Pre-dawn calls and hard beds – South Korea’s spiritual tourism

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SEOUL, South Korea -- As a paying guest at Mihwangsa, there’s no need to book a morning wake-up call.
It’s provided well before sunrise, at 4am to be precise... and it isn’t optional.

<< Participants and monks taking meditating sessions during a temple stay at a yard of Mihwangsa temple in Haenam, 350km south of Seoul. – AFP pic

Instead of a phone call - none of the rooms have phones - guests are roused by a monk walking past their rooms, knocking on a wooden block to call them for a round of pre-breakfast chanting and meditation.

The dozen guests who make their sleepy way to the temple’s main hall - clad in identical grey loose-fitting outfits - are all taking part in Mihwangsa’s Templestay programme.

Ranging from middle school students to housewives in their late 30s, and including Koreans and foreigners, they were attracted by what has become a thriving mini-tourist industry in temples across South Korea.

“I wanted to be isolated in the mountains while experiencing the traditional life,” said Helena Ranneberg, a Danish web consultant.

Mihwangsa temple is undoubtedly isolated, located halfway up a mountain in coastal Haenam county around 320km southwest of Seoul.

The Templestay programme has its unlikely origins in the 2002 football World Cup which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

When the government made a general appeal for help in overcoming a shortage of hotel accommodation, the Jogye Order, the country’s largest Buddhism sect, saw an opportunity and began opening its temples to short-term paying guests.

“There were shared voices within Buddhism that we needed to interact with the outside world by opening ourselves to the public,” said Kumgang, the head monk of Mihwangsa.

The rates are relatively cheap, ranging from 50,000-80,000 won (RM138 to RM230) a night, and the amenities are spartan compared to any mainstream hotel.

Guests are obliged to sleep on thin cotton mattresses on a hardwood floor, eat vegetarian food and participate in classes on Buddhism, morning meditation and evening chanting of scriptures — all led by monks.

“The most difficult part for me was to sit and lie on the wooden floor,” confessed Ranneberg.

“I just couldn’t sleep at night.”

In their free time, they can hike in the surrounding area, read books, drink tea and participate in much of the temple’s daily life. Drinking and smoking are forbidden and mobile phone use actively discouraged.

“Other than ceremonies, I can relax, drink tea with the monks and have discussions on life... It’s all I could wish for,” said Park Seung-Kyung, a housewife from Gwangju who had booked in for three days.

None of the monks at Mihwangsa speak English, but a lay Buddhist living in the temple helps interpret for foreign guests.

For Ranneberg, the language barrier was not an issue.

“Before dawn, I had time on my own in complete darkness, just sitting in front of the traditional architecture... And that really was something different, something I would never be able to experience anywhere else,” she said.

Since the programme began a decade ago, the number of participating temples has risen from 33 to 109 and close to two million people have stayed in them.

Last year, the number of Templestay guests was 212,437, of which around 12 per cent were foreigners.

Since 2004 the government has provided subsidies totalling around US$100 million (RM306 million) to the programme which the government sees as a force for promoting traditional Korean culture.

But not everybody is happy.

Last year, the Korean Association of Church Communication issued a statement arguing that there was “room for conflict” in the government subsidising a programme associated with one particular religion.

“There clearly is a problem with financially supporting missionary events by specific religion,” it said.

The official Templestay website stresses that the programme is mainly aimed at providing a cultural experience, rather than an effort to promote religious belief.

Tensions between Buddhism and the Christian Church have deep roots in South Korea.

Historically the dominant religion, Buddhism has been eclipsed by Christianity which grew at an incredible pace in the 20th century, especially after the 1950-53 Korean War.

Thirty percent of the population describe themselves as Christian, making South Korea one of the most Christian countries in Asia, ranking third after the traditionally Catholic Philippines and East Timor.

Buddhists now comprise a little over 20 per cent, and there is some resentment in the Buddhist community over South Korea’s embrace of a particularly evangelical style of Christianity that places a strong emphasis on proselytising and missionary work.

The Jogye Order plans to designate more temples as Templestay hosts next year and head monk Kumgang says Mihwangsa will continue to participate in the programme.

“Templestay can provide people who live a busy life with a place to relax and refresh... like a realm of peace and spiritual growth,” he said.

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South Korea's Buddhists monks tackle modern challenges

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South Korea's Buddhists monks tackle modern challenges

Seoul, South Korea -- Sitting in the study at Seoul's main Jogyesa Temple, the Venerable Sung Jin wraps his wide grey tunic around him, as his round face cracks into a broad smile.

<< South Korean Buddhists march with lanterns during the Lotus Lantern Festival in downtown Seoul, 19 May 2012 Buddhist communities have been holding events to try to engage the public

Twenty years ago, he tells me, he was a student activist in South Korea's turbulent new democracy. Running from police one day after a demonstration, he took refuge in a temple, and began chatting to the Zen master there.

