[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Reflect on the new year at these peaceful temple stays

Only a few days have passed since the beginning of the new year, making it the perfect time to contemplate the 12 months that lie ahead. If you are overwhelmed and can’t decide on your plans for 2023, why not try going on a temple stay?

A monk leads temple stay participants around Woljeong Temple [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Only a few days have passed since the beginning of the new year, making it the perfect time to contemplate the 12 months that lie ahead.

If you are overwhelmed and can’t decide on your plans for 2023, why not try going on a temple stay to sort out your thoughts?

There are around 130 temples in Korea that offer temple stay programs, essentially an overnight-stay in a Buddhist temple in the mountains. If you can’t decide on where to go among the many choices, here are four temples guaranteed to help clear your mind and calm your thoughts.

Baekdam Temple

The entrance to Baekdam Temple [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Baekdam Temple is a temple in Seoraksan National Park in Sokcho, Gangwon. The temple is also known as the place where Han Yong-un, poet and independence fighter, stayed and wrote the literary piece “The Silence of Love: Poems.”

The temple offers a three-day, two-night forest meditation program that starts every Saturday, which centers around taking a rest in the forest. Visitors take a light walk around Baekdam Valley with the temple’s monk, listening to the sounds of flowing water and enjoying nature. Apart from walking around the valley, visitors are free to explore the temple and nearby forest as they wish. Participants can also join the monks for their daily tea time, meditate and talk with them.

If you want to make special memories for the upcoming Lunar New Year, try Baekdam Temple as it offers a special program to celebrate the holiday. A temple stay program held from Jan. 20 to 22 will guide visitors through the activities the temple usually offers, but will also allow you to participate in traditional holiday activities such as charye, the rite of putting out food for your ancestors.

A trail near Baekdam Temple [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

@baekdamsa746 Baekdam-ro, Inje County, GangwonPrice: 100,000 won for the forest meditation stay program, 150,000 won for the Lunar New Year program. Phone number: 010-8978-5035Website: https://baekdamsa.org/

Daewon Temple

A shrine hall at Daewon Temple [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Daewon Temple is located on the eastern side of Mount Jiri in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang. It’s known as a stopping point on the Hwadae traverse, a 42-kilometer (26-mile) trail taken by hikers at Mount Jiri.

The temple may be the place to go if you are someone who wants more time to yourself. Unlike other temple stay programs that offer various events that visitors can participate in, the temple doesn’t have a set schedule that people have to follow.

But that doesn’t mean your stay will be boring. The Daewonsa Valley is found within close walking distance from the temple, with a stream and a canopy of lush pine trees welcoming visitors. There are various old tales about the forest that have been passed down through the generations, so try exploring the area while tracing the stories. Yongso, a pool in the valley, got its name from a legend about a dragon — or yong in Korean — finally ascended to the skies after living there for 100 years. Somakgol Valley is known as a place where King Guhyeong of Geumgwan Gaya fed his cows and horses, giving it the name because cow is so in Korean and horse is mal.

During your stay, try visiting the Multi-story Stone Pagoda of Daewon Temple, standing tall in front of the temple's Sarira Hall. The eight-story pagoda was built in the early Joseon period and is intricately engraved with the four guardian kings of Buddhism.

The Multi-story Stone Pagoda of Daewon Temple [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

455 Daewonsa-gil, Sancheong County, South GyeongsangPrice: 60,000 won per personPhone number: 010-4247-8440, 055) 974–1112Website: http://daewonsa.templestay.com/

Woljeong Temple

Temple stay participants walk around the trails near Woljeong Temple. [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Woljeong Temple is a temple located in Odaesan National Park in Gangwon. For those who love Korean dramas, the temple may seem familiar as it is was where the tvN series “Guardian: The Great and Lonely God” (2016) was filmed.

The temple regularly offers a two-day, one-night stay that starts every Saturday, allowing visitors to try out various monastic activities. On the first day, you can try making lotus lanterns, which are typically made by the monks and strung up in front of temples. At night, the monks will guide you for a walk around the temple’s stone pagodas under the beautiful moonlight. You'll also go on another walk the next day, trekking to nearby Sunjae Road. The 4-kilometer trail connects Woljeong Temple to Sangwon Temple, and is where monks walk and meditate. So try clearing up your mind while walking in their footsteps.

@woljeongsa_templestay63 Dongsan-ri, Jinbu County, Pyeongchang, GangwonPrice: 130,000 won for adults and 100,000 won for elementary, middle and high school students.Phone number: 033) 339-6607Website: https://eng.templestay.com/temple_info.asp?t_id=woljeongsa

Jogye Temple

A shrine hall at Jogye Temple [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

For people who find it hard to travel far away from Seoul, Jogye Temple is a good choice. The temple is just a seven-minute walk from Anguk Station in Jongno District, central Seoul, and is easily reachable by bus from anywhere in Seoul. Because the temple is located in the heart of the city, its temple stay programs offer various experiences you can try out in the city.

If you call yourself a book lover, try the temple’s bookstore tour that takes you on a walk through Seochon. The tour takes you to the House of Yi Sang, a house and library dedicated to poet and writer Yi Sang. At the house, you can read his past works and watch videos about his lifetime.

Post-its with a short book review written by the owner are stuck on each book at Seochon Books. [SEOCHON BOOKS]

You’ll also be guided around various bookstores based on what season you sign up for the tour: Boan Books in the spring, Seochon Books in summer, History Books in fall and 11ho1 in winter. The four bookstores are unique in each and every way. Boan Books used to be a small inn, but was remodeled as a bookstore in 2007. Part of the old inn is preserved and used by various artists to showcase their work.

The owner of Seochon Books adds a bit of a personal touch to the bookstore, with each book having a Post-it note explaining why it is interesting. History Books provides exactly what you expect, strictly offering books about history. 11ho1 also caters to a certain type of book — all books at the store are specifically about health, making it the perfect place to visit in the winter when you might be worried about catching a cold or getting sick.

@jogyesa_ig55 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno District, central SeoulPhone number: 02) 768-8523Website: https://www.jogyesa.kr/eng/index.php

BY CHOI SEUNG-PYO, LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]