Templestay for the TV
The brass symbol gonged and the onset of gentle chanting echoed throughout the temple grounds, drawing the attention of those within earshot. The snow was falling and the air was crisp with a waft of pine floating about. Within the confines of the temple walls, burning incense filled the air with the sweet aroma of lavender. The gold buddha positioned on top the alter reflected the flickering flames of the scattered candles, casting an opulent glow. A monk was kneeling to the left of the temple alter, rhythmically beating the large symbol. Standing before the alter was another monk; his role, to tap a wooden fish instrument to prompt each ceremonious bow. To his left and right were 12 people, a mixture of Korean and Western in culture. Of special mention, 3 girls; a tall, Australian brunette; a blonde Australian with big blue eyes; and their petite, Danish friend, Maria. A stream of cold air filled the room as the door opened and a TV crew filed in; camera, microphones and lights in hand.
This is not quite the traditional picture one would expect to see at a Korean Buddhist temple. On this occasion, however, at the Geumsansa temple, situated in the mountains overlooking the city of Seoul, this was the picture and one I wish for you to now imagine.
It felt like I was another world away despite being within minutes drive from the contrasting life of Seoul beneath. So what’s the go with this little story you may ask? Let me elaborate…
I’m usually the first to jump on the rollercoaster for a cultural experience should the chance arise. Thus, when my friend and fellow intern, Emillie, was approached by a local TV station, Arirang TV, to participate in a templestay for the filming of a TV series and invite some friends along – we jumped at the chance. Arirang promotes Korean culture through its english shows and this particular series we were being filmed for looks at Korea through the eyes of foreigners living or working in South Korea.
Not sure of what to expect, we were chauffeured to the temple grounds by the TV crew. Pretty much, from the moment we took our first step out, the cameras were all over us. We were plugged into our mics and thrown into the templestay experience, starting with a full-blown introduction by the Buddhist monk. Not only did I have no knowledge of the buddhist principles, it was all in korean, so hmm… this didn’t help my cause. An intro to the bowing routine commenced. This involved attempting to keep oneself warm whilst repeating the actions of the ever so disciplined monk up front who seemed not a bit phased by the imposing cameras and icicles forming from the roof (well, they were there in my imagination!)
Meditation followed. Unsure of what leg went where and what thought was meant to be where inside my head, I sat quietly, eyes closed, mentally picturing a monkey clanging some symbols together whilst circus music played in the background. I only have Homer Simpson to thank for this idea. Meditation = fail.
We then went for some casual chanting… in Korean of course. Minus a million degree weather did not help my concentration. Bowing was involved which made it even harder to maintain one’s composure whilst keeping one eye on what the monks were doing, one not-so-obvious eye on the camera, and ones thoughts from drifting into the black abyss. Chanting session = fail.
Dinner time! Mentally and physically exhausted (and only a few hours in!), I was much anticipating the meal ahead. It was a traditional setting and involved a complete traditional ceremony of carrying the bowls to the temple room, sitting down on your individual mat, carefully arranging your bowls from largest to smallest, being served and finally, the eating part. Here the low-down on Buddhist eating principles ’1-0-1′. Food is strictly vegetarian. You must eat everything on plate, down to the last rice grain. You must not speak during the meal. You must not allow your eyes to wander whilst eating. Do not mix the food in your food bowls. Always eat with the bowl masking your face. No munching, crunching, grunting or other animalistic noises. Finally, you must clean your own bowls – using the water provided and, with your chopsticks and a single pickled radish, wipe the inside of the bowls in a circular fashion. Upon completion, you must drink the water and eat the pickle. Remember – no wastage!
I had to fight hard at this point to refrain from unintentionally regurgitating my whole meal.
Gracefully eating = fail.
Post dinner, it was time to commence our 108 bows to the sound of some mystical recording of an elderly monk chanting. Despite my lousy attempts to stay focused (yes, the monkey came back to distract me) and my continuous slipping on my mat each time I stood up, I somehow managed to pull through and complete all 108. Bowing professionalism = fail.
Bed time! The ladies all shared a room where we set up camp on the heated flooring which actually turned the room into a sauna within a matter of minutes. Hence, I woke up in the morning at 5am more than happy to get up, get dressed and get outside to cool off!
The second day was mixed up a little with some more morning chants, meditation, breakfast, meditation, tea and question time with the elder monk, hiking, meditation, lunch and closing remarks. The hike was rather treacherous up the icy mountain path and the camera crew amazed me by their stamina in lugging all their equipment with them! Upon our return, they realized they had missed their chance to talk scenic shots of the view from up top… and hence, had to back track up the mountain once more. Like, what the?!
So the experience all in all, whilst may sound like a grueling fat-camp, was in fact, a very enjoyable and eye-opening, cultural experience. The novelty of being filmed soon wore off after the first 30 minutes or so when you realize you can’t 100% be yourself in front of the camera especially in such a situation where you need to tread lightly in fear of offending a whole religious faction. I am so grateful for the opportunity though and am anxiously waiting to see just how much of a fool I made of myself for the public to mock.
Mentally and physically exhausted after such an intense 24 hours, Maria and I needed to unwind and what better way than to hit up the shops! 
Shopping recoup = success!
Yes, I have come to the realization I would make a very lousy monk if ever I had the desire to be one… which I don’t…. so lucky for this generation of Korean buddhists – I won’t be tarnishing their reputation anytime soon. In fact, if I were them, I’d impose an injunction on me from every walking within 1km of their temple grounds ever again. Meanwhile, I reckon they’ll go (secretly) stream the video on YouTube to see themselves on TV.
