▲ This file photo shows temple stay participants meditating. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) 

 

▲ This photo, provided by Gangwon Province, shows temple stay participants in a temple in Inje-gun. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) 

 

 

SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- The Buddhist community in South Korea has been promoting ideas to actively incorporate temple stays in a program intended to heal the restless bodies and minds of modern people, and help find one’s “true self.”

Temple stay, which initially began as one of the solutions for the accommodation issue at the time of co-hosting the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, has now evolved into one of the most unique opportunities to experience Korean Buddhism, its daily lifestyle, rituals, and spirituality -- it is now acknowledged as a cultural framework to improve one’s quality of life beyond a mere experience.

The Korean Buddhist Cultural Project Group of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced its overall project plan for this year on Wednesday, including content that focuses on temple stay.

The Project Group will initially research and develop meditation, counseling, and healing programs that would be provided for the temple stay participants. Field training will also be provided so that new programs can be properly installed in nationwide temples, along with the training of the required personnel.

“Temple stay has been offering people both in Korea and abroad time to empty their bodies, minds, and thoughts,” Monk Wonmeyong, the head of the Buddhist Cultural Project, said during the meeting that was formerly held at the Temple Stay Promotion Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. “We will make sure to enrich the lives of participants by researching and improving our meditation, counseling, and healing programs that help foster the wisdom and mercy of participants.”

Offering opportunities for low-income families, the disabled, single-parent families, migrant workers, multicultural families, bereaved families of suicide victims, commercial police, and care workers will also continue.

Academic research will also be intensified by promoting scientific verification of the “effect of temple stay on improving one’s immunity and healing” and also by conducting research on the “food offered during temple stays that is also a prototype of Korean food.”

A series of projects are expected to naturally promote domestic tourism.

The pilgrimage routes maintained and preserved by nationwide temples will be discovered so that they can be used as travel resources. In particular, temple stays that tell stories linked to traditional Korean buildings including the temples that have been registered as UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon, and Daeheungsa Temple in Haenam, will also be organized.

Moreover, meals offered during temple stays will be promoted as a part of K-culture that would attract attention from around the world. The Jogye Order is also planning to introduce and promote the charm of Korean Buddhism, along with a special lecture on Korean temple food, during the upcoming event that will be held in India in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and India.

The Buddhist Culture Project Group is aiming to boost the number of temple stay participants to the pre-COVID-19 level and focus on increasing the number by utilizing Buddhist cultural resources.

In the meantime, the Korean government has also been attempting to attract overseas tourists by declaring the years 2023 and 2024 the “Visit Korea Year” and holding an array of cultural exchange events.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)

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