From Beomeosa station, the fastest way to the temple is by taxi from exit 5 or 7. Our final activity was tea and sweet snack while chatting with Hyeon-yeo Sunim. I went to the temple on my own without a guide. This 1,300 year old temple is really beautiful and serene, set against a majestic mountain backdrop. Several birds were quietly singing and darting across in the chilly air and in the distance a Buddhist monk was heard chanting. download the compilation album today! Watch Queue Queue His face was serious but his eyes radiated joy. You should budget an additional 15 minutes for walking from the bus stop and Beomeosa temple entrance to the actual temple stay building. Needless to say, Beomeosa makes it onto my list of 10 temples you can’t miss in Busan and 50 best things to do in Busan. Clothing is usually provided and sleeping is typically on futons in shared, sex-segregated rooms with other guests. Beomeosa Temple, erected in 678 by Uisang Daisa, is one of the three largest temples in the Gyeongsang province. :). The Relax & Relax program (50,000KRW or $40) offers a more flexible schedule and later wake-up time. I have trouble sleeping on a regular night in my own bed, let alone trying to fall asleep several hours earlier than usual, in a room with half a dozen other guys, on a hard floor with a thin mattress. At the time, attempted attacks from Japan were a very real threat to King Munmu, who was then in the 18 th year of his reign. Watch Queue Queue. Next we went “hiking” to one of the 11 hermitages, or small temples, located in the hills surrounding Beomeosa. The highlight of my trip was staying at Beomeosa temple, the most famous temple in Busan and one of the most well-known temples in South Korea. You lead such a rich wonderful life! He also reminded us that we were free to skip bows if necessary in the serious physical workout we were about to endure. About 1,300 years ago it was constructed by monk Ui Sang in the 18th year (678) of King Munmu (reign 661~681) of the Silla Kingdom (the kingdom mainly occupied the … One by one guests finished their meals and waited in silence for the others to finish. Jeong-yun, who sat beside him waiting to interpret, looked less than pleased. This is how I arrived because I didn’t want to be late. thank you. It was near winter during our visit hence it was a tad cold and we didn't get to explore the temple in its entirety but for the grounds that we covered, we were in awe of its calm, silent beauty. Next, Hyeon-yeo Sunim led us in receiving a serving of tea to be used for rinsing each of the eating bowls into the next and ingesting the end result. I really liked how Jang-san Sunim always explained WHY things were done a certain way, rather than simply HOW they were done. The tour began at the bottom of the temple, where we first looked at a pillar engraved with the characters 下馬 or “dismount horse”, which in the past indicated to guests arriving by horse to do so. I never travel without a guidebook! After the meditation, we enjoyed a far more casual breakfast than the previous evening’s dinner, again in the company of Hyeon-yeo Sunim, but this time at Western tables and with talking allowed. If you do a temple stay at Baekyangsa, which belongs to the same order of Korean Buddhism as Beomeosa, you can even learn to cook with a monk that was featured on the Chef’s Table on Netflix! The program is not available when there are other temple activities taking place. However, my Busan temple stay experience was incomparable to the others in many ways. We weren’t inundated with Buddhist jargon or lists of principles to follow. Therefore, if you only have a short time in Busan and really want to do a temple stay at Beomeosa, you should consider waiting to book your flight until you secure your temple stay reservation. Beomeosa Temple worth a visit if you are in Busan. And it certainly is. I still enjoyed it, it was a beautiful, quiet forest with tall trees. This brought us into the temple’s main courtyard, from where we further ascended a flight of stairs to Daeungjeon, the main temple hall, which Jang-san Sunim referred to as the Dharma Hall. It is good for your mind. Earlier in the welcome talk, Jang-san Sunim had taught us how to do Korean Buddhist prostrations, a kind of elaborate (for first-timers at least) series of movements for bowing to the Buddha. It was a good mini break from the city life with no-meat food, 108 prostrations, early morning hike etc.. A lot of older people come here to go on hikes early in the morning. Just notice they provide some type of short term lodging in the temple. My favorite parts were the natural surroundings and being able to experience the temple after all the tourists were gone. I also loved the chance to chat freely and on a personal level with the monks, and the fact that one of them was American-Korean really gave us an insider’s perspective explained very honestly and directly in terms that Western people can easily understand and identify with. After the meditation, Hyeon-yeo Sunim assured us that this physical discomfort and lack of control over the mind is very normal for the inexperienced. You can find some great money saving deals on Klook, such as: – Arrange a discounted portable WiFi device for pickup at the airport when you arrive. Beomeosa Temple: Beomeosa Temple Stay - See 900 traveller reviews, 1,283 candid photos, and great deals for Busan, South Korea, at Tripadvisor. While we waited for all the participants to arrive, Jeong-yun gave us canvas bags and color markers for us to draw on them. Hi Angela, As a tea lover (see my many articles on tea), I couldn’t resist several refills of the Korean yellow tea served. