Balugongyang - Formal Dining In Korean Buddhist Temples

Have to confess that the idea of vegetarian food appeals to my head and heart more than to my tongue and stomach. It would be nice to have a clear conscience and be environmentally-friendly by abstaining from meat but I’m not ready to give up my “go-gi” ( meat) as yet.
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!


Check out this blogger's templestay!

Want to make a reservation?

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/

An Informal Temple Stay, Naesosa Part 4

Love the way the ancient pine tree frames the main temple of Naesosa  ( Dae-Ungbojeon ).

What's distinctive about this building is that it was originally built without a single nail.

I love informal temple stays - first of all, most of the temples are usually situated away from the noise and pollution of cities and well-preserved in well-maintained national or provincial parks.  I can stay on the temple grounds, partake of healthy vegetarian meals, soak in the peaceful atmosphere of the temple as well as the wider surroundings which are usually pristine pieces of nature without having to follow a regimented schedule of marathon meditation sessions. Of course, I'm obliged to wake up before dawn to pay my respects to Buddha but I don't mind because it forces me to sleep earlier.

Fine  example of wooden carvings of lotus and chrysanthemum flowers on the flower Salmun ( doors).There are eight such doors on the front facade of the Dae-ung-bojeon.

Another plus of staying in the temple is that one can admire  the craftsmanship of temple architecture at a leisurely pace - something one can't do if one were to join a tour group or visit the temple as a rushed day trip. Moreover, you can admire the beauty of the temple surroundings in its different moods throughout the day - what's it like in the darkness before dawn? How does it look under the mid-day sun? Does it have the same atmosphere at twilight?

Die-hards of course may elect to stay longer to witness the changing of the seasons. In spring, Naesosa may not have that  many cherry trees but the ones that I saw were very pretty indeed. Perhaps they were even more attractive because there weren't too many of them on the temple grounds.

If you prefer to visit in autumn, the maple trees on this avenue leading to the temple are a charming sight as well. Winter is another evocative season when the snow-clad temple looks like the perfect setting for  inspiring Zen poems.

Another thing I like to check out in the temples in Korea is the water. There's something primeval whenever one sits around a bonfire and there's a similar feeling each time I quench my thirst with the spring waters of each temple. To drink, see and hear the cool waters trickling down the stone basins is a simple soothing pleasure one can never tire of during temple stays.

Was mentally rubbing my hands in glee when I first saw the sizeable pavilion housing the Dharma musical instruments as I thought I had the chance to listen to the monks doing their fabulous thing on the drums. But I was disappointed to find a watered-down version in Naesosa - not the same magical sounds that I'd heard in Baekdam-sa or Gap-sa or even Songgwang-sa. Maybe my timing was off for that night. I've found that different temples seem to have different approaches to the Dharma instruments.

The bronze bell, in Beomjonggakwas made during the Goryeo period. Three images of Buddha, called Samjonsang are engraved on it.

The original name of Naeso-sa was Sorae -sa , meaning "a place which one revisits to be reborn". It was enough for me to be rejuvenated during my brief temple sojourn. Check  into a temple without being in a group and even if ( or perhaps because ) you may not spend too much chatting with others, the peace and solitude may prove to be the perfect antidote to the stresses of city life. Try it and discover it for yourself.

sources:

http://www.cha.go.kr/servlet/Download?fid=TWpBPQ==&tname=Y2hndWlkZQ==

http://search.korea.net:8080/intro_korea2008/travel/pdf/01_19.pdf

My Fav K Sounds - Part 2

Sometimes the things you don’t seek are the most rewarding. One of my favourite sounds in Korea is something I discovered by chance when I stayed overnight at Baekdamsa in Gangwon-do. I went there just to see what this quiet corner of Soraksan National Park was like and was already taken with the beauty of the maples in autumn there. I sought silence in Baekdamsa but found instead an unforgettable sonic experience.

It was also my first temple stay experience except that there was no formal program here. The vegetarian meal taken in silence was almost over in the communal dining-hall when I heard a muffled but intriguing rhythm building up on a drum somewhere outdoors on the temple grounds. Hastily, I cleared my dining-tray and went out into the nippy evening air in search of the source. In the darkness, my ears led me to a raised pavilion which housed an enormous drum, a cloud-shaped metallic cymbal of sorts, a wooden fish with a hollow body and a bronze bell with a profile reminded me of the Emile Bell. One seonim was facing the drum, his hands wielding two sturdy drumsticks while another was waiting for his cue beside the other instruments.

How can I describe to you what I heard? Definitely not mere banging. Not tuneful but riveting. Surprising because of the variety of rhythms created on the massive drum and so different from the monotonous beating heard in temples outside Korea and it. It had a commanding presence, speaking with authority, except that I wasn't sure what it was saying. But it was magical.

According to Brother Anthony, an expert on Korean culture, sounding the Dharma Instruments (bell, drum, fish, cloud) “represents communicating the call to enlightenment (the Dharma) to all 'sentient beings'.” The bell made of metal reaches out to those below the ground, while the drum made of leather is the call to living things above the ground. The hollow body of the wooden fish is struck to communicate to all the creatures in the sea whilst the cloud shaped gong is meant for all in the air.

Source of pic on left: KNTO website