Buddhist Boot Camp Pt 2

After we talked with the monk, we made our "Dream Pouchee", or dream pouch. The Koreans are really big on "dreams", and a very common question is "What is your dream?" It's kind of like the American version of "What do you want to be when you grow up?", except it's not just for kids. Anyways, they gave us this pouch, and all we really did was to string the tie through the top so that you could pull it closed. This, however, required a diagram on the board and several people walking around to help. After we had made the pouch, we were supposed to write our "dream" on a small card, and put it in the pouch and close it. We also had to put our names on the outside of the pouch so no one's would get mixed up. Then after everyone had finished and put their dream pouches in their pockets ("Keep it close!"), they taught us how to bow.

You start with 'hapjong', or standing straight, with your feet together, and your hands in front of you in a praying type position. Keeping your back straight, you then bend your knees until you are in a kneeling position. Then cross your feet, keeping your knees together, and put your head down to the floor. Move your hands to the side of your face near your ears, first putting them palm down and turn them palm up, and then palm down again. Then sit back up with your back straight and put your hands back into the hapjong position. Uncross your feet, and without using your hands, push off your knees back into a standing position. This is generally repeated a minimum of 108 times.

After we finished the pouches, around 9:30, we headed outside into the freezing cold and walked up a rather steep side of a mountain to the Jeokmyulbogung, another building on the premises. When we got to the top of the mountain, there were strings of lotus lanterns all lit up towards the building.



When we got inside, we were instructed that we would be doing the 108 bows. The first 50 would be done together to the beat of an instrument, and then afterward we could do the rest at our own pace. I was able to do about 25 or so before my knees started to protest, so after that I simply bowed at the waist each time they hit the bell. I stopped bowing all together after the first 50, but about half the people there completed all 108.



After the bowing, we were taken part way back down the hill to where we were sleeping, the girls in one room and the boys in another. It was traditional yo, which is mats, or in our case blankets, on the floor. They gave us whole warm baked potatoes for a bed time snack, and asked us to have the lights out by 10pm, as we were to get up at 3am to start the next day.


Usually sleeping on the floor isn't that bad because of the ondol, or under-floor heating. It actually makes for cozy sleeping arrangements when it's cold outside. It is not cozy, however, when you have the ondol turned up all the way, and the floor is so hot that it burns you if you touch it with your bare skin. And so this was the way I fitfully tried to sleep through the night, already having a pretty bad cold made worse by going in and out of the cold air and warm buildings. They came and woke us up at 3am, saying that we needed to be at the Bubundang building at 3:30 for the "dawn devotional chanting". I was in no condition to wake up, and respectfully asked if I could skip the yebul (chanting) and wake up in time for the breakfast. I was allowed to go back to sleep, which was rather hard considering they didn't turn down the heat at all and I was sweating in my bed. Everyone came back around 5:45 after meditation and chanting (which I'm glad I missed, because apparently there was a considerable amount of bowing as well). We walked back down to the Heungnungwon building for a traditional Temple-style breakfast, called Balwoo Gongyang. The sun was just coming up.


We had to watch a video before we ate that showed us the proper way to eat the food. There is a specific order that you have to undo the bowls and napkins that you are given, and a very specific way to eat your food. You only take what you will eat, as it is an insult to the people that made the food for you not to finish. You also have to clean your bowls when you are finished, with a yellow radish, and then eat the radish, otherwise that's wasted as well. They're pretty strict about eating everything you take, they actually walked around the room and made several people finish their food that really didn't feel up to it.



After a silent, regimented, and rather unappetizing breakfast, we were allowed free time for an hour. Most of us slept. Then we made lotus lanterns, which was actually quite fun, and made for a lovely decoration for my apartment when I got home.



After we finished the lanterns, we hung them outside to dry, and then headed back up to the Yaksajeon to make bowing beads. We were each given a small plastic bag with string, and 109 beads inside. We had to melt the ends of the string and pull it to a point so we could put the beads on it. Then we were supposed to do one bow for each bead we put on. They said that if you couldn't do one for each, you could do two or three beads for each bow, but no more than 5 at a time. So you bow (from standing to kneeling and then standing again), and then kneel down and put one bead on the string. Then stand up and do it again.


I did my beads 5 at a time.


I counted them carefully each time I put them on the string, but after counting the whole thing three times, I only had 107 beads. So I had to go ask for one more. After everyone had finished putting their beads together, the monk that had talked to us the day before came back and spoke to us again, thanking us for taking part in the program, and saying that he was happy that we all participated fully and hoped we had a good time. Then we followed him around the room about 6 times, chanting vowel sounds, and then we hung our dream pouches on the wall (you can see them in this picture behind the monk).


When we had all finished, we headed outside for a group photo with the monk.



Then we were done, so we headed back to the main building to change into our own clothes, and get on the bus. The people that I went with were pretty tired, and once we'd gotten back to 'civilization', it was a unanimous vote to go for coffee before getting on the subway to go back home to a hot shower and a real bed.

I definitely recommend a temple stay to anyone who wants to be convinced that they never want to become a Korean monk. Or if you want to exercise your knees. Or if you enjoy getting up before the sun. Or if you like a militant environment in the guise of a restful retreat. Otherwise, just enjoy the temples as a tourist. :)