What is a temple stay?
A temple stay in Korea involves visiting a traditional Buddhist temple. They can last anywhere from one day to a full week! You can spend your time experiencing the life of Buddhist practitioners and learn different aspects of Buddhist culture and history.
How to find a temple stay?
I found my stay on the Templestay website. Here, you can search for different temples based on location or by experience. The website makes it very easy to find exactly what you’re looking for and helps you book your stay as well!
How to get there?
The easiest way to get to any of these temples is most definitely by car. If you have your own car in Korea or have the appropriate international driving permit to allow you to rent one, that would be ideal.
I, unfortunately, did not have that option. Instead, I had to resort to public transportation. Luckily, public transport in Korea is generally really good. When you’re going to more remote places like these temple stays, however, it can be a bit more of a challenge.
If you’re taking public transportation you might have to walk a bit from the closest bus stop. So, I would recommend packing light and leaving your rolling suitcases at home. Backpacks are definitely ideal!
What should I bring?
Luckily, you don’t really need to bring much! Most temples will provide you with a uniform, so you only need to bring a shirt to wear underneath the vest. I would bring comfortable shoes in case you’ll be doing some activities outside.
If you’re staying overnight, the temple will provide you will bedding, but you’ll need to bring your own towel and toiletries.
If you’re going in the colder months, definitely bring a thicker shirt to wear under your uniform vest and a jacket or sweater when it gets chilly at night.
Also! Definitely bring a water bottle. They don’t use paper cups, but you’ll be able to fill your water bottle with drink fountains or water dispensers.
What should I expect?
The beauty of there being so many different temple stays in Korea is that every temple stay experience will be unique! Most temple stays will involve silence and meditation, delicious vegan food, and the 108 prostrations. The main purpose of these temple stays is to learn more about Buddhist culture while also finding peace within yourself.
I recommend doing some research into the different temple stay options and finding the schedule that fits best with you.
My temple stay experience
When I was looking to book a temple stay experience, I was searching for a more active and unique itinerary. While I do enjoy meditation, I wanted to find something that involved a bit more.
I ended up coming across the Golgulsa temple near Gyeongju. I booked a 2-day 1-night stay over the weekend. This temple specializes in Seonmudo which is a meditative martial arts.
Day 1
We took a city bus from the Gyeongju bus terminal and fully expected to trek the final 10 minutes on foot from the bus stop. However, when we arrived there was a shuttle van waiting to give us a ride for the final stretch of our journey!
14:30 – Check-in was fairly simple. Since we already paid online, we didn’t need to worry about exchanging any further money. They gave us a map and itinerary for our stay as well as our uniform and bedding.
15:00 – After putting out stuff in our lodging, we were able to see a Seonmudo performance at the main temple building. It was truly amazing to watch and it was clear that the performers are masters of their craft.
16:30 – After a small orientation, we were able to learn some beginner Seonmudo moves! This definitely felt a bit more like a warm-up, but it was still nice to get a bit active during our stay.
17:40 – Then, we completed (tried) our 108 prostations. I’m not going to lie, I fully failed at this lol. The speed is very fast. I maybe would have been able to complete it had I been going at my own pace. I still think this is a really good experience and definitely something to try!
18:00 – After our prostrations, it was time for dinner! I used to be vegan, so was very comfortable with the food selections. As a rule, you’re meant to be silent during meals to allow for further meditation.
18:30 – After dinner, we had some free time before bed, so we traveled back to the main temple where we watched the Seonmudo performance. Lucky for us, all of the lanterns were turned on and it really felt like a magical experience.
21:00 – As our wake-up call was for 5 am, we all had an early night to get as much rest as possible.
Day 2
05:00 – We were woken up by a steady sound of a gong. and swiftly got ready to begin our morning meditation.
05:30 – We joined an optional morning chanting service and meditation. Although I was exhausted, this kind of active meditation felt really nice.
06:10 – After our indoor meditation, we began walking meditation. This was again a silent walk through the woods to the main temple building. When we reached our destination we did some stretching and then made our way back down.
06:30 – Next, was another delicious meal in the food hall.
09:00 – As we booked the weekend stay, we took a small van to the beach to do some additional meditation and Seonmudo. Although it was a little rainy, we made the best of our situation and still had a really nice time walking along the coast and meditating on the beach.
11:40 – When we came back it was time for our final meal. (I will miss you, delicious temple food)
12:00 – Finally, it was time to check out and make our way back home.
I had such a good experience at this temple stay and would love to do it again here or at another location. I even found another temple stay in Jeollabuk-do that offers a tea-making and drinking experience.
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