Our entire visit to South Korea was the most culturally diverse trip to date. Staying at a Buddhist Temple was the ultimate cultural experience of the trip. We spent 24 hours at the Ganghwa Lotus Latern Meditation Center in Ganghwa, Korea. Reservations were made over the phone and confirmed via email. The process is quite simple as our hostess/reservationist spoke English.
The subway/bus trip took us about two hours Northwest of Seoul. Upon arrival we were shown to our rooms (no mixed couples in rooms) and given clothing to wear. We then shared a snack of boiled potatoes and sides with the three resident monks and other guests. Later that day we met with one of the Monks that explained Buddhist traditions, meditation, history, etc. We even spent about 20 minutes meditating, my mind wandering after about 10 minutes. Guess I have much to learn.
We retired to bed quite early, 10ish, knowing that we would rise at 3:30 AM in order to start the day with chanting and bowing in the Temple with the Monks. Let me tell you about that task. 108 is a significant number in Buddhist culture. 108 bows is what we did. 108 is about how old I felt the next day when climbing stairs. If fact my wife almost fell out of the Temple at about bow 73 when she lost her balance ( no worries, she maintained her spot in the Temple). We meditated, worked, and walked the grounds all before breakfast.
A trip to another Temple, question and answer sessions with the Head Monk, meals,and just plain quiet reflextion time were some of the other activities. Also talking with other guests from all over the world rounded out our 24 hour stay. You can stay for longer periods of time if you like.
I learned more in that 24 hours than the previous 45 years. It was a GREAT experience. Make sure you make time for this adventure!
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on Dec 18, 2005
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