I came across the Jogyesa 조계사 Korean temple by accident and what a find it was! I spent some 3 hours there talking with Do Rae (a Temple volunteer), trying to meditate, watching the worship and just ‘being’.
As I was leaving the Temple the monks started to pay the drums as a sort of call prayer, I captured a little of this in the video below. There is a far more professional Youtube channel for Korean Buddhism.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJmMyP7Uzv0&hl=en&fs=1]
I also recorded a little of the worship, but felt guilty so it’s only 41 seconds long! Well at least you won’t get bored! 😉
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBXMELKH96U&w=425&h=349]
My meditation wasn’t easy, as usual I needed more cushions for the lotus position. My question or focus was ‘Who am I? What is my essence’ – so started with the easy stuff!
I was to keep asking myself this question (there are some 1700 in Korean Buddhism), half-close my eyes and focus on a point some distance in front of me, resting my forearms on my thighs and making a sort of heart shape with my hands.
The temple address is Jogyesa Temple Seoul-si Jongno-gu Gyeonji-dong 45, and more information about Korean Buddhism can be found at www.koreanbuddhism.net
Korean Buddhism offers a Temple Stay programme where visitors can stay at the Temple and be involved in various activities including traditional Korean art and writing, and Buddhist practices.
Leave a Reply