Temple Stay
General Outline
This is a place to experience the daily activities of Buddhist trainees.
This is where you can experience a sense of inner peace at a quiet temple where the traditional cultures and a natural environment are exquisitely blended. Buddhism, which is imprinted in the spiritual culture of the Korean people, spread its cultural spirit and cultivated highly disciplined lifestyles in every temple in this land. The daily life at the temple begins early in the morning with a bell sounding to start the morning worship. People sit quietly with clear minds to offer food to Buddha and to pay homage to him, which enriches the spiritual world of the participants. You may take a quiet walk on a path in the woods to get away from everyday attachments, or you may appreciate a cup of tea to build precious relationships with one another.
The ultimate purpose of the temple stay is to find your true self in the spirit of forgotten traditional cultures and nature. This is the turning point of heading back to an everyday life with an enriched, spiritual mind. We would like to invite you all to our mountain temple.
The Pre-dawn Ceremonial Service
In the pre-dawn darkness at 3a.m., the gentle, rhythmic sound of the mokt'ak and the chants of a monk break the silence. The monk chants Buddhist prayers in accompaniment to the sound of the mokt'ak with the fervent hope that all who hear the chanting will open their eyes and ears to Buddha's teachings, and that the chanting will relieve all visible and invisible beings of their burdens, leading them into the great awakening.
As soon as the monk finishes the chants for waking and purification, a bell is rung in the Main Buddha Hall. This is then followed by the playing of four percussion instruments.
The first of these, the large drum, is made of cowhide and is played to summon all earthbound creatures to the world of enlightenment. The suspended wooden fish is hollowed out from the bottom and drumsticks are played within it to summon all aquatic beings. The cloud-shaped gong is struck to summon all airborne creatures, and the large bell is tolled to summon all beings suffering in the netherworlds. The playing of these four instruments is symbolic of the Bodhisattva dedication to relieving all forms of life of their burdens and sufferings, and to lead them into a pain-free world of liberation.
As soon as the monk finishes the chants for waking and purification, awakened by this initial chanting, everyone washes up and prepares for the ceremonial service in the Main Buddha Hall. As soon as the monk finishes his rounds, other monks play the four percussion instruments in turn, and attendees file silently up to the Main Buddha Hall, where they perform the three prostrations of refuge and sit quietly awaiting the beginning of the service. The cloud-shaped gong is struck to summon all airborne creatures, and the large bell is tolled to summon all beings suffering in the netherworlds. The playing leads people into the pain-free world of liberation. Then, attendants chant the following.
"Gyehyang, Jeonghyang, Hyehyang, Haetalhyang, Haetalchigyeonghyang"
This chant symbolizes the reappearance of Buddha's eternal Dharma Body, filling the world with the fragrances of the precepts, meditation, wisdom, liberation, and the realization of liberation. It makes life clear and bright with the fragrance, burning itself. The chant is also a vow of those chanting to literally become the embodiment of these five fragrances. This is then followed by the Chant for Offering Incense and then the Prayer of Homage, which begins "Jishim guimyeongnae" or "I fervently pray with all my heart." With all their heart, the attendees pay homage to Buddha, the Bodhisattvas Manjusri (Wisdom) and Samantabhadra (Universal Practice), Bodhidharma (the father of Seon), and all the Buddhist predecessors. Attendees perform a series of full prostrations and bows throughout the Prayer of Homage, and each is done with the utmost attention and care.
The Prayer of Homage is then followed by another prayer, the Hear of Sutra. This is the end of the pre-dawn ceremonial service. The day at a temple begins like this and it vitalizes all objects in the temple.
