A weekend full of Buddhist activities
This weekend Laura, Min and I went to the southeast coast of Korea to Golgul Temple for a Buddhist Temple stay. Words cannot explain the amazing qualities of this Korean experience. I wish I could have done this for many days, rather than only one evening.
Golgulsa Temple - Golgulsa ("Bone Cave Temple") was founded by an Indian monk and his followers in the 6th century, and the temple resembles traditional Buddhist cave temples found from India to China. The temple includes a nationally designated cultural Treasure No. 581 -- a cliff rock relief of Amitabha -- as well as a number of different caves dedicated to various Bodhisattvas and others. The temple is the home to Buddhist martial arts stretching all the way back to the Unified Silla Dynasty. Specialized in Buddhist Martial Arts, named 'Sunmudo'( http://www.parandeul.co.kr/sun_overview.htm ). As the home of Buddhist martial arts, a traditional form of Buddhist practice in Korea, Golgulsa is famous for reviving one's mind, body and spirit. Participants awake at 4 am to the songs of birds, attend the Buddhist ceremonial service, meditate and take a mountain hike before taking part in a traditional morning meal offering. The meal offering is followed by Buddhist martial arts practice, yoga, cosmic energy exercises, and the 108 prostrations of repentance. Conversations with monks accompany the tea ceremony, followed by the lunch meal offering and group work. After the evening meal offering and Buddhist ceremonial service, participants continue with martial arts or meditation.
Itinerary
16:00 Arrival
16:30 Rooming
17:00 Time on your own
18:00 Dinner
19:00 Evening Buddhist Ceremonial Service
19:30 Sunmudo training
21:00 Lights Off
04:00 Wake up
04:30 Pre-dawn Buddhist Ceremonial Service
05:00 Meditation
06:00 Jogging or Walking Meditation
07:00 Breakfast
08:30 Working Meditation
09:00 Sunmudo Training
11:00 108 bows
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Departure
-->This list defines what we did, with exception to the morning agenda. Dinner was pipimpap (pipim meaning vegetables and pap meaning rice) with seaweed soup. It was delicious, well as delicious as one can get without meat. The Ceremonial Service was incredible! We sat segregated facing a painting and a Monk. Then we chanted and bowed many times. This routine was very easy to follow and really relaxing. Then we brought out mats to stretch. Sunmudo training wasn't extravagant since we were only there for a day. BUt we learned neat wa to meditate and some cool ways to breathe! Afterwards we sat in a circle with the grandmaster of the temple and meditated. Last, the experts in Yoga, Breathing, Sunmudo, etc. showed us their skills! WHOA. Sunmudo seems like Crouching Tiger kind of fighting...so it is real! You should all check out some of the pictures they can do. WE DID WAKE UP AT 4 to the sound of a drum-like gourd. Laura and I had to sprint, tho, to get to the shrine on time. It was Sunday so no work. Just a lot more meditation and bowing and chanting. Then we walked to a pagoda, walked around it (as custom has it) and took a long walk to the gates of the temple. MIND YOU ALL OF THIS IS SILENT. We couldn't talk much the whole weekend. Also it was ridiculously cold and I only had a sweatshirt. brrr. Then we had breakfast! This was also a ceremony. One cannot make a sound when preparing and eating! There was a talk before, and then we all unpacked our four bowls in a ritualistic way (and our chopsticks and spoon). Then we prayed together. The water came first to wash the dishes. Then rice. Then soup. Then more rice if you wanted. Then we had tofu and vegetables. We took a piece of kimch'i and took off the spices in the soup and saved it for the end. We had 10 minutes to eat. If we didn't finish by the time the grandmaster hit his stick twice, we had to put our rice in our soup and eat everything real fast. Then we took our water and cleaned the two bowls that housed rice and veggies with a piece of kimch'i. Then we ate the soup. Then we cleaned that bowl with the kimch'i, ate the kimch'i and drank the dirty water. If you managed to have clean water, you could pour it back. Then we dried the bowls and stacked them back together, silently still. Then we prayed aloud. After a small break was tea time with the grandmaster. MMM. Then we were taken to relics of Buddhist culture. We saw the ocean! Amazing waves. An ancient Monk was buried at sea because he wanted to be a sea-dragon. Then we saw some golden Buddhas and the goddess of Mercy. Lunch was pipimpap again. It was awesome. I will load the pictures asap to yahoo pictures.
