Unique Temples In Daegu You Can Actually Stay In Overnight

Visitors to Daegu in South Korea seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life can experience a bit of tranquility through a Templestay program at one of the region’s many mountain temples. These overnight programs offer a unique look into monastic life and include tea ceremonies, morning and evening chant services, seon (zen) meditation, and balwoo gongyang, monastic formal meals where vegetarian dishes are consumed in total silence and not a single grain of rice is wasted. Here are a few temples not far from Daegu that offer this unique, enlightening experience.

Donghwa Temple

Situated in the southern foothills of Palgong Mountain, Donghwa Temple is a time-honored Buddhist temple that was built in 493 C.E. The temple is renowned for its natural beauty, including its foxglove tree, which blooms in winter. In fact, its name, Donghwasa, reflects this auspicious symbol.

The most striking cultural relic of Donghwa Temple is the towering Unification Medicine Buddha statue which stands 17 meters high above the temple grounds. Another highlight is the Buddha figure carved into a rock face that overlooks the old temple road. In the evening light, the Buddha’s warm smile seems to come to life.

Jikji Temple

Located at the foot of Hwangak Mountain, Jikji Temple was constructed during the Silla Kingdom, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea that began in 57 BC. It is home to one of the most famous architectural structures of the Joseon Dynasty. The first gate of entry to a temple, typically called an Iljumun, demarcates the human from the spiritual world. Iljumun Gate at Daeungjeon Hall reminds peace-seekers to drop their worldly concerns before entering Jikji Temple.

A thousand-year-old arrowroot in Birojean Hall is another testament to the temple’s ancient past. Visitors will also see an impressive 1.63-meter-tall Seated Stone Buddhist Statue, which numbers among the 1,000 Buddha statues to be discovered in the temple grounds. The best time to visit Jikji Temple is in fall, when the surrounding valley and pine forest is blanketed in fiery autumn hues.

95, Jikjisa-gil, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, +82 54 429 1716

A monk demonstrates the Korean tea ceremony

Haein Temple

After returning from China, two monks established Haeinsa in devotion to the dharma. Alongside the Buddha and the Sangha, the dharma is one of the three refuges and basically consists of Buddhist doctrines from the religion’s founding father, Siddhartha Gautama. The two monks dedicated Haeinsa to the Buddha’s teachings on the path to enlightenment and completed the temple in 802 C.E. The temple has since been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be found in the enchanting Gayasan National Park area, some 70 kilometers west of Daegu.

As one of the three jewelled temples, Haeinsa is home to the Tripitaka Koreana – a 750-year-old, comprehensive, intact version of Buddhist canon in Hanja script. No mistakes have been found in the Tripitaka’s 52,330,152 characters, which had been painstakingly carved into 81,258 wooden printing blocks. If each block were lain out head to tail, the Tripitaka would measure over 61 km long.

10 Chiin-ri, Gaya-myeon, Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, +82 55 934 3000

Monks return to their rooms after evening worship at Haeinsa

Tongdo Temple

Built in 646 C.E. in the southern part of Chiseo Mountain, Tongdo Temple was named after the belief that mankind can be saved through Buddhism.

Yet, despite its religious associations, the temple feels more like a museum than a spiritual site, as it houses numerous cultural relics that have survived countless wars and invasions over the years. The complex is made up of 35 buildings and pagodas, and 14 small temples in its vicinity.

Tongdosa is also known for its lack of Buddhist statues in the temple. Nevertheless, the complex, which is embellished with several hundred-year-old pine trees and offers stunning mountain views, offers unsurpassed tranquility.

Address and telephone number: 108 Tongdosa-ro, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, +82-55-382-7182

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