Waking up at 5 am with the sound of monks chanting next to your room is probably not on your travel bucket-list, but you might just add it after reading this.
When you visit Korea, you immediately notice the contrast between the tall buildings and neon signs of modern life, and the quietness of its temples.
Stepping into the grounds of a Korean temple is like stepping into an oasis of peace and tranquillity… No wonder that people all over the world want to experience this quietness and peace of mind for longer than just a visit. And that is precisely why the Temple Stay programme was set up.
During my 1-month trip to South Korea, my boyfriend and I signed up for the Temple Stay programme and we stayed at Golgulsa Temple near Gyeongju for a night. It was one of the most unique things we did in South Korea, and I highly recommend trying it to anyone visiting the country!
Temple Stays in South Korea
What is a Temple Stay?
The Temple Stay program was initially set up with the aim to promote Korean Buddhism to the world. Now, it has become a unique cultural program that allows visitors to experience the life of Buddhist practitioners and learn more about Buddhist culture.
It is not a religious program and it is open to anyone – as long as you respect the few basic rules of the temples. However, some spirituality and religious aspects are included in it, and it is good to be aware and open to that before signing up.
The Temple Stay program is the perfect way to learn about the traditional Korean culture and temple life by living like a Buddhist monk for a day or more.
Why you should do a Temple Stay in South Korea?
There are many reasons why I think you should definitely do a Temple Stay in South Korea. Here are some:
- to experience and better understand traditional Korean and Buddhist culture
- to embrace a quieter lifestyle of mindfulness in accordance with ancient traditions
- to reset your body and soul, take a break from your busy life (or trip)
- to find inner peace in a beautiful setting
- to learn more about the lifestyle of monks
- to meet other travelers
- at Golgulsa Temple: to learn about the martial art seonmudo
You can do a Temple Stay for just one or two nights – this is usually what tourists do – or stay longer to enjoy the benefits of this slow life for a longer time.
Where can you do a Temple Stay?
Many temples in South Korea offer the possibility to do a Temple Stay. Some are close to bigger cities like Seoul or Busan, while other temples are a bit more remote.
You can check out the list of temples and their list of activities on the Temple Stay website, and pick according to your itinerary and the activities that interest you.
Some temples offer very specific activities – like Golgulsa – while others have a simpler schedule. If you are unsure, I recommend checking some reviews online to know what to expect.
Temple Stay at Golgulsa Temple
Golgulsa Temple
Golgulsa is located an hour away by bus from the beautiful city of Gyeongju, on the Hamwolsan mountain. It dates to the Silla period and is the oldest grotto temple in South Korea.
The whole complex is built on a slope dominated by an impressively large Buddha statue carved in a limestone cliff and has many other smaller statues and grottoes.
It is mostly famous because the temple maintains the practice and tradition of seonmudo (or sunmudo), a type of martial art that combines spiritual elements like meditation and yoga with dynamic movements.
What sets Golgulsa Temple apart
Apart from its location and beautiful setting, what makes Golgulsa Temple truly unique is precisely seonmudo. Wether you do a temple stay in Golgulsa or just visit it during the day, you can see a seonmudo demonstration on the temple grounds.
However, if you decide to do a Temple Stay, you’ll learn much more about seonmudo and will also have the possibility to practice it yourself!
Basics of a Temple Stay
Doing a Temple Stay is truly a unique experience and one that I would recommend to anyone – even if you don’t do it in Golgulsa.
Golgulsa temple offers the unique opportunity to try seonmudo, but it also has many things in common with other temple stays.
For example, most temple stays will include:
- an early bed time and wake up
- eating vegetarian meals with the monks
- sleeping in same-sex dormitories as the basic option
You’ll also receive when you arrive a “temple outfit”: large trousers and a vest – not super stylish but very comfortable!
Temple Stay Schedule at Golgulsa
To give you an idea of what you can expect if you do your Temple Stay at Golgulsa, here is the schedule we had to follow for the 2 days – 1 night formula.
You are not forced to do all of these activities, but of course it is best to do it if you want to have the full Temple Stay experience!
In Golgulsa, your Temple Stay will start at around 2 pm on the first day and you’ll leave at around 1 pm the next day. Here is the schedule we followed during our stay. Keep in mind that you have some time in between each activity to rest and explore the temple grounds;
Day One:
- check-in: you’ll get your temple outfits and bedding
- seonmudo demonstration
- orientation: they explain the rules of the temple and give more info on seonmudo
- seonmudo training: this was particularly intense and felt like a true workout!
- 108 prostrations
- Dinner (at 6 pm)
Day Two (my favourite!):
- Get up (5am) and sitting meditation (5.30 am)
- Walking meditation
- Breakfast
- seonmudo training: lighter than the evening training and focused on stretching
- Tea time with a monk: probably my favourite activity! We simply had tea and had a chat with a monk
- Lunch
Practical Info
Some temples have more unique activities, like Golgulsa, so you might want to look into that too.
Temple Stay at Golgulsa
For a 2 days – 1 night stay, you’ll pay 80 000 KRW at Golgulsa (52 euros / 54 USD). You can also add some activities like horseback riding for an additional fee (depending on the season).
How to reach Golgulsa Temple from Gyeongju?
The easiest way to reach Golgulsa Temple from Gyeongu is to take the bus. You can take either of these buses from Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal: 100 / 100-1 / 150 / 150-1.
Get off at Golgulsa stop (the driver will probably give you a shout when you reach it), then you’ll either have someone from the temple come to pick you up, or you just have to walk up a path on the left before reaching the temple.
What do you have to bring for your Temple Stay?
If you are only staying for one or two nights, I recommend you to check if you can leave your big suitcase at the hotel you stayed in before (for example in Gyeongju) and only bring your essentials. If this is not possible or too complicated, you can also leave it at the Temple’s welcome desk.
What you should bring to the temple:
- one or two comfortable short- or long-sleeved shirts to wear under your temple outfit
- underwear and something to sleep in
- comfortable shoes, keeping in mind that you’ll often take them on and off
- a towel – they are usually not provided or for an additional fee (we borrowed one from our hotel in Gyeongju)
- toiletries – at Golgulsa they provided soap and toothpaste, but nothing fancy
Is a Temple Stay at Golgulsa worth it?
Yes. I think the temple stay was one of the most unique things I did in South Korea. You learn so much about Buddhist culture, can meet other travelers and it is an overall great way to immerse yourself in the traditions of the country you are visiting. I highly recommend it!
However, keep in mind that a temple stay at Golgulsa can be quite intense because of the seonmudo training on the first day, even though the second day is really pretty chill.
Despite this, and even if I am not very athletic myself, I highly, highly recommend doing a Temple Stay at Golgulsa, for the added bonus of learning about seonmudo, but really in any temple that offers the possibility in South Korea!
I hope this inspired you to try a different kind of visit during your next trip to South Korea! Temple Stays are a unique way to preserve and protect traditions that are often forgotten because of modern life, and it is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture of the country you are visiting!