The rest, as they say, is history: Ven Sung Jin is now head of administration at the Jogyesa Temple.

But the question of why people become monks is a pertinent one in South Korea at the moment.

Last month, the country's main Jogye Order was hit by scandal after video footage showed several of its monks drinking, smoking and gambling in a hotel bedroom.

It was a PR disaster for South Korea's ancient national religion, already struggling to remain relevant in the face of thriving Christianity and capitalism.

Allegations of un-Buddhist-like behaviour - gambling, corruption, even paying for sex - have circled the Joyge Order, fuelled by internal divisions over the organisation's leadership.

The man who leaked the recent video footage, Ven Seong-Ho, told me the order was like "a patient with cancer - it's about to die, and we don't have the doctors who can fix it".

Many South Koreans dismiss that as hyperbole. But the recent scandal has raised new questions about the role Buddhist monks play in modern-day Korea.

Interest declining

In an age of sex, smartphones and social freedoms, what motivates people to give up many of life's pleasures and spend their lives isolated from the world in quiet contemplation?

"There's usually a moment," the smiling, accidental Ven Sung Jin told me. "A turning point, when someone decides to become a monk.

"It could be house burning down, the death of a loved one. A moment when they realise that nothing lasts forever. It's a very personal response."

But, he says, the number of people making that choice has declined.

"Compared to when I became a monk," he said, "there's been a reduction of maybe 50-70% in people coming in."

"I mean, look at this!" He holds up his bat-like sleeves.

"When life is so convenient, when there's so much to enjoy in modern life, why would you want to shave your head, wear clothes like this, and spend time with a 70-year-old Zen master in the mountains?"

Ven Sung Jin spend ten years meditating in a temple in South Korea's mountains, before moving to Seoul.

"Few want to bear the great responsibility of being a monk," he says, "when even the smallest mistakes have huge consequences."

Korea's Buddhist monks sign up for life - something that can create added pressures, says Ven Moo-Shim, an American who's lived here as a monk for almost 30 years.

"People have a different attitude about Buddhism in Korea," he told me. "For example, in Thailand, you can go to be a monk for 3-6 months, and then return to society. But in Korea it's not that simple. Korean people believe you have to give your life to it. So when they see monks squabbling over petty things, they feel sad."

'Feisty'

As a result of the recent scandal, the leaders of the Jogye Order announced 100 days of repentance, and a series of reforms designed to bar monks from running the financial or day-to-day affairs of temples without help.

Bringing in financial advisors to do the accounts, they said, would not only prevent wrong-doing, but would confine the monks to their key tasks of meditation and spiritual practice.

But it's not the first time scandal has hit South Korea's main Buddhist order. Just over a decade ago, TV pictures showed monks rioting in Seoul, over internal conflicts within the order itself.

I asked the American Ven Moo-Shim whether Korean monks' reputation for being a bit hot-blooded was deserved.

"They are a bit feisty," he said. "And part of that reputation is that they're willing to fight for what they believe is truly good, and helps the Korean people. But of course if things like this recent scandal carry on, they'll lose that good image."

During earlier Japanese and Chinese invasions of Korea, the monks came out of their monasteries to fight the invaders. But with no military invasion to head off in 21st century South Korea, how does a closeted, meditative order remain relevant now?

"I think it's facing a challenge," says Moo-Shim, "because Buddhism is trying to satisfy a need for scientific learning. But trying to adjust the needs of Buddhism to the needs of this age is not so easy."

There have been attempts, he says, to combine Buddhist teaching with counselling, and to hold street festivals and cultural events to engage the public.

But he says, at the same time "we as monks have to recognise that not everyone's ready to live like we do. And it's the monastic mind that's very interesting to a lot of people."

Ven Sung Jin agrees. Buddhism was banned and repressed in Korea for centuries, and it still survived, he said.

"The decision to become a monk isn't something that can be blown off course too easily," he says. It's about wanting to fill the empty mind.

And for someone to be affected by the recent events? "I don't think they would have been willing to take that decision in the first place."

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Lotus lantern festival designated as Korea's "important intangible cultural

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Seoul, South Korea -- The Lotus lantern festival, “Yeondeunghoe” in Korean, was designated the intangible cultural heritage No. 122 by the Cultural heritage administration.

And now, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced that "Yeondeunghoe," a lotus lantern festival held by Buddhists, is also a candidate for UNESCO Memory of the World designation, the administration said.

Yeondeunghoe initially started as a Buddhist tradition held on the day of Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar calendar, in the Shilla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.). The religious ceremony has now become an annual event to celebrate Buddha's birthday in downtown Seoul where a lantern parade and street fair take place.

The Jogye Order plan to create an office and hire more people within the Jogye Order headquarters to propel the Yeondeunghoe to be designated as the UNESCO Memory of the World.

Before the festival was designated the intangible cultura heritage, many protestants and christians protested against this event, however now the Korean government announced their support for the festival.

