Ⅹ. Temple Stay for Foreigners

Through the temple stay program, several Korean temples are opened to foreigners in order to offer opportunities to experience the traditional culture of Korean Buddhism. This program was originally implemented during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and garnered many positive reactions from participants.

The temple stay program offers visitors the chance to stay in a Korean temple for several days and experience the daily life of a Korean temple. The temple becomes active at 3 am and various ceremonies and daily activities continue throughout the day until 9 pm. During one day there are several programs that introduce the culture of Korean Buddhism, such as Yebool (Buddhist ceremony service), Cham-seon (meditation), Da-do (tea-ceremony), Balwoo-gongyang (eating manners), as well as others.

Prior to starting this program, all participants learn basic manners in the Buddhist temple and the Buddha Hall. Dress in the temple should be clean and conservative and visitors should avoid revealing clothes and bare feet as well as heavy makeup. Inside the temple they should be quiet and calm. Visitors should not speak loudly, run, or sing. Smoking is not allowed and drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden. Men and women should also avoid intimate physical contact.

At the time of entering the Buddha Hall, among three entrances, visitors can use either side entrance, but must avoid using the front or center entrance. Before entering the hall, visitors must remove their shoes. Among the available programs, Yebool is a Buddhist ceremony service. Korean temples perform Yebool three times a day; at 3 am, 11 am, and 6 pm. The Yebool pays respect to Sakyamini Buddha and his disciples. During the act of Yebool, participants maintain a calm and quiet composure, in body and mind. Even without understanding the chanting of Yebool, participants will hear and experience this totally harmonious ceremony.


Cham-seon is another wonderful experience during the temple stay. It is a form of Seon meditation, which is the Korean style of Zen meditation. Cham-seon means contemplation or intuition, and through this one finds one’s own true self. There are two forms of Cham-seon, sitting and walking.

Before starting Cham-seon, one assumes the most comfortable position, while holding his or her back straight. Walking meditation is a break after long sitting meditation. One slowly walks around the Meditation Hall with harmonious steps and breathing.
Da-do is a tea ceremony. Rather than just drinking tea, this is a form of meditation. While drinking tea one should sit quietly.

Balwoo-gongyang is a Buddhist meal with traditional bowls. In Buddhism, gongyang means eating, and balwoo are bowls containing a moderate amount of rice and vegetables. The spirit of the Balwoo-gongyang is equality, cleanliness, thrift, and togetherness. Equality means everybody shares the same food equally, and cleanliness means the food is cooked in a clean environment. Thrift means there is no waste, and togetherness means social unity and harmony can be enhanced through this eating style.

Balwoo-gongyang is performed three times a day. During this time, one sits in the lotus position and private talking is not allowed.
Before Balwoo-gongyang, there is pre-meal chant. This chant also presents the spirit of Buddhist harmonious life and thinking of others. Calculating how much effort went into producing this food, one contemplates where this food came from. One also reflects on whether our own virtue is worthy of this offering. The main task is to guard the mind and leave behind faults like craving and so forth. We should receive this food in order to complete the task of enlightenment.