Jingwansa Short-Term Monastic School "One Step" Embarks on Seven-Day Practice

Gobeul Ceremony to Be Held at Hamwoldang Hall, Jingwansa Temple on January 21

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism's Administrative Headquarters is hosting the "Jingwansa 1st Short-Term Monastic School: One Step," organized by Jingwansa Temple, its directly affiliated parish. The program will begin with a Gobeul Ceremony at Hamwoldang Hall in Jingwansa Temple on January 21, and participants will embark on a seven-day, six-night period of monastic practice.

This short-term monastic school was established to reflect the aspiration of Chief Administrator Jinwoo, who has promoted policies encouraging ordination by defining it as "a choice to leave the house of suffering and design the freest life." The Jogye Order is presenting Seon meditation and monastic practice as alternatives to the mental suffering experienced by modern people, expanding opportunities for anyone to experience the life of a practitioner.

Under the slogan "One Step, The Path to Meet Myself," the program welcomes 11 female participants aged between 17 and 59. They will go beyond a typical templestay to undergo the full postulant process, following the same routine as actual monastics. Participants will experience the daily life of a practitioner under strict temple rules, including early morning chanting, 108 prostrations, formal monastic meals (balwoo gongyang), periods of silence, and abstaining from food after noon.

The program includes experiences such as temple cuisine, Seon meditation, repentance rituals (Jabi Sucham), all-night practice, and a special Dharma talk by Ven. Jeongmu, Director of the Propagation Department at the Administrative Headquarters. During the Gobeul Ceremony, Ven. Jinwoo will encourage the new participants and express the Jogye Order's ongoing commitment to supporting those who choose the path of ordination and practice.

Ven. Beophae, the abbot of Jingwansa Temple, stated, "I hope that 'One Step' will be an opportunity for participants to discover their own dignity and be reborn as the masters of their own lives."