Temple stay: an honest account of what you are signing up for
Templestay programmes are widely advertised and rarely explained. The schedule, the rules, the physical demands, and who tends to enjoy it.
Updated
Two quite different programmes share one name
Most temples offer both a 'rest' programme and an 'experience' programme, and the difference is substantial.
The rest type is close to unstructured: you are given a room, meals, and the freedom to walk the grounds. Participation in services is optional. This suits people who want quiet more than instruction.
The experience type has a fixed schedule and expects you to follow it — chanting services, a tea ceremony with a monk, often 108 prostrations. It is more demanding and more memorable. Confirm which one you have booked, because the two are advertised with very similar photographs.
The schedule is early and it is not negotiable
Evening services are usually around 6pm and lights-out is early, often by 9pm. The morning service typically begins at 3.30am or 4am. This is the single detail most people underestimate.
Meals are taken in silence and follow a specific form. In the formal barugongyang version you are expected to finish everything you take, including the water used to clean your bowl. Take small portions the first time.
Phones are generally discouraged rather than confiscated. The expectation is that you will not be using yours in shared spaces.
Physical realities worth knowing
You will sit on the floor for extended periods, and you will sleep on a thin mat on an ondol-heated floor rather than a bed. If you have knee or back problems, say so when booking — temples are generally accommodating if told in advance.
The 108 prostrations are a genuine physical effort. They are optional at most temples but presented as a core part of the experience.
Mountain temples are colder than the nearest town, sometimes considerably. Bring more layers than the forecast suggests.
Who tends to get the most out of it
People who arrive wanting quiet, structure and a break from their phone generally leave glad they went. People looking for a comfortable hotel with scenery generally do not.
You do not need to be Buddhist and you will not be proselytised to. Interest and courtesy are the only real requirements.
English-language support varies enormously. Temples near major cities usually have an English-speaking coordinator; remote mountain temples often do not, which is not a reason to avoid them but is a reason to arrive with a translation app.