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. And your soul. Book your tickets online for Beomeosa Temple, Busan: See 900 reviews, articles, and 1,283 photos of Beomeosa Temple, ranked No.4 on Tripadvisor among 287 attractions in Busan. It’s noticeably cooler up there than in the Busan city center. It was clear that he was enjoying every second of the girl’s cultural faux-pas. It’s easier here as the 90 bus stop is just on the left as you leave the platform, and you’ll get a seat on the bus, unlike the crowd who get on two stops later, having walked 200m from the station. You can take the easy path back down instead of the bus; follow the road down and after a short while you’ll see a path on the left, next to a stream. Our research purpose is to investigate visitor’s experiences and to find the factors that influence the most their positive memories and future behavioral intentions. While the questions posed earlier to Jang-san had revolved around him and the practicalities of monkhood, the final discussion with Hyeon-yeo Sunim was more philosophical, and many of us, myself included, reached out to him for personal advice on matters related to our lives. Hyeon-yeo Sunim, the happy monk, started the yebul ceremony by leading us to do three more prostrations, a flashback of the physical endurance test from the night before. There was even a group of Ahjummas having a picnic by the stream. Each of his movements, from the way he sat to the manner in which he looked around the room into each of our eyes, was streamlined, as if practiced countless times. This was when I really started to like Hyeon-yeo Sunim. Beomeosa Temple: The only temple on the water I've seen - See 900 traveller reviews, 1,283 candid photos, and great deals for Busan, South Korea, at Tripadvisor. Go all the way until you reach a main road, turn left and then right at the junction, walk 200m down the street for Beomeosa station.Take the 1 metro line towards Nopo and get off at Nopo, which is just one stop further than Beomeosa. Our talk was led by Jang-san Sunim, a novice Korean monk in his final year of training before being officially ordained (“Sunim” is a titled used for monks). We meditated on this for about 20 minutes, and suffice to say that I found it difficult, either to think much about that question without my mind trailing off or to sit in the same position without getting sore and shifting. One of my family trip's highlights was the visit to Beomeosa Temple. Located within the Busan city limits, Beomeosa is easy to get to but far enough up on the slopes of Mount Geumjeong (Geumjeongsan) that it feels remote and is surrounded by natural beauty with exquisite views. then go hiking to Mt. You can reach it easily by metro which has a station of the same name. Personally, I’d recommend the Geumeo program because you get the full experience, and my favorite part, talking with the monks, is not included in the “relax” program. Recently I took advantage of insanely cheap flight deals (only $200 return!) Experiences offered at each temple vary, but generally the main options are a single day, overnight visit with full program of activities, and rest-oriented stay in which one is relatively free to relax and explore the temple grounds. I looked up to see the monk’s reaction. – Visit another interesting temple and some of the best Busan attractions on this full-day tour. While we carefully placed each of the 108 beads on the string, Jang-san Sunim invited us to ask him ANY question, except about his age. I actually walked down from the temple back to the subway the next day, and it was a lovely stroll through the forest along a stream, with a boardwalk along the road for about half the way. We sat along the river and feel the cooling water flowing through our feet. ), da-seon (tea ceremony), balwoogongyang or barugongyang (Buddhist vegetarian monastic meals), yebool or yebul (worship or chanting), making crafts, and chatting with monks. I’ve always been drawn to the religious centers and spiritual sights of the world. We continued up through the temple’s four entrance gates: the first uniquely held up by four stone pillars, the second containing four fierce temple guardians, the third representing the Buddhist concept of non-duality, and the final one holding up an entire building above it. This was definitely one of the highlights of the temple stay for me! I could sense others around me looking down to avoid contracting the contagious snickering. Beomeosa Temple: Temple - See 900 traveller reviews, 1,277 candid photos, and great deals for Busan, South Korea, at Tripadvisor. Beomeosa subway station is the second-northernmost stop (stop #133) on Line 1, the orange line. The complex includes a pagoda, several pavilions, three ornate gates, and 11 hermitages.

