Templestay guide in Daegu

By Do Je-hae

When the templestay program was first conceived, it was around the time when Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Japan as a way of providing affordable accommodation to foreign visitors.

But more importantly, Korea wanted to improve its cultural image in the international community through providing a close experience into the world of Korean Buddhism.

Heading into its 10th year, the program has emerged as one of the nation’s most successful tourism activities.

At the time of the program’s inception, only 33 temples participated. Now, there are 118 temples around the nation that host templestay visitors, according to the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

Last year, 20,000 foreign visitors were registered in the program. Since 2002, a total of 500,000 people have completed a templestay.

Now, Korea is about to host another major global sporting event that is expected to generate numerous templestay visitors.

The forthcoming World Championships in Athletics, to be held in Daegu Aug. 27 to Sept. 4, presents a timely opportunity to visit the nation’s southeastern city for tourists from within and outside the country.

Tourism officials have been promoting the “Visit Daegu Year 2011” campaign to coincide with one of the largest sporting events in the world.

The city of 2.5 million and adjacent areas of North Gyeongsang Province, or Gyeongbuk; South Gyeongsang Province or Gyeongnam; and Busan are home to many temples, and around 23 of them run housing and cultural programs for visitors.

Cultural legacy

Daegu has traditionally been considered a tourism underdog among the larger cities in the nation, known more as a former manufacturing and commercial center of the nation’s southeastern region.

But Daegu is trying to diversify its identity into a more global and tourism-friendly town like the past hosts of the championships like Berlin, Osaka and Paris, according to Daegu Mayor Kim Beom-il.

In particular, city officials will use the championships as an opportunity to renew global and domestic understanding of the cultural legacy dating from Korea’s ancient kingdom of Silla (57 B.C. - A.D. 935).

“The championships are a prime opportunity to put Daegu on the global map,” Kim said in a Korea Times interview in January. “Daegu inherits the traditions of the ancient kingdoms of Silla and Gaya, and we are home to many cultural sites that provide tangible experiences of those times.”

Foreign visitors from all walks of life have visited temples in the region to experience the essence of those times and learn more about Korean Buddhism, which is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Indian Mahayana Buddhism.

One such visitor is Carlos Alberto Arganaraz, ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Korea.

The Catholic diplomat, who hails from a country where 90 percent of the population practice Catholicism, recently took part in a templestay program in Jikji Temple, North Gyeongsang Province.

“It was a very important experience from a spiritual point of view and I enjoyed it a lot,” Arganaraz said.

“The talks with the monks and ceremonies were very interesting,” he added.

The ambassador said he encountered no inconveniences and that he planned on additional templestay participation in the years ahead.

Program outline

Well-known temples in the Daegu region include the Jikji Temple, Haein Temple, Tongdo Temple and the Daewon Temple.

In light of the increasing number of young participants, some are running English-language programs.

The Seonseok Temple (054-933-9800) in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, runs an English program for students from elementary, middle and high school.

Templestay programs usually include monastic formal meals with healthy, vegetarian dishes; tea ceremonies; morning and evening chant services; and “seon” or zen meditation.

The communal Buddhist meal service or “Balwoo gongyang” is a unique way of eating in Korean temples, where food is consumed in total silence and not a single grain of rice is wasted.

Reservations can be made online at the www.visitkorea.or.kr or www.templestay.com.

The nation’s southeastern area will host two major events to promote Korea’s Buddhist culture.

The 6th Gyeongju World Culture Expo will run from Aug. 12 to Oct. 10 in Gyeongju, the capital of Silla. Gyeongju is one of the most popular tourist cities in the nation, as home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Haein Temple.

In addition, the millenial anniversary of the Tripitaka Koreana will be marked at Haein Temple, one of the most renowned temples in

South Gyeongsang Province. The Tripitaka Koreana is the world’s oldest and most comprehensive intact version of Buddhist canon in

Chinese script.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr

Jikji Temple

Jikji Temple, located at the foot of Mt. Hwangak in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, was constructed in 418 during the Silla Kingdom.

Situated in perfect harmony with the surrounding valley and pine forest, the temple is home to the Birojeon hall, where approximately 1,000 Buddha statues are enshrined.

It also runs a great hiking course through Mt. Hwangak.

Call 054-335-3318 for more information.

Haein Temple

Founded in 802, the temple is the famous home to the Tripitaka Koreana (National Treasure No.32) and Janggyeongpanjeon (National Treasure No. 52), which is the wooden building that houses the unique collection of one of the world’s oldest Buddhist canons in Chinese script.

The temple is situated in the gorgeous Mt. Gaya National Park area in South Gyeongsang Province, some 70 kilometers west of Daegu.

More information is available at 055-934-3000.

Tongdo Temple

The name of the temple originates from the belief that mankind can be saved through Buddhism. Built in 646, the temple is famous for being more like a museum for housing numerous cultural relics that have survived wars and invasions.

Inside, there are 35 buildings and pagodas, and 14 small temples in its vicinity. A stunning view of the Mt. Chiseo can be seen from the temple.

To contact call 55-382-7182.

Daewon Temple

Located at the eastern foot of Mt. Jiri, Daewon Temple was first built in 548 during the Silla Kingdom. It runs a templestay program ideal for healing the mind and body with special herbs from the region. It also boasts a great hiking course.

Call 055-972-8068 for more information.