Golgulsa Temple - Golgulsa ("Bone Cave Temple") was founded by an Indian monk and his followers in the 6th century, and the temple resembles traditional Buddhist cave temples found from India to China. The temple includes a nationally designated cultural Treasure No. 581 -- a cliff rock relief of Amitabha -- as well as a number of different caves dedicated to various Bodhisattvas and others. The temple is the home to Buddhist martial arts stretching all the way back to the Unified Silla Dynasty. Specialized in Buddhist Martial Arts, named 'Sunmudo'( http://www.parandeul.co.kr/sun_overview.htm ). As the home of Buddhist martial arts, a traditional form of Buddhist practice in Korea, Golgulsa is famous for reviving one's mind, body and spirit. Participants awake at 4 am to the songs of birds, attend the Buddhist ceremonial service, meditate and take a mountain hike before taking part in a traditional morning meal offering. The meal offering is followed by Buddhist martial arts practice, yoga, cosmic energy exercises, and the 108 prostrations of repentance. Conversations with monks accompany the tea ceremony, followed by the lunch meal offering and group work. After the evening meal offering and Buddhist ceremonial service, participants continue with martial arts or meditation.
Itinerary
16:00 Arrival
16:30 Rooming
17:00 Time on your own
18:00 Dinner
19:00 Evening Buddhist Ceremonial Service
19:30 Sunmudo training
21:00 Lights Off
04:00 Wake up
04:30 Pre-dawn Buddhist Ceremonial Service
05:00 Meditation
06:00 Jogging or Walking Meditation
07:00 Breakfast
08:30 Working Meditation
09:00 Sunmudo Training
11:00 108 bows
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Departure
-->This list defines what we did, with exception to the morning agenda. Dinner was pipimpap (pipim meaning vegetables and pap meaning rice) with seaweed soup. It was delicious, well as delicious as one can get without meat. The Ceremonial Service was incredible! We sat segregated facing a painting and a Monk. Then we chanted and bowed many times. This routine was very easy to follow and really relaxing. Then we brought out mats to stretch. Sunmudo training wasn't extravagant since we were only there for a day. BUt we learned neat wa to meditate and some cool ways to breathe! Afterwards we sat in a circle with the grandmaster of the temple and meditated. Last, the experts in Yoga, Breathing, Sunmudo, etc. showed us their skills! WHOA. Sunmudo seems like Crouching Tiger kind of fighting...so it is real! You should all check out some of the pictures they can do. WE DID WAKE UP AT 4 to the sound of a drum-like gourd. Laura and I had to sprint, tho, to get to the shrine on time. It was Sunday so no work. Just a lot more meditation and bowing and chanting. Then we walked to a pagoda, walked around it (as custom has it) and took a long walk to the gates of the temple. MIND YOU ALL OF THIS IS SILENT. We couldn't talk much the whole weekend. Also it was ridiculously cold and I only had a sweatshirt. brrr. Then we had breakfast! This was also a ceremony. One cannot make a sound when preparing and eating! There was a talk before, and then we all unpacked our four bowls in a ritualistic way (and our chopsticks and spoon). Then we prayed together. The water came first to wash the dishes. Then rice. Then soup. Then more rice if you wanted. Then we had tofu and vegetables. We took a piece of kimch'i and took off the spices in the soup and saved it for the end. We had 10 minutes to eat. If we didn't finish by the time the grandmaster hit his stick twice, we had to put our rice in our soup and eat everything real fast. Then we took our water and cleaned the two bowls that housed rice and veggies with a piece of kimch'i. Then we ate the soup. Then we cleaned that bowl with the kimch'i, ate the kimch'i and drank the dirty water. If you managed to have clean water, you could pour it back. Then we dried the bowls and stacked them back together, silently still. Then we prayed aloud. After a small break was tea time with the grandmaster. MMM. Then we were taken to relics of Buddhist culture. We saw the ocean! Amazing waves. An ancient Monk was buried at sea because he wanted to be a sea-dragon. Then we saw some golden Buddhas and the goddess of Mercy. Lunch was pipimpap again. It was awesome. I will load the pictures asap to yahoo pictures.