A Day of Temple Stay at Seonamsa Temple
Day 1
(September 25, 2019)
Waon Beach
Jo Hun-mo Bakery (Palma Branch)
Suncheon Station
Byeogodong
Dabansa
Seonamsa Temple
07. The Path of a Mountain Temple - Seonamsa Temple 2
At 4:30 PM, the Buddhist priest began the Temple Stay orientation in front of the Main Hall.
Seonamsa Temple belongs to the Taego Order and adheres to the Buddhist rituals of the Joseon Dynasty.
It's called a 'chongnim' because it has a meditation hall and a four-year Buddhist college.
They say you can only become a real monk after being trained here.
Because it's a place where monks practice, there are many restrictions.
Completely different from last time...
1. In the temple, hands should be held respectfully in front and not behind the back.
2. If you make eye contact with a monk, put your palms together and bow slightly.
3. When entering the Dharma hall, bow slightly, and bow again when leaving.
4. During meal times, do the same as in the Dharma hall - bow slightly when entering and bow again when leaving.
5. In the Jeokmukdang (dining hall), move only through doors 1-3 from the innermost part and do not pass through the central aisle.
6. The dormitory doors are locked after 8 PM, so you cannot go outside.
These are the things I remember for now.
This is the Jeokmukdang where meals are served. Unlike other temples, outsiders are not allowed to eat here.
In the morning, the monks eat separately using their begging bowls, but they have meals with us at lunch and dinner.
We listened to the precautions for eating at the Jeokmukdang.
We then went to the Main Hall to hear about the temple.
This is the Temple Stay attire at Seonamsa Temple.
There were quite a few children this time.
The Main Hall is currently under renovation but is open to visitors.
There are dragons on both sides of the Main Hall; the dragon with its mouth open represents the doctrinal school (Kyojong), and the dragon with its mouth closed represents the Zen school (Seonjong), signifying the unity of Seon and doctrinal schools.
I didn't take pictures inside...
The central door of the Main Hall is closed.
Different from other temples...
Referring to my previous blog, the threshold of the center door is raised so that no one can pass through.
During the Joseon Dynasty, due to the policy of suppressing Buddhism and exalting Confucianism, banquets were held in temples.
The center door was originally only for senior monks, but because many irreverent acts were committed here, the threshold was raised, and the door was locked completely.
So, the center door here is completely closed.
We were told to enter through the right door and sit on the right side when participating in Buddhist services.
Bow slightly when entering, then bow slightly before making three prostrations (three bows), make three prostrations, bow slightly again, follow the Buddhist service...
And bow slightly again when leaving.
One of the famous places in Seonamsa Temple is the restroom (Haewooso).
It is a traditional style restroom that is still in use.
Dinner time is from 5:30 PM to 5:50 PM.
Unlike other temples where everyone does their own dishes, this place is different.
There is a place to put the dishes after you have finished eating.
Most of the work here is done directly by the monks.
The monks' begging bowls are neatly arranged here.
One of the famous things at Seonamsa Temple is plum Gochujang (red pepper paste).
It is Gochujang made directly using plums that were picked directly.
There is also sesame oil next to it, and it is delicious.
Overall, the food is neat and delicious.
After dinner, the evening Buddhist service starts at 6:30 PM, but before that, they play the four Buddhist instruments: the Dharma drum, the cloud gong, the wooden fish, and the bronze bell.
This is not a scene you can see anywhere, so everyone waits in front of the bell pavilion for a while.
During the remaining time, I look at the Iljumun gate and do an urban sketch.
There is a building above, so you can avoid the rain, so even if it rains the next day, I can draw here.
Before the Buddhist service time, the monks who play the four instruments begin to arrive.
I couldn't see the ritual of the four objects properly because I had to go in to attend the evening Buddhist service.
The evening Buddhist service is about 30 minutes long.
And not all the monks come, so the Dharma hall is not full.
After the Buddhist service, I returned to Simgeomdang, took a shower, finished up the things I hadn't been able to do, and went to bed early.
I decided to just watch the ritual of the four objects because all the monks attend the dawn Buddhist service and it lasts for an hour.
Here are some more photos from the trip:
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