How about spending a day at a temple surrounded by mountains to practice asceticism and find your true self?
For those looking to combine a trip to nature with spiritual enlightenment, a temple stay may be a good choice. A temple stay gives visitors a chance to experience the spiritual life of monks and traditional Korean Buddhist culture. The basic ideas behind temple life are studying and sharing. Studying at a temple is learning about life and how to live well. Sharing, on the other hand, is about practicing love and benevolence.
People visit their choice of temple to practice and enjoy the Buddhist teaching. Since most temples are located in national parks that are surrounded by green, the temple stay provides visitors a chance to relax, reflect, and revitalize themselves in the tranquility of nature. Also, they can experience the disciplined yet peaceful monastic lifestyle of Korean Buddhist monks through different sorts of meditation. According to the monks, meditation is the best shortcut to realizing one’s mind and the practice most valued in Buddhism.
In Korea, the temple stay program was initially established for foreigners visiting Korea during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The program was so successful that over thirty-five temples have continued to offer the program for foreigners.
Temple stay programs range from the basic 24-hour program to extended four-day stays year around. A temple stay usually includes activities such as attending the early morning Buddhist ceremonial service, Zen meditation, tea ceremony, Buddhist monastic meal with four bowls, and temple tour. A handful of temples offer special training in mediations, including Buddhist martial arts, lotus lantern making, prayer bead making, and other activities.
Many of the temples provide English translation service for foreigners and over 20,000 foreigners join the program every year. You can find more about the temple stay program at http://eng.templestay.com
