The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will hold a three-day meditation festival in Ulsan, linking an urban media-art exhibition space with a temple on the foothills of a mountain.
The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will host the '2026 Seon Meditation Festival – Ulsan' from 18 to 20 September at Taehwa Complex Cultural Space Mandi and around Baekyangsa Temple on Hamwolsan. The event is jointly organised by the Jogye Order's Future Headquarters and the incorporated association Taehwa Complex Cultural Space.
Five-senses meditation at Lightroom
The festival's central programme is 'Five-Senses Light Seon Meditation', held in the media-art exhibition hall Lightroom. The session combines light, sound, scent and breathing, with the lecture led by Monk Tanho. Singing bowls and aromatherapy will be used. According to Ulsan Daily, the programme will run twice on 19 September, at 1pm and 4pm.
Using the exhibition space's video and lighting as tools for meditation has been uncommon in South Korea. Rather than closing the eyes and turning inwards, the approach trains awareness by keeping the eyes open and following the senses.
Walking mountain paths, listening to sound and shaping clay
'Hamwolsan Walking Meditation' will take place around Baekyangsa Temple on Hamwolsan. Participants will walk slowly along forest paths, synchronising their steps with their breathing. The programme will run twice.
At Mandi, the programme will continue with 'Sound Seon Meditation' led by Monk Seonjeong, 'The Resonance of the Handpan and Inner Vibrations' led by Byeon Min-kyung, 'Mental Care Office Meditation Yoga' and 'Making a Clay Mandala'. Five ambassadors will lead the individual programmes. 'Prescription for the Mind' will operate throughout the festival in the lobby on Mandi's first floor.
The festival will open with Monk Geumgang's 'The Song of Seon Meditation'. Based on insights drawn from the teachings of traditional Korean ganhwa Seon and the practice of sitting meditation, the work presents them in the language of everyday life, offering a chance to step away briefly from busy routines and look into one's own mind.
Meditation concert on the rooftop
A 'Seon Meditation Concert' will be held on Mandi's rooftop on the evening of 19 September. Jazz guitarist Kim Dae-ho, Park Hye-ji and tenor Lee Ji-yoon will perform. The festival's centrepiece will be an evening of jazz and classical singing beneath the city's night sky.
How to take part
The main programmes are free and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to those who register in advance. Details of each programme and how to apply are available on the official 2026 Seon Meditation Festival website (seonmeditationsummit.kr), the official Instagram account (@seon_meditation_summit), and the official website and Instagram account of Taehwa Complex Cultural Space Mandi.
The Jogye Order's Future Headquarters described Seon meditation as "a mind-training method that reinterprets South Korea's long Buddhist practice tradition for modern audiences".
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