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Silence in the City, Geumsunsa Temple Stay
  • 최보윤 수습기자
  • 등록 2021-08-30 23:51:19
  • 수정 2024-02-26 11:39:43
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During the first semester of 2021, our phones were ringing nonstop with emergency alerts, notice messages from school, and chats for group projects. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more time at home than usual. This means that the boundary between study/work places and rest places is getting blurred, meaning that people can’t rest at home because they are in contact with others all day long. Besides, many people are stressed by worries about grades, employment, and relationships. What if we could get away from the ‘secular world’ and think of nothing for just one day? Pharos is going to introduce a relaxing version of the temple stay of Geumsunsa as a method of emptying your mind and releasing your stress while stepping out of daily life.

* Address: 137, Bibong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Geumsunsa is a temple located on Bukhansan Mountain in Seoul. You might think that a temple in a big city would be noisy. However, Guemsunsa is located on a mountain, so it is quiet and not crowded at all. When you walk up along the trail that is about 200 meters, you can see ‘Iljumun’ which means letting the anguish of worldly life go and entering the world of truth. Passing through ‘Iljumun,’ there is a quiet and still atmosphere as if you have entered a whole different world. After entering the temple and filling out some papers for check-in, a monk will give you a sacerdotal robe and lead you to the room where you will stay. After you change into a comfortable robe and get ready, you will have a short temple tour with the monk and have time to listen to explanations about the facilities such as Beomjongak and Gonyanggan and Buddhist manners. Always keeping silent and putting two hands together and bowing when you meet others are the basic rules of etiquette.

After the temple tour, you will have free time. During that time, you are allowed to pray or meditate in two Buddhist sanctums where you can perform zazen, a type of Buddhist meditation, or you can just rest. Also, you can color ‘mandala,’ a Buddhist picture that represents the truth of the universe, or you can make Buddhist rosary strings with 108 beads. On account of the current pandemic, the classic temple stay activities such as ‘tea and chat with monks’ and ‘bowing 108 times’ aren’t being conducted. Yet, the resting version of it still contains enough offbeat activities. Participation in the activities is your choice, so you could manage your schedule by yourself and have satisfying experiences regardless of the purpose of the trip.

The evening offering is held early at 5:30 pm. Therefore, you may feel like time passes by fast while enjoying your free time. It is important to arrive at Gongyanggan on time because the monks value time commitment. Furthermore, taking a proper portion of food, eating in silence, and washing the dishes by oneself are important rules as well. Due to these rules, it is possible to focus on the meal only and prevent spitting while talking and thus there is no need to worry about the virus even in the current situation. The evening Buddhist service, ‘Yeombul’ is planned after the evening offering. It is a program that focuses on calming your mind by bowing to the voice of the monk chanting the Buddhist scriptures like ‘Namuamitabul’ in a big hall. Yeombul might be unfamiliar to you, but it is fine. The monk said it is okay if you don't understand the meaning of the Yeombul and instead just feel comfortable when you listen to the sound of the Yeombul despites of you don’t get the meaning of it. You can learn how to bow properly and strengthen your body by bowing many times. If you had a good experience on this evening Buddhist service, you can consider joining the dawn Buddhist service that will be held at 5 am the next day. After the dawn Buddhist service and morning offering, you will have a short break time. Then you will clean up your room and go down the mountain. The entire temple stay program follows this order.

The participants of the temple stay visit the temple for various reasons: to cultivate themselves, to take rest, to fall asleep easily, or for other personal reasons. Although it is a program that is produced by a religious facility, there is a huge advantage in that people can dive in without any burden since most activities are based on autonomy. Thus, a temple stay is a great experience where anybody can restore peace and overcome their stress no matter their religion or belief. Geumsunsa temple stay is in a convenient location and has a mellow atmosphere, which makes it recommendable for everyone. What do you think about comforting your tired body and mind here, where you can see the Namsan Tower and high buildings past the mountain that is full of the sound of birds in the valley?


76th Cub Reporter · CHOI BO YOUN · invierno.y@kyonggi.ac.kr


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