What is the event, when, where, and for whom?
“Youth Temple Stay” runs at 98 temples nationwide from July 1 to July 31, 2026. Participating temples include Hwaegyesa in Seoul, Yongmunsa in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, Jeondeunsa in Incheon, Naksansa in Yangyang, Gangwon, Guinsa in Danyang, Chungcheongbuk, Seonunsan in Gochang, Jeollabuk, Tongdosa in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam, Beomeosa in Busan, among others. The target group is young people aged 19 to 34, who can apply by choosing the region and atmosphere—from temples in urban areas to temple compounds deep in the mountains.
1 night, 2 days for 30,000 won
The biggest draw is the participation fee. This event is run at a discounted rate of 30,000 won for 1 night and 2 days. The price includes lodging and meals as well as the program itself, designed to make it easier for young people who face heavy economic burdens to take part in an experience at a mountain temple. The number of recruits is about 7,000 in total.
A day filled with meditation and temple-meal etiquette, along forest paths
According to a BBS report, the program is made up of meditation and temple meal etiquette, memorial services, walking on forest trails, and tea time with conversation. The day begins with an early-morning memorial service, followed by relearning an attitude toward food through temple meal etiquette. Participants then continue with time to walk and sit along forest paths, checking in on their breathing. Rather than focusing on results or speed, the experience of staying with your body and mind in the present moment helps people learn how mindfulness works in everyday life—by practicing it for real. For young people who have never been taught how to take care of themselves separately, such a day can be a short but distinctly different kind of rest.
Applications were made by signing up as members and then reserving through the official Temple Stay website (www.templestay.com). Reservations opened by region: for the Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Chungcheong, and Sejong area, registration began at 1 p.m. on June 24; for the Gangwon, Jeolla, Gwangju, Gyeongsang, Daegu, and Busan area, registration began at 1 p.m. on June 25. Detailed schedules and programs by temple can be checked on the website.
The value of time to set things down for a moment
Ilhwa Korea Buddhist Culture Promotion Agency head said, “I hope young people living busy lives will take time to set aside worries and concerns and look back at themselves for a moment.” Spending one night in an unfamiliar space like a temple—paying attention to silence and breath—can give young people who have been running toward achievement a chance to pause the direction they are heading and ask questions of themselves. In that it offers meditation and mindfulness not as a special kind of training but as a way of resting that anyone can enjoy, the meaning of this event is not small.
