Temple Stay in South Korea - Beomeosa Temple
Authored By:
This past weekend I had the privilege of traveling to Busan, where I stayed at Beomeosa Temple for 1 night. The temple is located on Beomeosa Mountain, and it's beautiful and full of rich, ancient culture.
A Temple Stay is an experience where you can stay within a Buddhist temple and observe/take part in Buddhist Monks' lifestyle. From meditation to prayer to rituals, you can experience it and detach from the hustle of modern life.
At Beomeosa, there are two options: Experiential Stay and Relaxation Stay. Since my trip to Busan was mainly for relaxing and unwinding, I opted for the Relaxation Stay, which costs 60,000 KRW, or $41.71, and food is included (Book Here).
Below is the outline of activities for the Relaxation Stay:
| Day 1 | 13:00~14:00 | Check-in |
| 14:10~15:10 | Orientation of Temple Stay (mandatory) | |
| 15:10~16:50 | Walk in a forest path & Temple tour | |
| 16:50~17:30 | Dinner offering | |
| 17:30~18:00 | Move to Beameosa main dharma hall (Individually) | |
| 18:00~18:50 | Watching Ceremony of Four Dharma Instruments & Join Evening Buddhist Service(Individual attendance) | |
| 19:00~22:00 | Freetime | |
| 22:00~00:00 | Go to sleep | |
| Day 2 | 04:30~05:00 | Morning Buddhist Service(Individual attendance) |
| 07:00~07:30 | Breakfast offering | |
| 07:30~09:00 | Take a rest | |
| 09:00~09:40 | Meditation (mandatory) | |
| 09:40~10:00 | Check-out | |
| 10:00~11:00 | Visit Beomeosa Museum (Individual attendance) |
Food:
Food at Buddhist temples are vegetarian but tasty! You are expected to finish what you take. In other words, wasting food is simply "not allowed."
Rooms:
My room was gorgeous, located in a beautiful, traditional temple. The floors were Ondol, or heated floors, bathrooms were clean, and I had a room all to myself with breathtaking views.
Overall Experience:
As someone that is deeply interested in learning about different cultures and religions, I had a wonderful time at this temple. The people of the temple were so kind, with one regular visitor giving me 20,000 KRW to buy myself a meal. She said she would like for me to eat well, since her daughter is also alone in Seoul. The devotees helped me throughout the prayer with one man giving me a translated version of the prayer on his phone. Everyone within the temple gave me their sweets, fruits, and the head monk gave me a beaded bracelet on his wrist, claiming he was gifting it to me from his heart and Buddha's body.
I am so thankful to everyone there and the stay itself was relaxing and introspective. With plenty of free-time and meditation, it truly is a place to relax and unwind. I strongly recommend that you add Temple Stay to your travel list!
I hope this information was helpful, stay on the lookout for more articles as I explore South Korea! Thank you for reading and I look forward to writing more :)
- Jayani Jayakanthan
Related Posts
Best Eats and Cafes in Sinchon
Best Eats and Cafes in Sinchon When I first chose Yonsei University, I was excited to explore Seoul’s popular neighborhoods, like Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Seongsu, especially for their restaurants and... keep reading
Pottery in Icheon: Learning from a Korean Ceramic Master
For my first CIEE blog post, I’m sharing my experience visiting Namyang Pottery in Icheon, South Korea! From meeting a master potter with over 50 years of experience to creating my own pottery, this trip gave me a chance to explore a quieter side of Korea and appreciate its traditional craftsmanship. Read along as I share what I learned, what I created, and why this experience became such a memorable part of my study abroad journey!
Hiking to Baegundae Peak Alone: My Bukhansan Adventure
One of my goals while studying abroad in South Korea is to push myself outside of my comfort zone and become more independent. Hiking to Baegundae Peak in Bukhansan National... keep reading