This weekend 4 of my girlfriends and I went to a Temple Stay and spent one night and 2 days. We went to learn about Buddhism and life of the monks and nuns...
Here is inside of the chanting room. People bow 108 times and hold a rosary looking neclace with 108 beads so they don't loose count.
PoHwa Sunim, the head monk, taught us how to bow properly. First you bend down on your knees, put your right hand then left hand down (shoulder width), then your elbows down, then your shins and cross your feet, and then your head and lift your hands up. THe idea is to put your whole entire body to the ground.
The weekend was relaxing, in some ways, as you can see with Kelly's sprawl...
Here is the front of HwaGye Sa (the Temple we stayed at in
Northern Seoul).
Here is PoHwa Sunim. The head monk. He was great. He spoke great English and always had funny little jokes. Like when we walked in, just before meditation and sat on the mats in the meditation room with all of the other people. He stopped and asked if we had entered a model contest, lol. A bit embarrasing, but, broke the ice. He was great fun. We were given these outfits to wear too.
We did 5 -- half hour sessions of silent mediation. The idea is to keep your mind free of all thoughts. It was really hard. It got a bit eaiser during the end. But it's also hard to stay still and legs crossed. The monks sure show a lot of dedication and determination.
We slept 5 girls in one room. We had blankets and pillows for the floor. After a day of mediation, bowing, chanting, tea and lessons...it was lights out at 9pm...3 am rising for Mediation!
After 3 am mediation and 4 am chanting we had an hour break until breakfast, so we went for a walk to watch the sun rise, and hit up the outdoor gym to stretch out a bit ha ha.
Here is inside of the chanting room. People bow 108 times and hold a rosary looking neclace with 108 beads so they don't loose count.
PoHwa Sunim, the head monk, taught us how to bow properly. First you bend down on your knees, put your right hand then left hand down (shoulder width), then your elbows down, then your shins and cross your feet, and then your head and lift your hands up. THe idea is to put your whole entire body to the ground.
The weekend was relaxing, in some ways, as you can see with Kelly's sprawl...
Here is the front of HwaGye Sa (the Temple we stayed at in
Northern Seoul).
Here is PoHwa Sunim. The head monk. He was great. He spoke great English and always had funny little jokes. Like when we walked in, just before meditation and sat on the mats in the meditation room with all of the other people. He stopped and asked if we had entered a model contest, lol. A bit embarrasing, but, broke the ice. He was great fun. We were given these outfits to wear too.
Hwagyesa Temple was built
in 1522 by Zen Master Shin Wol and has been the home to many Korean Zen Masters. But people from all over the world can come to practice togetherness and find their true nature.
We did 5 -- half hour sessions of silent mediation. The idea is to keep your mind free of all thoughts. It was really hard. It got a bit eaiser during the end. But it's also hard to stay still and legs crossed. The monks sure show a lot of dedication and determination.
We slept 5 girls in one room. We had blankets and pillows for the floor. After a day of mediation, bowing, chanting, tea and lessons...it was lights out at 9pm...3 am rising for Mediation!
At the end of each month, they have people come to show their respect and they bow, not 108 times, but 3000 times in the middle of the night, and they chant over and over. Wow for dedication. It was hard to sleep because we heard them all night, and it was so hard to go to bed so early too! We felt like we were back in Girl Guides Camp!
After 3 am mediation and 4 am chanting we had an hour break until breakfast, so we went for a walk to watch the sun rise, and hit up the outdoor gym to stretch out a bit ha ha.
For breakfast we had rice and vegetables (same as dinner the night before).
This was the best part. At 6:30 PoHwa took us on a Mountain Hike....
The temple backs onto the mountain. On the way up, we played yelling back and forth games with another group from far away. We yelled in Korea "Cow Horn" because the Mountain's is 3 Cow Horns, because the top of it has 3 big bumps.
The group...
We hung out at the top of the mountain for a few hours, and did some yoga poses for fun :)
We left by noon, and had already put in an 8 hour day! We bought some bracelets with (108) beads. A challenging weekend, mentally, but relaxing and serene all in the same breath.
This was the best part. At 6:30 PoHwa took us on a Mountain Hike....
The temple backs onto the mountain. On the way up, we played yelling back and forth games with another group from far away. We yelled in Korea "Cow Horn" because the Mountain's is 3 Cow Horns, because the top of it has 3 big bumps.
The group...
We hung out at the top of the mountain for a few hours, and did some yoga poses for fun :)
We left by noon, and had already put in an 8 hour day! We bought some bracelets with (108) beads. A challenging weekend, mentally, but relaxing and serene all in the same breath.I reccommend this experience to everyone!
Cool! I never did the temple stay, but I knew some people who did. I DID however do the 5 people sharing a floor at the Mudfest. My pillow was made of macaroni. True story.
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