During my visits to Korea, my stay at any temple never lasted more than two nights – partly perhaps because my faint-hearted stomach couldn’t stand a vegetarian diet for so long. Moreover, I’ve never participated in any formal templestay program so I have yet to experience “balu-gong-yang” ( the traditional dining etiquette in Korean Buddhist temples). However, from what has been gathered from the web, I should start adopting some of the practices for a more healthy lifestyle.
The term according to meaning “Four Bowls Containing Food” OR ‘Balugongyang’ means people gathering together and eating a proper amount of food served in one bowl. “Gongyang” refers to the “serving of food to monastics but can also be used when presenting them with clothing or other materials useful for their monastic life.” One source declares the word ‘bal-woo’ means a bowl while another source maintains it literally means “the four bowls containing food”, a reference to the Four Heavenly Guardian Kings who offered meals in stone bowls to Sakyamuni. Whatever the number, “Balugongyang” now refers to the formal meal in Korean Buddhist temples particularly for the Jogye Order.
Aside from the four matching bowls ( for rice, soup, side dishes and water) spoon and pair of chopsticks, here are the other things used during “balu-gong-yang”:
a. Bal-geon- the covering towel: it covers the bowls and is also a kind of dish towel.
b. Mu-reup-su-geon- the knee towel: it protects your clothes from stains when you eat and is also a kind of napkin.
c. Si-jeo-dae- the pocket: it contains the spoon and chopsticks.
d. Bal-u-tu-geong- the cap: it is the lid of the biggest bowl.
e. Bal-u-dan- the cloth mat: at the beginning of each meal, you put bowls on top of it.
f. Bal-u-bo- the covering cloth: it wraps the bowl containing other small bowls.
There’s a sequence of actions but I won’t go into that. Suffice to say that at the end of the meal, you wash all the utensils, wipe them clean and tie them together in the cloths before returning them to the cupboard.
The following are some of the principles and practices of “balu-gong-yang” are:
1. Frugality – “ out of respect for the gifts of nature”; take only what you need within the allotted time for meals so “not even a grain of rice or scrap of kimchi should remain in the bowls”
My comment – Clearly a very environmentally-friendly and healthy practice to curb wastage and pigging out. Trouble is, how do they determine the portions when one person may be bigger and used to larger portions while another monk may eat like a bird? Or are all portions standardized in the name of communality and fairness of allocation with no regard for individual appetites?
2. Communal dining – chant together to focus on the notion of living in harmony but no chatting; wait for others before and after eating.
My question – are the non-Korean participants given translations so that they know what they are chanting?
3. Meditative – eating in silence as you sit in the lotus position; no slurping etc. Treat the meal as a daily opportunity for “expanding and deepening our awareness” of the energy or gifts of nature that we take into ourselves for instance. At the very least, while eating, we should consider the effort of the farmers, the financial contributions of those who sponsored the meal and the skills of those in the kitchens.
A reminder to myself – It’s not about counting calories but one’s blessings!
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Sources:http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2926079
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2922529
http://eng.gg.go.kr/1290
http://www.koreataste.org/lang/en/en/columns-en/test-temple-food-full-of-natures-goodness
http://theothersideofthemoon2009.blogspot.com/2010/08/guinsa-temple-stay.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/08/293_72067.html
http://www.korea-fans.com/forum/showthread.php?mode=linear&tid=39945&pid=1244933
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/170660.html
http://aaaalexsadventuresinasia.blogspot.com/2010/04/beomosa-temple-stay-in-which-i-act-like.html
http://eng.templestay.com/Reservation/find_templestay.asp?cid=23
http://eng.buddhapia.com/_Service/BUDDHAPIA/0000000871/
