24 hours in Jogyesa buddhist temple in Seoul
Thanks to my colleagues, I discovered a website listing a multitude of Buddhist temples offering experiential stays to Koreans and foreigners alike. I decided to join the most important Jogye temple of Korea located not even 2km away of my hotel in Seoul.
Here a few things I learned...
Greeting
Even one gentle smile or kind word manifests the mind of Buddha. Whenever meeting someone on the temple ground, hapjang 합장 (shown in the video) is used together with a bow.
Eating
When you eat food, you should eat it with wisdom, not greed. To eat with wisdom is to eat as it is to maintain life, being thankful for all persons who contributed to make your bimbibab or whatever is served to you.
Peaceful walking
Chasu is a posture with crossed hands that signifies inward contemplation of your mind and outward consideration toward others.
108 prostrations
This was the most difficult exercise, but also the most powerful. It is considered an act of purification and a preparation act of meditation (or sleep in my case lol). I recommend to listen to the contents. French version:
German version: