Old Korea: Buddhist Temple Stay at Gyeongju

You can’t get very far in South Korea without encountering a Buddhist temple, especially if you spend time in the mountains. From the tiniest shrine to the largest temple complexes with multiple halls, South Korea’s mountains are filled with religious sites open to visitors. Although now there are also temples in cities, historically mountains were the refuge of Buddhist monks and practitioners looking for a safe place to worship. During the heavily Confucian Joseon Dynasty, Buddhist practices were not welcome, forcing Buddhism into the hills. Only after many Korean Buddhist monks helped to end Japanese colonialism in the 20th century were Buddhists allowed to practice freely again.

These days, Buddhism is widely practiced in South Korea. According to the 2015 national census, about 16% of South Koreans call themselves Buddhist. (And that count may be low. The census was criticized for potentially undercounting religious populations.) Countless more Koreans are influenced by the Buddhist philosophies and traditions that are deeply imbedded in Korean culture.

Temple Stay

Many Korean temples offer Temple Stay, an opportunity for visitors to experience and learn about temple life. Buddhists typically are open to those of many different faiths, making temples and Buddhist practices accessible to those who espouse different religions. Following pandemic-related closures, many Temple Stays re-opened in the spring, enabling us to stay overnight at Golgulsa (골굴사), a historic sacred site near Gyeongju that has been given new life in recent years.

We arrived for our Temple Stay unsure exactly what to expect, though there is a good English-language website to access for making reservations. A taxi dropped us off at the Golgulsa gate, hoping that we were in the right place!

Fortunately, friendly staff at the Temple Stay office just inside the gates helped us to get settled, giving us a schedule for our two days at the temple and showing us to our room. An English-speaking member of the staff assisted us and was also our translator for any sessions during our stay when one was required. As Temple Stay typically involves wearing temple clothing, the staff also showed us the proper way to wear our borrowed clothes.

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We weren’t sure we’d be able to stay in a room together as often the temples have only gender-segregated housing, but because of COVID Golgulsa was keeping each household in a room together. Given that our simple space had just a couple of mats and sheets to place on the floor for sleeping, making up our room didn’t take much time! In traditional Korean style, the floor was cozily heated and not too uncomfortable for sleeping.

On the afternoon of our arrival, we were invited to ring the temple’s big bell. These bells are important symbols of Korean Buddhism, sometimes acting as a call to worship, but more broadly meant to encourage hearers to experience a moment of peace and opening the heart.

Golgulsa History and Practices

Buddhism first was introduced to the Korean peninsula in 372 CE, about 800 years after the death of the historical Buddha. It was not seen as a threat to the indigenous shamanistic religions in the region and in its early years was often blended with shamanist practices. Scholars have speculated that over time, some mountain sites originally sacred to nature-centered shamanism eventually became Buddhist temples.

At Golgul Temple, there is a hillside stone Buddha carving on Mount Hamwol that is over 1500 years old. Though the site had been a Buddhist temple since the 6th century, it was destroyed by fire in the 18th century and was no longer in use. Beginning in 1990, Buddhist monk Grandmaster Seol Jeog Un rebuilt and restored the temple.

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A meditation walk winds up the mountainside past a number of shrines where worshipers may stop for prayer, the oldest carved Buddha at its pinnacle. The Temple Stays teach that Buddhist meditative practices are open to all, regardless of the religion they espouse. Respectful interaction and reverence toward all living creatures are emphasized.

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Once the temple was rebuilt, Grandmaster Seol Jeog Un made Golgulsa the headquarters of a meditative martial arts practice called Sunmudo. The temple accepts students from all over the world who want to learn this unique martial art, as well as those who want to learn more about Buddhism through a short Temple Stay. Though due to the pandemic the temple currently cannot host its usual number of students or maintain its public exhibitions, those practitioners in residence (Devas Guardians) allowed us to watch their daily Sunmudo practice. Sunmudo is also depicted in artwork around the temple complex.

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Staying at Gulgulsa

During our 24 hours at Golgulsa, we kept a schedule and style of sleeping, eating, and meditating consistent with Buddhist temple practices. Because this temple is focused on teaching a meditative martial art, some of our meditation times were seated and silent, and others were more like a yoga class: breathing meditation combined with stretching and balance exercises.

We learned how to bow properly in the Buddhist style, including how to bow from a standing position onto the floor for the 108 Prostrations, a meditative exercise meant to break the cycle of human suffering by integrating the mind and body. Although the number 108 is significant and comes from multiplying the numbers of several concepts (such as the senses, the number of potential human reactions, and then multiplying for the past, present, and future), the actual number of prostrations completed is not important. The idea is for the practice to become a meditation. Simply stated, the goal of meditation in Buddhist practice is to gain awareness of the impermanence of material world and passing emotions and to focus the mind on higher truths.

Mornings at the temple include getting up by 5:00am to attend morning meditation with the monks at 5:30. We were able to follow along with some of the chants thanks to books we were given with transliterated Korean text, as well as English translations so we could understand the meaning. We were also able to participate in playing the moktak, small wooden block instruments used for keeping time during morning and evening chanting. The moktak makes the hollow drumming sound you often hear when walking past temples in Korea, should you be lucky enough to pass one during a meditation time.

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Meals were served in a large Korean-style dining room with seating at low tables on the floor. Each meal was basically bibimbap – steamed rice served with a variety of vegetarian dishes. Only four visitors were present while we were there, plus the small number of monks and staff at the temple, so we felt very safe during our stay.

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Before we left the temple, we were able to have tea with Grandmaster Seol Jeog Un, the founder of Golgulsa. He answered our questions about the temple and about Buddhism in general. We learned that Buddhist monks in Korea typically have many years of education, completing four years of undergraduate study at a minimum. In order to take positions of higher leadership within their order, they must complete additional studies. Monks are able to apply to the temple they wish to join, and most move around to different temples throughout their career. They typically do not spend all of their time meditating but often have jobs similar to those of parish priests.

Golgulsa provided us a unique Temple Stay experience, learning about a new temple built on a very old spiritual site. After many years of practicing yoga, I appreciated the opportunity to learn a new meditative practice incorporating movement. As for the chemist, he was a good sport and participated in all of the exercises, even though yoga and meditation are not typically his thing! Because Temple Stay is meant to be a learning opportunity, the sessions are made accessible to anyone who wants to try a practice, regardless of their previous experience.

Temple Stay was just one of our adventures in Gyeongju. You can learn more about the historic area by visiting our recent post.

Don’t miss our last stop in Gyeongju, when we will visit ancient spiritual sites Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto.