Templestay

Temple Information

Mihwangsa Temple

A beautiful temple in the village at land’s end…

Mihwangsa is an elegant temple located at the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, in the so-called “Land’s End Village.” You can see at one time both the beautiful mountain Dalmasan and the cool, refreshing West Sea.
Mihwangsa was founded during the reign of Shilla King Gyeongdeok (749 C.E.), and the story of its foundation is quite interesting. One day a stone boat appeared in the sea in front of the village. People tried to approach the boat, but it would recede, and then when they pulled back and stood there, it came closer. When Ven. Uijo heard this news, he started chanting and praying, and the boat reached land safely. Inside the boat was a box made of gold and a black rock. The monk found a Buddha statue and sutras inside of the golden box, and when he broke open the rock, a black cow leapt out. That night, the monk saw a golden man in his dream, who told him that the boat had come from India, and that he should build a temple wherever the cow stopped.
The next day, the Buddha statue and sutras were loaded on the back of the cow, which started to climb up the foothills of Dalmasan. About halfway up, the cow loudly mooed, fell down and didn’t get up again. So the monk built a temple in that place and called it Mihwangsa. The name of the temple was taken from the cow’s beautiful (Mi) “Moo” sound, and from the golden man’s enchanting color (Hwang).
Mihwangsa is a temple as beautiful as its name. The rocky ridge of Dalmasan surrounds Mihwangsa, as if the landscape is from a panel on a folding screen. Also the glow of the setting sun, as seen at dusk from the temple, has been a wondrous sight for many people, since long ago. If you continue to walk towards the Budojeon (field of relic pagodas), you’ll find a good chance to look inside at yourself.
Mihwangsa’s Templestay Program
Mihwangsa’s Templestay program is always open, 365 days a year, and offers a variety of special activities. For example, in the freestyle program called Sound of Silence, participants can enjoy tea and conversation with the monks, mountain hiking and, at any time, they are free to take a rest in nature. However, another program, called The Spirit of a True Person, is more systematically designed with practice as its central focus. The eight day schedule of this program gives the participant some experience of Seon Meditation. There is a Chinese character program that enables kids to make good use of their school holidays by learning about Chinese characters and the culture of a mountain temple. Also offered is a program called the Hwaeom Hwesang, which is designed for groups. Other programs, such as The Glow of the Evening Sun, Walking the Path of Dreams, display Mihwangsa’s beauty and feature the camellia flowers of winter and the azaleas in the spring. Every year in October, on the fourth Saturday of the month, a gigantic painting of the Buddha?only shown in public once a year?is displayed during a festival. This highly attended event also features a musical concert. Mihwangsa has prepared separate room facilities for people who are not used to community living arrangements.
Sudeoksa Temple

Feel the spirit of practice, as you ascend the mountain Deoksungsan…

If you mention the name Sudeoksa, something comes to the mind of most people, even those who don’t go to the temple. There is a popular folk song that has to do with Sudeoksa, and also there’s the famous “Sudeok Hotel”, which looks like it could almost be part of the temple. It was at this hotel that the painter Eungno Lee (1905-1992) drew a painting on a rock. Because of these kinds of memories, the name Sudeoksa has certain fond associations for many people. The exact date when Sudeoksa was established can’t be known, but in the academic world, it is assumed to have been founded during the reign of the Baekjae King Wideok (554-598 C.E.). From the Goryeo Dynasty through the Joseon Dynasty it was a large temple, but the important role that Sudeoksa has today in Korean Buddhism is really the legacy of two Great Monks, Ven. Gyeongheo (1849-1912) and Ven. Mangong (1871-1946). Ven. Gyeongheo was a great Seon (Jap: Zen) Master who helped revitalize the Seon school in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty. While he was staying at Sudeoksa, Ven. Gyeongheo did a lot to enliven the spirit of Seon in Korea. Later his disciple, Ven. Mangong, continued his efforts and enlarged the temple, producing many great disciples himself. Because of this long, steady tradition of practice within the Sudeoksa family, in 1984 the temple was awarded the distinction of becoming a Chongnim Temple, officially called the Deoksung Chongnim. A Chongnim Temple includes a Seon (Jap: Zen) room, Sutra school and Precepts school, all functioning together as a unified place of practice. At the moment in the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, there are five Chongnim Temples: Haeinsa, Songgwangsa, Tongdosa, Baekyangsa, and Sudeoksa. There’s one more figure in Sudeoksa’s history who can’t be forgotten, Ven. Ilyeop (1876-1971). Before she ordained, Ven. Ilyeop was a famous writer among modern women of her day. Together with the female artist Hyeseok Na, she played an instrumental role in pioneering the feminist social action movement, during the gloomy period of the Japanese occupation of Korea. She ordained in 1933, and became a disciple of Ven. Mangong. There are many cultural properties at Sudeoksa, which confirms that it was indeed a great temple in both the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. The Daeoongjeon (Main Buddha Hall) was built during the reign of Goryeo King Chungryeol (1308 C.E.), and is one of the few extant Goryeo Dynasty buildings in Korea, together with Buddha Halls from Bongjeongsa in Andong, and Buseoksa in Yeongju. Especially when seen from the side, the geometrical beauty of the Main Buddha Hall is famous.
Sudeoksa’s Templestay Program
Sudeoksa’s Templestay Program is very popular with international visitors. The program features monastic formal meals, communal work period, tea and conversation with the monks, and a variety of other activities that give the participants some experience of temple life. In particular, there is a good chance to appreciate the area’s beautiful scenery if you take a walk up to the top of Deoksungsan (also called The Little Diamond Mountain of Chuncheongdo) to visit the temple Jeonghyesa near the peak.

Templestaywrite what one experiences

Unexpected Win Leads to Refreshed Mind, Body at Tongdo Temple 2010.07.22: 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.

enter

ColumnKorean seon master Talk

Templestays to usher in the New Year in remembrance of the passing one(2010.12.29): Korean temples open their doors to everyone who would like to celebrate the coming year, and encourage visitors to contemplate the passing one by reflecting on who they were and who they will be through meditation and 108 bows.
Ushering in the Year of Rabbit at tranquil mountain hermitages
Looking back on the departing year and planning for the arriving one through Zen meditation

Temple Information

Templestaywrite what one experiences

ColumnKorean seon master Talk

NoticeAn important notice for everyone

NewsNeed to read about the news

Temple Gallery

E-Book