A temple where visitors would usually take a quiet look around before leaving is becoming a place to spend the whole day eating, walking and resting. Busan City and the Busan Tourism Organisation will jointly hold Autumn Temple Festival, an immersive tourism event, at Hongbeopsa Temple in Geumjeong-gu on the 30th and 31st.
The event starts at 3pm on both days and runs until 8pm. It will take place at Hongbeopsa Temple, at 33beon-gil, Dugu-ro, Geumjeong-gu, Busan. A shuttle bus for visitors will run between Nopo Station and Hongbeopsa Temple. Twelve temple experiences, centred on temple cuisine, an autumn-night concert and emotional wellbeing, will be held at Hongbeopsa Temple, home to Korea’s largest Amitabha Buddha statue.
Meditation and temple food: why Busan City is bringing temples back as tourist destinations
Busan City said the event was planned in response to the growing popularity of temple stays and meditation as wellness tourism, as K-culture spreads, and the rising interest in temple food as K-vegan cuisine. The aim is to broaden the role of temples, turning them from places to visit into places where people can stay and have an experience.
Temples are one of the easiest gateways for introducing Korean meditation to an international audience. Sitting in a meditation hall for a long period of seated meditation can be daunting for a first-time visitor, but anyone can eat a meal, drink tea and walk along a mountain path. The local authority’s decision to bring temple food, meditation and performances together in one venue as a tourism product can be seen as a sign that K-meditation is being recast in the language of everyday experience.
Venerable Dae-an’s 108 temple dishes: see, hear about and taste them
One of the main attractions is a food session with master temple-food chef Venerable Dae-an. Known for the television programme “The Chefs of the Monastery Kitchen”, Venerable Dae-an will present an exhibition of 108 temple dishes (Temple Table) and give a talk on temple food and natural healing.
There are three paid packages. The Chaewoom package (two people, 35,000 won) includes one clear tent, a mat for two, a set of lotus-leaf rice packed lunchboxes by Venerable Dae-an, a tea-tasting voucher, a peace lantern and a lantern. It is limited to the first 80 tents. The Bieoom package (one person, 15,000 won) includes a mat for one, a set of lotus-leaf rice packed lunchboxes by Venerable Dae-an, a tea-tasting voucher and a peace lantern. The Meomoom package (one person, 15,000 won) is available only at the venue and includes a mat for one, bibimbap with fresh vegetables, a tea-tasting voucher and a peace lantern. Bookings opened at 10am on the 14th through the online platform NOL. Visitors can take part in all booth activities and stage programmes for free without buying a package.
Singing-bowl meditation, 108 prostrations and a walk with the head monk: choose a meditation to suit you
There are several meditation programmes centred on the body and sound. They include a healing meditation with singing bowls (Temple Stillness) and 108 prostrations to clear the mind through repeated bows (Temple Emptying). Visitors can also take a walk while exchanging questions and answers with Venerable Simsan, the head monk of Hongbeopsa Temple (Temple Walk).
Other activities include a tea gathering to discuss personal concerns with monks (Temple Peace), a programme exploring the tea ceremonies of seven temples (Temple Gathering), and natural dyeing (Temple Filling).
The 108 prostrations and walking may suit those who find it difficult to sit still, while singing-bowl meditation may appeal to those who find sound helps them relax. Those who prefer to put their thoughts in order through conversation could try the tea gathering, while tea ceremony and natural dyeing are worth considering for anyone who wants to focus through hands-on activity. The event’s value lies in offering a taste of different approaches in a single day, giving visitors a chance to find out which kind of meditation suits them.
Lantern-lighting ceremony and an autumn-night stage with Kwak Jin-eon and Sanmanhan Siseon
After sunset, a ceremony to light peace lanterns (Temple Light) will be held on the lawn, lit by lotus lanterns and lanterns. The concert that follows (Temple Brightness) will feature singer-songwriter Kwak Jin-eon on the 30th and acoustic duo Sanmanhan Siseon on the 31st.
From a temple to look around to a temple to stay in
Na Yun-bin, director-general of Busan City’s Tourism Content Industry Bureau, said the event had been designed to expand the role of traditional temples as places to stay and have experiences, enabling everyone to enjoy the appeal of K-temples. He added that the city would continue to seek distinctive tourism content that makes the most of Busan’s unique cultural resources.
For people new to meditation, a temple can teach them to eat and walk slowly before it teaches them how to sit quietly. Spending half a day at a mountain temple in autumn could be the first step towards finding a meditation practice that suits you.
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