Bongeunsa(봉은사) is a Buddhist temple in Korea. It's near Coex mall. It's an old Buddhist temple surrounded by tall modern buildings. It's quite refreshing to visit there. It suddenly becomes calm and still when you enter the temple. I often feel like I'm in an island in the middle of the metropolitan city.
How to Go
It's easy to go to the temple. There are 2 subway stations near by and bus stops. There are big hotels and even the city airport around Samsung station. You need to walk a bit from Samsung station line 2 but it's really close from Bongeumsa station line 9. I saw foreigners visiting the temple when they stayed near hotels or came for work. There is a Seoul World Trade Center and convention buildings around Samsung station with Coex. I think it's better to visit here when you visit Coex mall or other places in Gangnam-gu rather than just visit the temple.
History of Bongeunsa
Bongeun temple was first built in 794, Silla dynasty. After that Bongeun temple had kind of hard time. First of all, Joseon dynasty pursued Confucianism and suppressed Buddhism. In that era, most of Buddhist temples were built in mountain area. That's why usually Buddhist temples are in mountain area in Korea. However Bongeun temple was survived those era.
There were also many wars in history, Chinese dynasty or Japanese invaded Han peninsula. This temple was burnt down many times in those wars but people kept rebuilding it. The last war burning down the temple was Korean war in 1950. People rebuild the temple again at the site after the war ended.
About Korean Buddhist temples
I'll introduce very few things about Korean Buddhism and Buddhist temple. Buddhist temples usually have many buildings. Each building has different Buddha or Bodhisattva. In other word, all statues in different buildings represent different Buddha and Bodhisattva.
The main building is called Daewoongjeon(대웅전) and Sakyamuni (Gautama Siddhartha) is the main Buddha. There are also other buildings for Bodhisattva like Avalokitesvara, Bhaisajyaguru. Roles of each Bodhisattva are all different so people choose where to pray or to offer.
There is also a building at the top of the hill called Sansingak or Youngsangak. Gak means small building in Korean. Sansin or Youngsan mean mountain spirit. Actually you can find this small place in almost every Korean Buddhist temples. It's for the mountain spirit of the mountain. As I wrote above, Korean Buddhist temples are usually in mountains. Korean traditional beliefs are based on animism and Korean shamanism(called Muism). These traditional belief, every mountains have their own mountain spirits. This concept was mixed in Buddhism in Korea as a localization of the religion. As a result, many temples have places for the mountain spirit and people also put offerings and pray there.
Tea Time in Buddhist temple
Korean Buddhism is deeply related with tea culture in Korea. Korean Buddhist monks consider making tea and drinking tea as a mind cultivation. There is a tea place in Bongeun temple.
If you don't know how to warm up tea cups or handle the tea set, servers will show you the demonstration.
Koreans usually drink more coffee than tea so it's not easy to have traditional formal tea in other places.
Me and my boyfriend went there twice and we enjoyed the place and tea.
Other things to do in Bongeunsa
I haven't done temple stay but this temple also provides temple stay program. If you want to experience Korean Buddhist temple stay but you don't want to go to far like out from Seoul, you may use this temple.
Introducing temple stay page address is at below. They provide English version
You can find out some major events of Buddhism. On Buddha's birthday, there are many lanterns lightened up at night. Those lanterns are quite pretty and various. Lotus lantern is the very traditional one but there are also other shapes of lanterns.
Some Buddhist temples also provide free meals or temple meals with very low price. Because they are temple meals, they are completely vegetarian meals. Taste is simple but not bad. I'm quite sure they are also healthy too.
You can go inside of temple if you want. People will not stop you to just go in. During the services however, there are few rules. I think if you don't participate in the service, the only thing you may remember is not to sit in the very middle part of the building. Those sits are only for the monks usually. Korean Buddhist don't sit in the center to show humbleness.
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