The Basics
Many visitors to the temple come to wander the complex and enjoy … The food came around on a circular platter on wheels. Finally, 9:30 rolled around and it was time for a hot shower and bed. The walk down took me 50 minutes, so you’ll probably need a full hour to reach the temple entrance if going up. Beomeosa’s second gate, Beomeosa Cheonwangmun, or Gate of the Four Heavenly Kings was originally built in 1699 and houses the four kings or divas guarding the entrance to the temple. For minutes she tried unsuccessfully to resist it. The ice on the tops of the mountain was glistening in the evening light, but the air was still as cold as if the sun had just risen. The Korean side was a varied bunch as well, with married couples, Catholics, a nurse, interior designer, construction worker, PE teacher, business owner, and more. Not being much of an artist, I decided instead to sit out on the veranda with some other participants and admire the extraordinary view in front of us of temple rooftops, a mesmerizingly beautiful tree, and the valley descending in the background. The monks beat an oversized leather drum wildly, transitioning from solo to duo thrashings. Geumjeongsan, a famous mountain in Busan. Please contact the temple stay program ([email protected]) to ask them about this. I tried to skim through the area but still ended up spending 40 mins looking around. He informed us we would eat in “strict silence.”. Doing a temple stay in Busan was truly the highlight of my three trips to South Korea thus far. Beomeosa Temple: Historic temple visit - See 900 traveler reviews, 1,277 candid photos, and great deals for Busan, South Korea, at Tripadvisor. is it possible to film during the entire temple stay for personal vlogs? For overnight temple stay programs, visitors are usually expected to arrive around 2:00 in the afternoon, go to bed around 9:30 PM, and wake up the next morning anywhere from 3:00 to 5:30 A.M. I have no idea what wisterias are but I bet that place is even more beautiful in spring :DI got there by riding the Metro Line 1 (orange), and getting off at Beomosa station, exit 5 or 7. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoLPC_OoIPLiW8JiX29JEjE5VTb2BohHBMyv7_7im5aXFA3A/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1. And your articles help to enlighten others, I always love reading them. Beomeosa Temple: Beomeosa Temple - See 900 traveler reviews, 1,277 candid photos, and great deals for Busan, South Korea, at Tripadvisor. Interestingly, Jang-san Sunim would later confess to us that he disliked the many rituals associated with Buddhism in Korea, and the Buddha himself had stated he never wanted his followers to “worship” him. The last (and far more relaxing) activity before bed was making our own bracelets, which could also be used as necklaces. Rice went into one bowl, soup in another, side dishes in another, and chopsticks into yet another filled with rinsing water. I can see now how Korean monks keep in shape after sitting and meditating for so long every day! Enjoy the panoramic views of Busan From the top of the mountain. If that’s not possible, you can always send them an email at [email protected] to see if they know what the schedule will be like in upcoming months. Devoted to the mountain god, it is the only place at Beomeosa where devotees are permitted to place alcohol as an offering on the altar. I also emailed them when I noticed that the weekend I wanted didn’t seem to be available two months in advance, and after my email they updated the website and it was in fact available. A handful of monks stood on the drum tower and went right into it. 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