Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism to run overnight meditation sessions in September

The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism is operating overnight meditation sessions across some 40 Buddhist temples starting in September, it said through a press release Friday.

Visitors to Naksansa in Gangwon meditate while listening to ocean waves. [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism is operating overnight meditation sessions across some 40 Buddhist temples starting in September, it said through a press release Friday.

The temple stays specifically teach seon meditation, which is a type of meditation practiced in Korea’s most common branch of the religion, Seon Buddhism. The meditation, per the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, is about “escaping one’s anger and sadness and attaining internal peace within oneself.”

Each temple has creatively incorporated seon meditation in their stay program and the Korean Buddhism Corps hopes that participants can experience the lifestyles of real monks and find their own styles of meditation.

For non-Korean speakers, the Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center in Incheon is offering a temple stay featuring a meditation led in English as well as Korean by a monk from India.

Foreigners mediate at the Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center in Incheon [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Other programs include an extensive lecture on seon meditation and breathing exercises at Munsuamsa in South Gyeongsang; a six-night-seven-day stay at Chukseosa in North Gyeongsang offering a real monk life experience; and a meditation session while watching the stars and drinking tea at Geumgang Jeongsa in Gyeonggi.

For those looking to participate with kids, the Korean Buddhism Corps recommends stays at Bulgapsa in South Jeolla, Jabisunsa in North Gyeongsang and Donghwasa in Daegu.

Monks practice seon meditation at Bulguksa in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

Visitors to Woljeongsa in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, meditate while walking in the woods. [CULTURAL CORPS OF KOREAN BUDDHISM]

The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism is also set to host a seon meditation festival from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 largely around the Gwanghwamun area in Jongno District, central Seoul. It is themed “Peaceful Mind, Peaceful World,” and one of the most anticipated events is its educational program teaching participants how to self-meditate for five minutes every day.

Registration for the temple stays as well as more information is available on Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism’s official website, www.templestay.com.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]