From Surfing to Star-Lit Meditation, “Jeolkang” — Summer Temple Stays for Escaping the Heat
More than 50 temples nationwide, with 60-plus “Summer Special Temple Stays” operating in July and August
The season has arrived when sweat flows even if you do nothing. More people are choosing quiet temple stays for summer—settling the season in mountain temples where mountains, valleys, and the sea are within reach, instead of packed vacation resorts. The Korea Buddhist Culture Promotion Group said it will run 60-plus “Summer Special Temple Stay” programs at around 50 temples nationwide from July through August in line with the summer holiday season and school break.
This summer’s temple stays are divided into leisure-and-recreation type, children-and-family experience type, youth healing type, meditation and practice type, and regional distinctive culture experience type. The lineup is broad enough to let participants pick what fits their taste—whether they want an exhilarating day split by rushing waves or a day to rest in silence.
Leisure-and-Recreation Type, Enjoying Nature’s Valleys and the Sea
The leisure type is expected to be the first program to sell out. In Gangwon Province’s Yangyang, Naksansa Temple will hold surfing temple stays over 11 sessions in July and August. With a combination of professional instructors’ surfing lessons plus wave meditation, sound meditation, and a yoga-style 108 prostrations, the program is entering its third year and remains a popular option among younger people that sells out early every year.
In Gyeongnam’s Hadong, Ssanggyesa Temple has prepared a “Blazing Heat, Officially Escaping the Summer!” temple stay, which includes jet ski rafting on the Seomjin River flowing along the foothills of Jirisan, followed by walking in the scenic area of the Builgul Valley. In Jeju’s Seogwipo, Yakcheonsa Temple offers a yacht experience that cuts through the sunset-lit sea, while Gwanumsa Temple in Jeju introduces scuba diving that goes into the ocean and “Blue Mind Sea Meditation.” In Jeonbuk’s Gochang, Sunwonsa Temple weaves Seonunsan trekking, a bonfire chat, and yoga and seon meditation learned from a monk, relaxing both body and mind together.
For Kids and for Families: Filling the School Break
Programs for children and teenagers on vacation—and for families—are rolling out across the country. Magoksasa Temple in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, Tongdosa Temple in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, Naewonjeongsa Temple in Busan, and Mujaksa Temple in Gwangju operate children’s summer Buddhist schools and mountain-temple camps. Beopjusa Temple in Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do, Eunhaesa Temple in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Naesosa Temple in Buan, Jeonbuk, and Daheungsa Temple in Haenam, Jeonnam, run family-oriented traditional culture experience programs.
In Gyeonggi Province, Jukjangsa Temple in Yangju offers “Confident Sun Speech for Upper Elementary School Students,” while Bongseonsa Temple in Namyangju runs “Summer Forest School.” In Chungcheongnam-do’s Yesan, Sudeoksa Temple has a culture heritage site survey-style temple stay—options that help make the summer day for a child worthwhile.
Rest for the Most Intense Young Adults
There is also plenty of room for young people worn out by a busy daily life. Yongyeonsa Temple in Gangneung, Gangwon Province hosts a “Jjak Temple Stay” for new meetings among the 2030 generation, while Yongheungsa Temple in Damyang, Jeollanam-do prepares a “Neonari” program for university students, graduate students, and young people taking a short break. Daewonsa Temple in Sancheong, Gyeongnam also runs a youth-focused special summer program. Each day is packed: walking in a fir-cedar forest, valley meditation, healing yoga, and watching the sunrise.
Meditation Practice Type: Emptying and Filling
If you want to deeply taste the true appeal of temple stays, the meditation and practice type fits best. Songgwangsa Temple in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do holds a summer training session that encompasses sitting meditation, walking meditation, and lying-down meditation, and the rest of the time is filled with independent practices such as reading, strolling, and Se-gyeong writing. Cheongnyangsa Temple in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk teaches “Gyejeonghye Experience,” a temple stay centered on learning precepts, Seon, and wisdom through the body; it also guides participants through 108 prostrations, meditation on gratitude, and star-gazing. Yonghwasa Temple, Buddhasenwon, the International Seon Center, and Dogapsa Temple offer time to look inward through seon meditation, singing bowl meditation, and tea meditation.
Distinctive Experiences Differ by Each Temple
If you have a clear preference, the regional distinctive culture experience type is worth a closer look. In Jeonbuk’s Jeonju, Seogosa Temple holds a “Camp Temple Stay,” where participants spend the night in a rooftop tent while looking at the sunset and star light. In Gyeonggi’s Yangpyeong, Yongmunsa Temple runs a temple stay that includes making and tasting temple food themselves. In Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, Seonamsa Temple prepares “Fire-Dimming (Bumeong)” temple stays that share minds while staring at a bonfire, along with a walk along barefoot yellow-clay paths. From traditional hanji paper making at Songgwangsa Temple in Wanju, Jeonbuk, to a mosquito net music show at Hwaeomsa Temple in Gurye, Jeonbuk, to a book concert at Seokbulsa Temple in Busan and even a special temple stay for photographers—each temple’s character is reflected in full.
Reservation and Participation Guide
Ilhwa, head of the Korea Buddhist Culture Promotion Group, said, “Summer special temple stays are a time that restores body and mind not just through travel, but within nature and temple culture,” adding, “I hope many people this summer cool off the sweltering heat at mountain temples and find the rest they need for themselves.”
You can check the detailed programs and schedules for summer special temple stays on the official temple stay website (templestay.com), and reservations are also made on the same site. Since popular temples fill up quickly, it is advisable to look into the programs you’re interested in early. Before crowded vacation resorts, this summer—spending one or two days at a thousand-year-old mountain temple—will become a rest you remember for a long time.
