Buddhist Temple Stay

"The present is the present"

This weekend I took a step into the spiritual world of most Koreans. In Korea Buddhism is one of the main "believes" followed by the people and it's the reason why each mountain in Korea have a few temples. I didn't understand Buddhism at all before but I have a better understanding now and thought I'll share it. I joined the monks at Geunsunsa Temple to learn more. 

Buddhism is not a religion but more a way of living life, a philosophy or a cultural background rather than a formal religion. It originated from Nepal around 6th Century B.C and spread through Asia over centuries. Every country has their own way of practicing Buddhism which is why you would find that in different countries the rituals are a little different but the general concept is the same. Buddhism is seen as a school where Buddha is the main teacher. Buddha used to be a prince who lived a luxurious life in Nepal. He left his home, wife and young son to become a wandering ascetic. He used meditation in moderate comfort until he saw the light of truth. At the time this was not uncommon in India. In the evenings he sat at the pepal tree and by dawn he became Buddha " the enlightened one". He gathered his disciplines  and inspired people to follow his thought process. Because people aspired to be like Buddha and eventually become him he taught the people his disciplines. People vowed to him to follow the disciplines he taught. There was 108 disciplines/prostrations taught by Buddha and his students had to strive towards a pure life. This was symbolized by bowing for each discipline thus bowing 108 times. 

Here are all the disciplines/prostrations followed by the students of Buddha: 108 Prostrations

We visited one of the famous temples for doing temple stays; as you walk up the mountain next to a little water stream frozen by the winter chills you cross through the one pillar gate symbolizing that you and Buddha are one although the gate has two pillars. At the temple we were at had 5 monks (male and female) and each monk has their own temple thus 5 temples. Each temple presented a different meaning such as the temple of wisdom, light, truth, other gods etc. We spent most of our time in the Temple of the other gods. Yes, other gods are recognised by buddhism and buddhists doesn't try to change your religion as they believe we all pray for similar things. The monks stay at on the temple grounds and devote their life towards the disciplines of Buddha and purity of life and as such they live a certain lifestyle.  The monks completely cut away their relationships and attachments to family and friends as well as the other monks. They have no attachment since attachments causes suffering in different ways, one of which is disappointment.  We asked the question why monks shave their heads and it was explained by asking the question "What do you do first in the morning?". The answer was grooming in order to make yourself presentable to the world. In the world of a monk this doesn't exist. The monks also follow veganism. They live from harvesting their own veggies in the gardens and donations made by their students or those who visit the temples.

In Buddhism direction is really important as well as the seasons. Each direction symbolizes a certain season which in itself has a deeper meaning. North is seen as winter which symbolizes death but also the birth of new life. For this reason all temples in South Korea faces north and is built on the north side of the mountain. East where the sun rises is seen as spring which symbolizes blooming. On the East side of the Buddha statue each temple there is also a painting symbolizing those who studied Buddhism, thrived and moved on to the next life or heaven. South is seen as summer which symbolizes growth and development. West where the sun sets is seen as Autumn which symbolizes harvesting but it also symbolizes death and heaven. In the temple on the west side of the Buddha statue there is a painting with India, China and heaven as well as 7 Buddhists. The current Buddha seen in all temples is a statue of Buddha from India but many years ago Buddha said to his people that  there was 7 Buddhas before him and so the monks decided to honor those Buddhas as well. 

In Buddhism there is only one entity. You and the Buddha are one (One pillar gate). And as one you notice of everything around you. In order to speak to the animals and to nature there are 4 different instruments they use as a way of communication. In Buddhism everything must be in sync and everything is connected. This will be seen in the temples as well as in the instruments. For the animals on the land they use a big drum made from wood and cow skin. The skin of the cow is only used once the cows died a natural death. On the one side of the drum a female cow skin will be used, on the other side male cow skin (bull). For the animals in the water they use a fish with a dragon head. For the animals in the sky they use a metal plate embossed with the moon and the sun and the clouds as well as a Lotus flowers. To speak to all living things they have a big bell struck just before ceremonies start to invite all to join the ceremony. 

It is believed that the truth would change you for the better. They explained it with a lot of symbolism. You are in an ocean of waves but none of the the waves are the same although they are all waves. It's about realizing that these waves are not the same and accepting that it's fine  and that it doesn't have to be the same. By realizing this you accept the truth about the world around you but also the truth about yourself. It's also about realizing that everything in life including your thoughts and feelings which is one of the pinnacle points of our existence. By realizing the way you feeling and the things you think you could change the reaction. They used the example that when you are drunk and you realize you had to much to drink that you would stop. In order to realize these things the Buddhists use meditation to reflect on their thoughts and feelings almost as if your thoughts are reflected in a mirror. It is also important to acknowledge that your experiences and feelings aren't necessarily the same as the person next to you even though both of you are in the same presence. Thus sense, taste, feeling, smell, sight and spacial awareness will all be different. In Buddhism it is also important to concentrate on yourself and the things you feel instead of concentrating on the things another feels for instance. 

During our temple stay we had two ceremonies in the temple of other gods, one in the evening we arrived and one the next morning at 5am. At the evening ceremony we did 108 bows as the disciplines were read out. This experience were really mediating in itself and a lot of us got emotional as well as physically challenged. Bowing 108 times really put strain on your lower back and knees. In order to keep count of the bowing we had a craft class in which we made a necklace/ bracelet with 108 beads. We hiked up into the mountain to overlook Seoul city which was really beautiful and in the mountains we were given a chance to meditate. We also had tea with one of the monks and we were allowed to ask questions. 

All in all this was really a very insightful experience and I learned a lot. Although I have my own set of believes I still find it hard to distinguish between following the philosophy, bowing to Buddha and religion. Even though I don't fully understand this I do however feel like I understand the Korean culture a little better and for me that is one big step into understand Koreans in general.