This weekend we had a very interesting trip to Bubheungsa temple in the Gangwan-do province. We went with Adventure Korea, the same travel group we went with to the DMZ. The weekend started early, at 8:30 Saturday morning when we got onto the bus. We traveled for a few hours before stopping off at Jucheon River. We climbed a nearby hill to get some fresh air and admire the scenery. There was a small Buddhist pagoda at the crest of the hill that overlooked the river. It was quite beautiful, but also incredibly cold! When we went down to the water the stagnant parts had a pretty thick layer of ice. Ferrin and Steven (our co-teachers) even had a contest to see who could hold their feet in the water the longest!
After our hiatus at the river, the bus brought us to the 1400 year-old temple. We were given “training wear” that we changed into (although it was so cold that we really just put it over our existing clothes). I felt like a Jedi padawan or something similar to that. The first thing we did was have an orientation to the temple. Apparently some of Buddha’s ashes are kept at the main pavilion—so they don’t have any statues of Buddha there. We learned the different forms of bowing. They were all very elaborate: involving lots of crossing of legs and popping of joints! Part of the templestay program involved participating in their “services” or rituals. Our temple guide was quick to assure us that bowing to the Buddha statue was not considered “bowing to idols or gods” because in Buddhism it was simply a sign of lowering yourself. David and I decided not to bow anyway. Whenever the opportunity presented itself we simply sat respectfully and observed the service while the rest of the tour group bowed.
Our next temple activity was a “meditative walk” in the mountain. The Master of the temple took us out into a nearby wooded hillside and explained to us through a heavily accented translator that our evilness (ie. our sinful nature) is simply a product of our habits. In order to overwhelm our bad habits we must grow an acute awareness of our actions—empty ourselves of all purpose and thought. He had us walk very slowly up a trail through the forest, walking painful step by painful step. We were supposed to empty our minds of all purpose or thought and concentrate only on the step we were taking. My toes grew excruciatingly cold and eventually numb in the course of our thirty minute walk. I didn’t even really try to empty my mind. Instead I used the lengthy walk to pray.
When we got back to the temple it was dinner time. We experienced the Balwoo Gongyang (traditional dinner). It was quite an ordeal. There was a certain order in which things were done. You had to put your napkin on your left knee and put your bowls in a certain order. The meager portions of rice and vegetables were served and eaten in silence. At the end of the meal we had to wash our bowl with water and a kimchi radish which we then had to eat and drink. It was such a rigid and, in the words of a fellow participant, “oppressive” meal.
After dinner we had tea time and a dialogue with the Master. The topic of discussion was dreams (as is our life goals). He had some good advice about pursuing your dreams. And I did enjoy the tea.
We went to bed at 10:15. All of the girls slept in one room and the boys in another. We were on plain mats with a blanket, but the floor was heated, so that was incredibly nice. Our wakeup call was at 3:00 for the Dawn Yebul (more like pre-dawn, but whatever). The night before I’d decided that I wouldn’t attend, since, aside from being incredibly grumpy and sleep deprived, I wasn’t really going to participate in the service anyway. The service consisted of 108 bows, lots of mantra chanting and some very uncomfortable meditation (at least, that’s what I hear). David attended, and he managed to get some pretty great pictures of the temple lit at night.
I slept until the nice wonderful hour of 6:00 am, when we were herded to a breakfast of kimchi, radishes and rice. Buddhist monks are vegetarians, and as far as I can tell, they’re vegans as well. I don’t know how they can do it. Even after just three meals of rice and kimchi I was craving meat and fatty foods! While I admire their intense discipline when it comes to rising up at 3 am for prayer and only eating tiny amounts of the most basic food, I don’t see their lifestyle as very necessary. The Master even said, “I have been doing this every day for ten years and I am still tired and in pain and not yet enlightened.”
We made lotus lanterns, which was fun. The Buddhists use this flower as a symbol because it grows out of mud into a beautiful bloom. I guess it’s a distant metaphor of the resurrection: life springing up from death. The lanterns were really pretty, and I enjoyed making them. Unfortunately they fell to pieces on our bus ride home.
After the lanterns we strung Buddhist prayer beads. There are 108 beads on each strand to symbolize our past, present and future sufferings. We were supposed to bow for each bead we strung on and contemplate on suffering. I didn’t bow—yet instead, with every bead I strung I decided to utter a prayer for all of my Buddhist friends in Korea and Cambodia. I plan on keeping my string of prayer beads as a reminder of those friendships and my need to pray for them.
By the time we were finished with the beads it was time for another lunch of rice (this time there was vegetable curry). After the meal we packed up our bags and headed back to Seoul. I was very glad we decided to do this temple stay. To get a glimpse into the daily life of a Buddhist monk was very interesting. Their rigid lifestyle of meditation, prayer and discipline was fascinating. It made me very grateful for the freedom that we have as believers in Christ. Our salvation doesn’t depend on how much we pray or how many good things we do. It rests only on Christ’s sacrifice. What a relief! No 3 am wake up calls for me…
