My Weekend as a Buddhist Nun

Im not a Buddhist, but I am Buddhism-curious. Unfortunately, I havent found Buddhism to be an approachable religion. Much of the literature available is translated and doesnt flow well in English. If you ask a Buddhist leader a question, you may hear, I cant answer that for you. After which you will be directed to meditate and discover the answer for yourself. Ive found it utterly intangible outside a few broad concepts. My search for a more definitive Buddhist understanding brought me to Haeinsa, South Korea. I spent a year living in S. Korea teaching English and I can easily say Haeinsa is my favorite place in the country and in the top 10 for the world. The forests around the temple are spectacular, full of bubbling streams, Japanese maples & hidden hermitages. A UNESCO world heritage site, Haeinsa is over a 1,000 years old and one of the largest monasteries in Korea. It also opens its doors to visitors and offers a weekend temple stay. The temple stay program is an immersion into monastic life. To get to the temple, you walk for about 30 minutes through the forest. This walk is a mind wash, giving an opportunity to transition out of the secular world and into the spiritual one. Once you arrive at the temple, you are given clothes to change into and shown to your room. There is one room for women & one room for men. You are given a bed role & blanket. After that there is a question & answer period followed by dinner. You eat in a cafeteria with the monks & nuns. The meal is meatless consisting of rice, roots & vegetables grown or foraged at the temple. You are not allowed to speak during the meal. The temple stay proceeds with shadowing the monks daily practice, including chanting, prostrations and a very early meditation session. I gained a sense of clarity from my time at the monastery. Buddhism is fundamentally different than Western religion and any attempt to relate the two will end in frustration. Its lack of definitive becomes its genius. Buddhism is a humble religion that doesnt mandate a particular path. It encourages curiosity and each person is responsible for their own progress. What Buddhism gives to its followers are techniques to cope with the often difficult certainties of human life, change and suffering. It emphasizes living in each moment with full appreciation for the world and people around us. My weekend as a Buddhist nun left me confident that there was wisdom and useful knowledge to be gained through the study and practice of Buddhist principles. I was, and still am, enthusiastic to know more. Ready to try for yourself? Heres how: Make reservations & learn more about the program here: http://eng.templestay.com/index.asp. Or contact Haeinsa directly:

Address : 10, Chiin-ri, Gaya-myeon Hapcheon-gun Gyeongsangnam-do Tel : +82-55-934-3110 / Fax : +82-55-934-3010 homepage : http://www.haeinsa.or.kr E-mail : haeinsa2@templestay.com The cost for a weekend stay (one night, 2 meals): 60,000 KRW / $55 If you are starting from Seoul, take the KTX to Daegu. From the Daegu KTX station take a taxi to the Seobu Bus station. Buses leave every hour to Haeinsa. Its about a one and half hour trip from the Seobu station to Haeinsa. Tips for getting the most out of your weekend: I recommend going in the summer. Winters are cold in S. Korea and monastery heating is Spartan. Have at least a basic understanding of Buddhism and if possible Korean Buddhism. Be respectful and follow the rules of etiquette that are given to you by your temple stay instructor. Want to see a photo album of my weekend at Haeinsa? Check out my website: www.girlwandering.com.