I honestly knew nothing about temple stays in Korea — I thought it was so cool that in today’s day and age we get to experience living like a monk.

Well, it is not entirely living like a monk per se. This is perhaps the tourist-friendly version of living like a monk because you still get to have your phones with you, and the earliest you’ll need to get up the next day is at 5.00am.

Even that’s optional. No one’s dragging you out of bed with a wooden bell (lol!). You can skip chanting or bowing, and no one gives you side-eye.

When I went there this year, I was amazed at how the entire cohort were a group of Europeans: some with families and some solo travellers doing the templestay programme.

The Golgulsa temple experience is one of the more popular ones out there — though I did want to stay at Baegyangsa Temple in Damyang but booking it was challenging.

Let me go over first why temple stays are popular in Korea and why they’re a thing

Why Are Temple stays Popular in Korea?

the golgulsa temple stay in gyeongju korea

I was a bit confused about the origins of temple stays in Korea.

I read somewhere that mentioned temple stays were basically created because of the World Cup (in 2002) to introduce foreigners to Korean Buddhism.

But in actuality, the templestay program started much later to introduce Koreans to Buddhism.

Though I didn’t see Koreans during the programme, I did meet a young Korean boy who went to these temples to study and gain some clarity and peace.

The English version didn't even come about in the first year of operation. Even today, it is largely a Korean operation with over 90 temples that participate in Korean and only about 20 in English which are catered to tourists.

That probably explains why their website is also so not user-friendly and the popular ones are where all the foreigners usually go to..

The Temple stay Programme I went with: Golgulsa Temple (골굴사)

in my uniform at the golgulsa temple stay (no sleeveless tshirts are allowed!)

It is the first temple to have started the templestay programme.

The temple started in 1992 and is currently the only temple offering Seonmudo practice (Korean Buddhist martial arts) on weekends. The Golgusa temple has been running templestay programs for 30 years.

So while the Ministry of Culture and Tourism officially kicked off the templestay program in 2002, Golgulsa had already been doing its own thing for 10 years.

Which kind of blows the whole “it was just for the World Cup” theory out of the water!

I also picked Golgulsa temple simply because it is in Gyeongju which pairs up perfectly if you’re doing the whole Busan-Gyeongju route. It makes it easier to stay here for 2 days one night.

Which programme to go for?

the relaxing templestay programme at golgulsa

There’s so many programmes to pick from: from something that’s experience led or rest-oriented.

I picked the relaxation templestay which had seonmudo training & tea time with a buddhist monk.

But if I were to go back and change it, I would have picked the meditation option that goes to a nearby beach. It is far more special and feels like a nice excursion to be in nature as you hear the waves lapping in the sea.

You can book your templestay programmes on the website here. I would also advice you to just email them directly like what we did as it was easier to have it booked. Here’s their E-mail: golgulsatemplestay@gmail.com

The temple stays costs about 100,000 won (USD 71).

How To Get To Golgusa Temple?

Their website actually states everything you need to know. But here’s the route we took coming from Busan.

Take the bus from Busan to Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal (book your tickets here). Takes one hour.
From Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal to the temple. Catch the bus No: 100 / 100-1 / 150 (Taking 50 mins)
Get off “Andong/Girimsa/Golgusa (안동/기림사/골굴사).”
There is a T-junction. You cross the road and go straight along with the street about 10 to 15 mins on foot.

My Experience at The Golgusa Temple Stay

Day 1: Seonmudo demonstrations, orientation, training & 108 prostrations

view of the templestay programme and their architectures

loved sleeping on a mattress here - suprisingly cosy!

We arrived at 2.30pm and the first order of the day was an orientation which involved a lady giving us our uniforms, telling us all the rules and do’s & don’ts.

The place was well preserved and looked new eventhough it has been around for 1,500 years. We went to our room to change to our new outfits and also arranged our futon beds which looked like a little hanok and dorm room.

The place is well insulated at night eventhough there was no heated floors.

You are also given a map and are expected to be on time to the various activities.

108 Prostrations

There was no seonmudo demonstration as you only get it on certain days but we know that the martial arts would be the next day.

We started with 108 prostrations. The 108 prostrations are performed to purify the body and mind by releasing oneself from the 108 sources of suffering.

The whole point of this practice is to form of physical and spiritual exercise that encourages introspection and self-reflection.

Dinner is served

yummy vegetarian dinner at the temple stay

All the food is vegetarian and you’re only expected to take what you can finish. It was a combination of lentils, cabbage, gimbap bolls, fried eggplant and copious amounts of kimchi.

After dinner, we went for a walk in the morning to visit the temple. It was so breezy and nice to be able to climb to the top and meditate for a while.

Day 2: Early morning buddhist service, Sitting & walking meditation, seonmudo training & tea with a buddhist monk

Early morning Buddhist service

After waking up at 5.00am, you’re expected to join their sitting meditation at 5.30am.

The only problem was we got a bit lost and didn’t know where to go — turns out it was in the same temple we climbed last night. It was definitely up a steep hill.

The chants are deep and meditative which brought in a new form of energy especially when you’re doing it at 5.30am.

Walking meditation & Seonmudo Training

The walking meditation after that involved a lot of slow walks where you focus on your breathwork.

It felt harder to focus and concentrate on this especially if you’re used to a fast-paced walking style.

This was followed by another training and then it was time for tea time with the monk where he tries to answer all your questions life, purpose, suffering and the mind.

Tea time with a monk

The tea time wasn’t as deep, perhaps because of the language barrier. There was a translator, but something about the pacing and nuance of the monk’s words seemed lost in translation.

I found that Korean Buddhist philosophers often emphasise the power of the mind basing their teachings in the belief that the mind of every individual is essentially the Buddha’s mind.

In other words, enlightenment isn’t something external to chase but it is already within you!

We ended the stay and headed towards Gyeongju!

look at those gorgeous tart and coffee — much needed!

It was easy to get the same public bus from here to Gyeongju. Everyone is kind of doing the same route so you’re never truly on your own.

You should know that Gyeongju is often called “the museum without walls.”

There are cafes, large open grounds, gorgeous cherry blossoms to spent the entire day before heading back to Seoul.

We chilled at this cafe called Zorba and it was perfect to have some coffees and a few of the creature comforts which I missed when being a monk for 48 hours.

Also read my other South Korea posts:

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