In short: Templestay lets anyone stay overnight at a Buddhist temple in South Korea and join temple life: dawn and evening ceremonies, Seon (Zen) meditation, a formal monastic meal, 108 bows and tea with a monk. Most stays are one night. Many temples offer English programmes; book on the official Templestay website.
Types of Templestay
- Experience programme: a structured overnight stay with ceremonies, meditation and a monastic meal. Best for a first visit.
- Rest programme: a quieter stay with fewer set activities; you join the ceremonies and meals and rest in between.
- Day programme: a few hours of meditation, tea and a temple tour, with no overnight stay.
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A typical overnight schedule
- Afternoon: arrive, change into the temple clothes provided, and learn basic etiquette.
- Early evening: temple dinner and the evening ceremony with the drum and bell.
- Evening: Seon meditation or 108 bows, then early to bed.
- Before dawn: the morning ceremony, often around 4 am.
- Morning: baru gongyang (formal monastic meal), walking meditation, and tea with a monk.
Etiquette
- Greet monks and nuns with palms together and a half bow (banbae).
- Walk quietly, with hands folded, in the temple grounds.
- Take off your shoes before entering halls; enter by the side doors, not the central one.
- Eat everything you take at the formal meal; nothing is wasted.
More: Buddhist temple etiquette.
Cost and booking
Overnight programmes charge a modest fee that covers food, lodging and temple clothes; day programmes cost less. Book on the official Templestay website, which lists temples with English programmes, dates and prices.
See also: Buddhist temples and meditation in South Korea · Zen retreats explained
Questions people ask
Can foreigners do a Templestay in Korea?
Yes. Many temples run programmes in English for international visitors, and you do not need to be Buddhist.
How long is a Templestay?
Most are one night and two days. Day programmes of a few hours and longer rest-type stays are also offered at many temples.
What do you do at a Templestay?
Typically the evening and dawn ceremonies, seated meditation (Seon), a formal monastic meal (baru gongyang), 108 bows, tea with a monk, and a walk in the temple grounds.