Choi Kwang sik, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism urged the UNESCO committee “..to experience the other three world festivals, and to come to Korea to experience and enjoy the Lantern Festival with us, and to actively promote and support the lantern festival.”

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South Korea's religious harmony put to the test

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SEOUL, South Korea --  Many South Koreans concerned about the country's increasing religious polarisation are haunted by a single image - their president on his knees.

<< President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok say prayers kneeling down at a breakfast prayer meeting for the nation held at Coex Samsungdong, Gangnamku, Seoul, on Thursday, Mar 03, 2011

While attending a national prayer breakfast in March, Lee knelt to pray at the urging of Christian leaders.

Footage of the event shocked many in this pluralist country, where about half the population professes no particular faith and the remainder is split between Buddhists, Christians and homegrown creeds.

The main Buddhist Jogye Order called the scene "unforgiveable," and even right-leaning media outlets generally supportive of the conservative leader expressed reservations.

The Joongang Ilbo daily in an editorial urged Lee, a devout Protestant and an elder at Seoul's Somang Church, to keep his beliefs private and avoid provoking public ire.

"(The prayer breakfast) convinced people how dangerous the current situation really is," said Park Gwang-seo, head of the Korea Institute for Religious Freedom, a civic group that works to promote the separation of religion and state.

"We're at a peak as far as the relationship between politics and religion is concerned."

South Korea's constitution stipulates that there is no official religion and bars the country's leaders from elevating one faith above others, but analysts say Lee's outspoken religious beliefs and strong links with the Christian community have opened the administration to charges of bias.

"We have for the first time very high-level conflicts going on, particularly between the Christian community and the Buddhist community," said Hahm Sung Deuk, a professor of political economy at Korea University. "And most of these conflicts can be attributed to President Lee."

ACCUSATIONS OF BIAS

Buddhists, secularists and even some Christians have bristled at cases that they believe point to a rising Christian influence in the operations of government.

These include its failure to pass legislation supporting Islamic bond, or sukuk, issuances, which was strongly opposed by Christian groups, and a reduction in funding for a program that lodges tourists at Buddhist temples.

Many also believe Lee filled key government positions based on recommendations and advice from the Christian community, Hahm says.

Christian groups say they enjoy good relations with the administration, but deny having any direct influence.

"Some people might say the church and state are too friendly, but it's not favourable for the church to participate in politics," said Kim Woon-tei, executive secretary of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK), which claims to represent around 8 million people under 69 protestant denominations.

"We only give our opinions to the state, to show how Christians view politics and the political process."

The Council's opposition to sukuk laws was not based on religion but because the proposals "(did not serve) the well-being of the economy and Korean people," Kim said.

BUDDHISTS FEEL LEFT BEHIND

A sense they are being left behind has mobilised Buddhists, who are increasingly flexing their political muscle, observers say.

"Buddhists think Christians are getting too much support (from the government)... so are organising more clearly to express themselves through political action and as a political movement," said Yoon Yee-heum, an honorary professor of religious studies and Seoul National University.

In late 2010, the Jogye Order cut off relations with the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) over the temple funding row, barring its officials from attending official temple events even throughout the campaign period for April by-elections, when candidates frequently do the rounds of prominent temples and churches.

The dispute appeared to reach a resolution on June 7, when the head of the order announced that despite the government's "religious favouritism", it would normalise ties with the ruling party and endeavour to resolve any issues through "communication and an open approach."

ELECTIONS LOOM

The timing of the peace with the Jogye Order is fortuitous for the GNP as political parties move to galvanise support ahead of the presidential election next year. In an increasingly charged environment some fear religion could play a bigger role in the results.

Kim of the CCK says while the organisation does not officially endorse specific candidates or parties, its membership is largely conservative and some church leaders "may say they are favourable to certain politicians and candidates."

Park of the Korea Institute for Religious Freedom said: "Most priests speak about politics and many people are affected by their opinions."

Others believe the impact of religious groups on the vote will be minimal and that elections could even ease the tensions that have characterised the Lee administration.

"Voters don't care much about candidates' religion itself, but how it relates to their governing," said Korea University's Hahm.

Hahm said the figures generally tipped as presidential candidates, including apparent front-runner Park Geun-hye, are careful to be circumspect about their religious views. Park aides say she professes no specific faith.

"Because of the Lee experience, many candidates will be very careful about the religious issue or selecting people from a particular religious group," he said. "They know the majority of Koreans support the principle of separating religion and politics and will try to get as much support as possible across religious communities."

Yoon warns candidates who ignore the conflicts that have arisen in recent years and turn to religion to win support may further imperil the harmony that has so far characterised relations among Korea's different faiths.

"If politicians do not look at this change, no one knows where the situation will go," he said. "Politicians see religion as a voting matter, so they're ignoring it ... (it is) clearly rising as a social problem."

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Additional reporting by Seongbin Kang, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Sanjeev Miglani

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