"Couples Formed at the Lotus Flower Hotspot"... 4 Out of 12 Pairs Matched at 'I Go to the Temple, Bongseonsa'

Participants at the unmarried men and women templestay "I Go to the Temple, Bongseonsa" held at Bongseonsa Temple. Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation

The Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation announced that at the unmarried men and women templestay "I Go to the Temple, Bongseonsa," held at Bongseonsa Temple in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province from July 19 to 20, four couples out of the twelve pairs of participants developed mutual interest and were matched as couples.

Participants began with light conversations in one-on-one pairings on the group bus ride to Bongseonsa Temple. They then took part in a variety of programs, including one-on-one rotating tea talks, a temple cuisine cooking experience with Ven. Seonjae, recreational activities hosted by MC Sim Mokmin, free dating time in the evening, and tea talks with monks. Through these diverse activities, participants had the opportunity to get to know one another.

Ven. Hosan, the head monk of Bongseonsa Temple, is delivering a welcoming address. Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation

At the opening ceremony, Ven. Hosan, the head monk of Bongseonsa Temple, welcomed the participants by saying, "The 24 participants gathered here today were not simply selected from among 600 applicants. Rather, they are 24 people out of 8 billion on Earth." He added, "Since you are the chosen ones, I hope you receive the good energy of Bongseonsa Temple and find meaningful connections."

Ven. Myojang, the CEO of the foundation, encouraged the participants by saying, "It is an honor to hold 'I Go to the Temple' at Bongseonsa Temple, a place renowned for its beautiful lotus flowers," and added, "I hope that, as Ven. Hosan aspires, 'I Go to the Temple' will become a space for communication with young people."

Participants also took part in a temple cuisine cooking experience with Ven. Seonjae, the first master of temple cuisine, where they made lotus leaf rice, vegetable doenjang, and potato pancakes. Ven. Seonjae, who led the program, said, "Patience is important when making food. Even ingredients like mushrooms and bell peppers, each with their own unique flavors and aromas, blend together harmoniously when cooked with patience. The same applies to us. Although we are all different, if we take our time and move forward slowly, we can achieve harmony. Instead of rejecting others for being different, if we look at them with patience, we can eventually achieve harmony."

Seonjae Sunim is delivering words of encouragement to the participants. Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation

A total of 548 people (250 men and 298 women) applied for this "I Go to the Temple, Bongseonsa," and 12 men and 12 women were selected, resulting in four matched couples.

Since 2013, the foundation has organized templestay programs for singles, and in the second half of 2023, it rebranded the program as "I Go to the Temple," which continues to attract public interest. Upcoming "I Go to the Temple" events are scheduled to be held at Sinheungsa Temple in Sokcho in September and at Jikjisa Temple in Gimcheon in October.