Through Glass and Prose: Golgulsa Temple Stay on New Year's Eve

We did something different this New Years. We headed to Golgulsa temple near Gyeongju for a temple stay at a Buddhist temple that practices the ancient martial art of Sunmudo. There was a special itinerary for the holiday at a cost of 50,000 won per person (just under $50). We arrived at 3 PM on Wednesday, New Year's Eve. Dinner was served at 5 PM after we had a couple hours to explore the temple grounds. Alex did a little more exploring than I, got lost and nearly missed dinner. However, all was ok.

The entrance to Golgulsa Temple

Sunmudo demonstration. These guys are serious.

Paying respects in a cozy grotto temple at the top of the temple grounds.

After dinner we were taught a bit about the practices of the temple and had a 90 minute Sunmudo class. Sunmudo is a martial art that is a form of meditation. There is no contact, no tournaments, no fights. It's merely a way to center your chi, and relax your body and mind. I didn't do my research so I was a little disappointed in the lack of much that felt like a martial art. It was more like Yoga, which I'm not really into, but it was still a cool experience. Alex loved every moment of it. So if you are into yoga and meditation, this temple stay is a great combination of the two.

Our lesson ended at 9 PM and afterwards was the ceremony of 1,080 bows that lasted two hours. After a few bows I was feeling it in my knees feet. It's more intense than it sounds for a non-yoga person. Alex and I bowed out of finishing all 1,080. There was also a bell ceremony at midnight for New Years, but since wake up was at 5 AM, we decided to try and get some sleep instead.

The beginning of the 1,080 bows. We didn't make it very far.

We woke at 5:10 AM and got ready for morning meditation before breakfast. Breakfast was a delicious version of the traditional New Years Day rice cake soup. We had to finish every bit of our food and I always took too much and ended up stuffing myself. With only three vegan meals a day and no snacks I was worried about being hungry between meals.

Delicious 6 AM breakfast of spicy rice cake soup with vegetables.

After breakfast, we piled in cars and one big bus and were driven 40 minutes to the beach. There we awaited the sunrise while the monks lit a bonfire and chanted. The conditions were great for sunrise but it was frigid. After the sunrise, we practiced the Sunmudo moves we learned the day before on the beach while a local news crew filmed us fumbling over the choreography.

Watching the sunrise on the beach is a tradition in Korea. There was a line of people all the way down the shoreline. It was hard to get a picture of the sunrise without having a crowd in the foreground.

When we returned to the temple, we had an hour and a half to rest before having teatime with the oldest and wisest monk. He answered any questions people had about the temple, buddhism, love and life. Afterwards, we were shown a Sunmudo demonstration by the masters. This was followed by lunch and we were then free to checkout. Overall, it was great and unique experience. It was certainly a different and introspective start to a new year. Happy New Year everyone! Namaste.