Tempe Stay

Copied over from my journal that I used during the temple stay:

The orange vest and purple pants outfit is topped off with a large straw hat that the wind threatens to blow off my heat at any moment. The outfit has transformed me into a temporary Buddhist monk. I am looking down on a temple outside of Yesan and the chilly wind is giving me goosebumps. I cam to experience a side of Korea that is so dominant on travel brochures but not quite so transcendent in daily life. Buddhism. From what my previous host family taught me about their religion I know that building a tower out of rocks near a statue is the equivalent of releasing a dream. A hope that I have constructed from stone is that I have a secure job for next year that will bring me happiness as well as a new cultural understanding and finally set me up for a career that I can enjoy for the duration of my employed years.
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It is very fitting that this temple stay experience allowed me to channel my happyness about being in Korean in a Korean way- through the 3 step bowing followed by meditative prayer. We listened to monks beating away on the drums to bring salvation to those who walk on land, fly in the sky and swim in the sea. We beaded a necklace of 108 beans- each one focusing on a particular dream or wish that we hoped would come true. A hike in the morning allowed to me talk about my experiences with a Korean woman who was very insightful because of her 3 year stint in America. Then, teatime with a monk brought a nice closure to the stay as he reminded us that even though we make choices about our lives we were destined to make those choices so what we are doing at all times is exactly what we should be doing. He also emphasized that Buddhism may be a way to find out the meaning of life it is only through our complete selflessness and continuous prayer for others that we carry through on the path to enlightenment. All in all, it seems that Buddhism asks very little of the people who chose to follow it's teachings. Thus, when people do make time to devote their energy in payer, meditation or bowing we can be assured that those actions are completely genuine and done with the utmost sincerity. At first, I was slightly puzzled by this hand-off attitude that I attributed to Buddhism's outlook on worship practices, but then I realized that it does make sense and allows the devotees to choose their level of involvement and so making the experience tailed to their needs.
Summary: Because Korea has given me so much to be thankful for it is nice to have a structured Korean way to say thank you for all of my blessings. :)