Unexpected Win Leads to Refreshed Mind, Body at Tongdo Temple
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By Chris Coetzee
I was sitting in the office, reading the paper, when I noticed a competition where one could win a ``templestay.' Though I had heard of this before, I had never really considered going on one. On a whim, I decided to answer the easy question online, thinking no more about it.
Naturally, I was quite surprised when I was contacted as one of the winners, seeing as that I do not really win things often. I took it as a sign that I should go on this templestay and that I should probably start entering more competitions.
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The bus left from Jogye Temple in central Seoul, a place that is also worth a visit, as the temple decoration is of outstanding quality. Our bus took us past Daejeon in a meandering route to our destination, Tongdo Temple in South Gyeongsang province. The trip took much longer than I expected ― over six hours! But I used the time to catch up on some sleep and read up a little on Korean Buddhism.
When we arrived, it immediately became apparent that we would have an exceptional weekend. Coming from Seoul, where the weather had recently turned cold, South Gyeongsang was still caressed by the sweet embrace of autumn and the trees displayed a riot of color. The temple complex itself is situated in a mountain valley and bordered by a small stream. The founding monk, Jajang Yulsa (590-658), chose the location using the principals of geomancy and I am sure that most of us found his choice most agreeable.
We were met by our guides, two monks, one western and one Korean, and were taken to our sleeping quarters to get settled in. We were given a set of ``temple clothes' ― loose-fitting garments that were so comfortable that many of us regretted having to give them back at the end of the weekend. Next we had an orientation session, where we were taught the correct way to move about the temple and greet the monks. Though we tried to remember the details, many of us were quite haphazard in our etiquette. Luckily, the monks did not seem to mind too much.
In anticipation of an evening filled with ritual, the afternoon was devoted to making paper lanterns, which would be used in one of the ceremonies. This and the formal Buddhist meal were meant to teach us how to focus on the moment and to refrain from unnecessary conversation. I found this most enlightening, as the hurly-burly of modern living often requires us to talk all the time. It was refreshing to be ably to shut up for once.
Later that evening, we first took part in a formal Buddhist temple ceremony. We had been taught how to do a formal bow or prostration. Despite a few false starts and some hesitation, we soon became aware of the correct time to bow, simply by internalizing the sounds of the Buddhist chants. The whole experience was quite magical and would have been even more magical if the official photographer did not insist on polluting the air with his incessant clicking. But winning competitions necessarily include becoming poster children for marketing purposes.
After the ceremony, which was conducted in the big hall, we were taken to the ``main temple' which faces onto a stupa which is said to contain relics from the Buddha himself. Holding our lanterns, we proceeded to circumambulate the stupa, bowing at each of the four corners. We also sat in the crisp evening air and performed our first Seon (Zen) meditation. The sighing of the wind in the pines formed a soothing accompaniment to our measured breathing. After too short a time, we concluded the evening and went to bed in true Korean fashion by sleeping on the floor.
After a fairly uncomfortable night, we were awoken at 3 a.m. Although we were told about this ahead of time, it still came as a bit of a shock to the system. Nevertheless, all participants dragged their weary bodies back to the temple for the first service. Bows were a little bit more uncoordinated and the chanting seemed slightly more soporific. Whether because of tiredness or focus, I noticed that time seemed to slow down during these services. Like fidgety children in ages past, I found the service interminable, but in a good way.
From the big hall, we returned to the stupa, where we were told to copy what the monk was doing. This was probably a clever bit of selective information, since most of us would probably have declined to do what happened next. We proceeded to circumambulate the stupa, stopping every three steps to do a full prostration. It was tiring and we were soon sweaty and exhausted. Many of us gave up halfway, because of tired hands, knees and elbows. Though recollections differ, the consensus seems to be that the several circuits included 180 bows.
Returning to our sleeping quarters thoroughly exhausted, we had breakfast, with some electing to skip the meal in favor of more sleep. The sun arose and we were next treated to a temple tour, with our monk guides imparting a wealth of information concerning the history of the temple complex and various facts about Buddhism. After that, we walked to a nearby hermitage. This was by far the most pleasant part of the weekend for me, as I love walking. The countryside was beautiful and our pace was leisurely. Our mini-hike also included some nature meditation, which was timed perfectly, since we finished up just as the first drops began to fall.
We strolled back to the temple and had lunch, after which we rounded off our weekend with an all-too-short visit to the Buddhist Museum which stands next to the temple complex. The museum includes some spectacular Buddhist paintings and I would have liked to spend more time getting to grips with their various subjects. By now, the few early drops had morphed into a downpour and, greeting out increasingly soaked guides, we made our way back to a cold, gray Seoul. Though we all probably wished that the weekend could have lasted longer, and even though it was a pretty full schedule, I came away feeling refreshed and spiritually energized for the week ahead. Doing such a ``templestay' is a most worthwhile excursion in the Land of the Morning Calm.
