from Korea’s take on
Buddhism. We rode out into a suburb of Seoul and hiked up a mountain to the
temple that we would be staying at. When we arrived we were shown our quarters
and given some spiffy pajamas to wear as our uniform (one must be comfortable
in order to achieve enlightenment). Our interpreter showed us around the temple
grounds, as the monk who was guiding us only spoke Korean. The temple was
beautiful and was nestled on a foothill of a larger mountain. A small stream
ran through the grounds that overlooked the glowing city. It was strange to
look out at the lit, noisy city in a place that was so quiet and peaceful.
Once our tour of the various buildings was over it was time for dinner. The meal was like most other
ones I have had in Korea except for the absence of meat. They stressed to eat everything
that you took. After the meal we had time to explore a cave near the cafeteria. The stream ran through it and once you reached the bottom of the cave there was a small chapel set up. As the sunset we had the chance to watch a bell ringing ceremony. The giant bell, a large drum and a hollowed out wooden fish hung on a pavilion, which we all walked under when we entered the temple grounds. It was quite amazing to watch the monks perform and every time they struck the large bell the sound dissipated throughout the hills. It was a good way to put us in the mindset for what was to come next.
Percussion Deck |
Once the ceremony
was over we went onto the second floor of the main building where one of the
temples was. The monks began a chanting ceremony shortly after our group was
settled in. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the temple, but I will
try to explain what it looked like the best I can. The temple had three Buddhas
at one end; to the left of the figures was a picture of someone that had died
recently. To the right was a large mural called the guardian wall which
depicted various gods from the religions before Buddhism was spread throughout
Asia. We all sat on pillows behind the monks while they chanted. They chanted
in Korean and we were left in the dark, but it sounded quite nice. Once the
ceremony was finished we meditated for about an hour. I really liked the
meditation, however I still do not understand how Koreans can sit cross-legged
for hours on end. Maybe if you start when you are young it is easier, but I
have been at many a dinner sitting on the floor with my legs asleep. So
needless to say it was difficult to keep a clear mind with aching legs. We
eventually switched to meditation while lying down (I think that it was to
appease us foreigners). After the meditation we did 108 postulations, or in
layman’s terms we bowed 108 times for all the bad things we have done. Some of
these were the basic “I am sorry for doing wrong to others,” to more bizarre
statements that I don’t think that I have ever been guilty of e.g.- “ I
postulate in repentance for having thought that what I smelled was correct.”
We made some lotus
flower lanterns and went to bed early.
Seoul |
On the walk to our sleeping quarters |
The next morning
we woke up in the dark, it was about 4:30am when the drums started off. After a
night on the floor, getting up was difficult. I managed to get up, put on my
monk pajamas, and make it just in time for the morning chanting ceremony. After
the chanting was over we meditated for a bit longer than last time. Being
exhausted and having to sit cross-legged was a bit difficult. After meditation,
we did a bit of cleaning up around the temple. People on their way to monkdom have
to work for a few years at a temple before they start studying to become a
monk.
Once we were done with our chores, we had a
monastic meal. Once someone becomes a monk they get their robes and a set of
bowls that they will keep for the rest of their time as a monk in life. We were
given 4 different sized bowls and sat in a rectangle around the room.
The food
was located in the center of the room and we each took turns giving everyone: rice,
rice water, soup, kim chi, and vegetable condiments. The monk told our
translator what we were to do at each step of the way. We had to refrain from
talking during the meal and no food was to be wasted. Once we were finished
eating we cleaned our bowls with a yellow radish and some rice water. Once we
had cleaned each bowl two people came around and collected the rice water in a
big pot. They told us that they collected the rice water to feed “the hungry
ghost” which is one of the forms that people are reincarnated into. It can only
get nourishment from the rice water because it has a long skinny throat.
Apparently this is a very painful stage and we needed to be careful that there
was not any left over bits of food floating in the rice water, as it could get
stuck in the poor ghost’s throat. Now this may seem a bit odd, but ask yourself
does it seem as crazy as a guy building a boat in his back yard for all the
animals in the world?
I left the temple
tired and hungry, all that meditating and bowing is hard work. I was happy with
the experience that I had at the temple, spending the day with a monk gave me a
better insight into Korean Buddhism. I don’t think I will be converting any
time soon, but I was very pleased to have the opportunity to see what temple
life was like first hand.
If
you are in Korea and are looking for a good temple stay I would recommend the
one that I went on. Here is the link -> http://www.geumsunsa.org/
Also shouts out to Josh Davidson for the pics!