Foreigner Temple Stay '09

Over the weekend I was asked to write an article about our foreigner temple stay. Here it is...

Recently I attended my third Korean Buddhist temple stay since coming to Jeju Island last September. I have been blessed to meet many monks, experience temple services and meals, holidays, and much tea drinking. And as I enter each temple, I always feel the same compassion, open-heartedness, and kindness. For me, this experience was something I needed to share with others. Many foreigners I've met have shown great interest in taking part in a temple stay but didn't know how, specifically because of the language barrier. I decided to arrange this temple stay for native English teachers after I did a similar program myself. During my first temple stay at Yakchunsa, the Abbott, Seongwon sunim (sunim means monk in Korean), invited me for tea and we talked about his desire to arrange a temple stay for a group of foreign teachers. It was a pleasure to collaborate on creating this event with Seongwon sunim. I recruited guests and suggested programs that participants would be interested in, and the Abbott did the rest - including inviting his friend and colleague Sungahn sunim from the mainland to be our host for the weekend, leading us in our native language, English.

Twenty-five foreign English teachers and one Korean teacher residing on Jeju carpooled, bussed, and biked to Yakchunsa temple at 3pm on Saturday, May 9th. Of the mostly Canadian and American participants, a few had done temple stays before. Our program began with a demonstration of correct bowing and meditating. It also began with a plethora of video cameras, photographers, and interviews which distracted somewhat from the serenity of meditating in the grandiose main hall. After we met our hosts for the weekend we were escorted on a tour of Yakchunsa and then ate dinner with traditional Bal-U bowls. As we were introduced to the different traditions, starting with the Bal-U ceremony, we were treated kindly and graciously allowed to make honest mistakes, which was nice given our hasty introduction to this complex way of eating. Sungahn sunim stressed that most temple stay participants eat this way at all of their meals, not just one. Cynthia Loiselle commented, "I want to try eating from the bowls again. They don't need to treat us any differently just because we aren't Korean-the only different we need is language!"

As the sun began to set after dinner, a massive drum and temple bell accompanied our walk to the evening service. For some participants this was their first Buddhist service, their first chance to put into practice the bowing and meditation taught to us earlier in the day. For me, this is the best part of being at a temple, standing under the enormous Buddha statues, listening to the chanting, feeling the collective energy of those absorbed in quiet meditation and peace. Overlooking the southern coast of the island, Yakchunsa is the second largest temple on Jeju. Tourists pour in daily by the busload to see the 3 towering Buddha statues in the main hall, the hall of Buddha's 500 disciples, and the pristine ocean view. Because of its popularity as a tourist attraction, not many people besides the monks in residence get to see the calm, quiet nature of Yakchun temple after the visitors leave as we did that evening and into the next morning.

Our evening activity was to paint a likeness of "Dharma" guided by a well-known monk living at Yakchunsa. We watched as he skillfully painted the thin canvas, and then showed us step-by-step how to paint in the ancient style. This proved to be far more challenging than it looked, but it was a fun hour and a nice keepsake from our weekend. Before bed we had our first open session to ask Sungahn sunim any questions about his life or Buddhism. A nice discussion was had, but I think many participants were hoping more for a specific teaching about Buddhist philosophy or precepts. We were then sent to bed a little before 10pm in preparation for the early morning ahead.

At 4:00am we woke to the sound of temple postulants - monks in training - hitting a wooden traditional instrument (moktak) and chanting our wake-up call. Bleary eyed, we made our way up the steps accompanied again by the temple bell and drum to the morning service. Fortunately, the weather in Jungmun that weekend was perfect and the warm spring morning, chirping birds, and smell of Jeju citrus flowers cushioned our pre-dawn rising. It wasn't quite enough cushioning, however, to hold back the pain of 108 bows at 5:30am. After the first 20 or 30, my mind began to clear and the physical repetition of bowing before the great Buddha statue became a moving meditation. Will Wilkinson, an English teacher living in Seogwipo said, "I felt like the temple stay was worth trying once. It was interesting, often enjoyable, and hard on the knees. Meeting and interacting with a few of the monks on a more personal level was enough to correct some illusions about Buddhist monastic life. Overall, I think it's got to be one of the most hardcore ways to experience one part of Korean culture on Jeju."

Breakfast and lunch we ate buffet style with the temple staff and guests in the main dining hall. Our morning activities passed quickly with many breaks to sit or walk quietly on the sunny temple grounds or chat with Seongwon sunim or Sungahn sunim who were both happy to answer questions and talk of their personal experiences. We had another discussion session after breakfast with Sungahn sunim who talked openly of his travels abroad, his path to Buddhism, and his lifestyle as a monk. Another guest teacher then greeted us, a woman trained in Korean traditional tea service, who taught us how to serve and receive Korean green tea. The local Jeju green tea was delicious, and most of us wanted to stay and drink more! We closed our weekend with a ceremony in the main hall and, again, many photographs to commemorate our stay at Yakchunsa. Julia Addison, a Canadian temple stay participant, had this to say about her experience: "I really enjoyed the temple stay program. It was a great way to learn more about Buddhism and see first hand the different activities and traditions that Buddhists carry out. Yakchunsa is a gorgeous temple and provided an atmosphere that was relaxing and calming. Both Sungahn sunim and the head monk were very welcoming and open, making it easy to ask questions and feel comfortable."

For Yakchun Temple and our gracious hosts, there were many obstacles in hosting this particular temple stay, the most obvious being language. The English teachers who took part have lived in Korea anywhere from 1 month to 4 years and so the Korean language ability was quite varied. Therefore having a monk who could speak to us in English was integral to our experience. We were also assisted by a Korean English teacher who wanted to experience the temple stay and help translate and support our program. The size of the group created a lot of work for the temple staff and postulants who assisted in every aspect of our weekend. It also attracted media attention which added some excitement but overall took away from the authenticity of the program. Lastly, our temple stay was scheduled for an extremely busy time of year, right after Buddha's Birthday and Children's Day. Thank you to the monks, postulants, and staff at Yakchunsa who worked incredibly hard to provide this experience for 25 Westerners.

I think what we all took away from this experience was the graciousness and warmheartedness that the Buddha taught and that continues to live in the practice of Buddhism. Through this experience, participants were able to gain at least a little understanding of the monastic way of life in Korea. Specifically, we gained a physical knowledge of how to bow, meditate, and conduct ourselves in the temple, a chance to be beaten with a stick - the punishment for falling asleep during meditation - and the feeling of openness and kindness that always accompanies a temple visit. Buddhists open their hearts to people of all nationalities, races, and religious backgrounds. Anyone can participate in a temple stay or simply a discussion with a Buddhist monk about their way of life or their beliefs. I am grateful for this particular temple stay experience, specifically having shared it with other foreigners open to embracing a lifestyle completely different from their own.

The Hall of Buddha's 500 Disciples

Seongwon Sunim & I at my 1st temple stay with Emily