Camping, Beach Walks, Forest Meditation, Surfing, and Family Activities... Diverse Summer Templestay Programs

Special Summer Templestay Programs in July and August
A Variety of Activities Offered at Temples Nationwide

The Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation announced on June 30 that it will operate the "Special Summer Templestay" program at 56 temples nationwide during July and August.

Walking along the seaside path at Sinhungsa Temple (Wando). Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation

The "Special Summer Templestay" offers a total of five types of programs: special experience, children's camp, family experience, intensive meditation, and youth healing. Each program features a variety of activities that reflect the unique characteristics of each region and temple.

For participants seeking a unique templestay, the special experience programs include: solo tent experience (Gilsangsa Temple in Seongbuk, Junghungsa Temple in Goyang), surfing and wave meditation (Naksansa Temple in Yangyang), pottery making (Songgwangsa Temple in Wanju), and Sunmudo training (Golgulsa Temple in Gyeongju). There are also programs where participants can make temple cuisine, which was recently designated as a National Intangible Heritage (Yongmunsa Temple in Yecheon), and experience traditional tea ceremony (Ssanggyesa Temple in Hadong).

The children's camp programs include water play, recreation, Buddhist initiation ceremony, campfire, ranch experience, dancheong painting (Yongmunsa Temple in Namhae), and outdoor installation art experience (Gwaneumsa Temple in Jeju).

Family experience programs are also available, such as family tea time (International Seon Center in Yangcheon-gu), learning about the Parents' Gratitude Sutra (Yukjijangsa Temple in Yangju), treasure hunt games (Beopjusa Temple in Boeun), and Seongbuldo game opportunities.

In addition, the intensive meditation programs offer trekking meditation, valley water meditation, sunrise meditation, tea meditation, and walking meditation experiences. The youth healing programs provide opportunities for 108 prostrations, walking in a cypress forest, observing fireflies, sand mandala, and bamboo craft experiences.

Applications can be submitted through the Templestay reservation website, and detailed schedules and program information for each temple are also available on the website.