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In an era where higher education is often concerned with prestigious universities and formal degrees, Korea’s Buddhist temples offer a lesser known but equally prestigious form of education. The secularization of the global community increasingly denies the importance of religion and religious centers as places for reliable education. However, historically, religious centers have served as crucial educational institutes through studies of important religious texts, such as the Bible or the Quran.
Although the education offered by these temples may be called into question by those who wish to disregard the importance of religion and its educational value, these religious centers are representative of extensive cultural and academic learning, particularly in regards to Buddhism. Many of these temples house extensive collections of ancient sacred texts and offer temple stay programs in which individuals have the chance to live according to the Buddhist way.
In doing so, they serve as living institutions that preserve and disseminate the knowledge acquired through years of the Korean tradition of Buddhism. Korean Buddhist temples, including those of Haeinsa, Jogyesa, and Baekyangsa, each offer modes of education distinct from traditional lecture halls and schools, but are equally relevant and valuable to such conventional methods of learning.
The education offered by key temples of Korea increases historical knowledge about Buddhism and Korean history, engages Buddhist perspectives and practices into modern life, and promotes Buddhist principles through unconventional methods. In doing so, Buddhist temples teach both Korean citizens and visitors the valuable ideology of Buddhism in an increasingly busy and modern world.
Buddhist temples in Korea educate Korean history, particularly in regards to Buddhism. Located in the Gayasan National Park, Haeinsa Temple represents Korea’s dedication to preserving Buddhist teachings. Founded as one of the oldest institutes of learning in South Korea, Haeinsa is renowned for housing the Tripitaka Koreana, an extensive collection of Buddhist scriptures carved onto 81,258 wooden blocks. These texts have been carefully preserved in the Janggyeong Panjeon depository and represent one of the most comprehensive and oldest versions of Buddhist writing in the world. The template is also known for its architectural ingenuity, specifically designed to preserve texts that naturally regulate temperature and humidity. The temple has also been recognized as a UNESCO Heritage Site, considering its significance to historians of Buddhism worldwide and the Korean people and their history.
Haeinsa is comparable to major academic repositories like Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The Beinecke serves a similar purpose to Haeinsa, as both institutions have extensive collections of rare and valuable literature protected by careful feats of architecture and planning. Although temples like Haeinsa may be less known as valuable centers of the collection of knowledge than famed university or public libraries, it is equally important in progressing the education of individuals, particularly those interested in the study of religion and Buddhism in Korea.
Buddhist temples in Korea also educate increasingly modern and religiously disconnected individuals by creating connections between the traditions of the temple and the modernity of individuals. For example, using its urban location in the heart of Seoul to its advantage, the Jogyesa Temple is able to engage with the public and educate citizens about the principles of Buddhist life and history. The temple actively engages with the public through various cultural programs, including an initiative called ‘Templestay’, which allows participants to experience monastic life through practices like meditation. Jogyesa Temple’s modern immersive programs reflects the same strengths seen in elite universities that blend tradition with innovation.
Ranked among the top universities globally, the University of Oxford focuses extensively on cutting edge research and learning despite being founded in 1096. Oxford is not the only university that maintains this reputation, however, as other institutes of higher education are held at similar levels of respect for their ability to synthesize old traditions and practices with new methods of engagement and learning. It is clear that Jogyesa Temple and those similar to it also perform this mix of old and new. However, despite these efforts, the Temple and similar institutions in Korea do not maintain a comparable reputation to conventional institutes for higher learning. Temples like Jogyesa effectively, if not more inclusively, incorporate individuals and practices of modern life into the traditional principles of Buddhism in Korea. Such success is worthy of more extensive recognition as institutes of learning.
Unconventional practices are also a key method in which Korean Buddhist temples practice untraditional but effective and valuable learning. Baekyangsa Temple located in Naejangsan National Park offers a unique intersection of spirituality and culinary arts. Monk Jeong Kwan, who works at the temple Baekyangsa, has gained international acclaim for her approach to temple cuisine. Temple cuisine, particularly in Korea, is famous not only for its emphasis on vegetarianism but for its focus on healthy and inclusive diet as well.
Her teachings have attracted renowned chefs worldwide, a feat that shows how traditional monastic practices are influential and educational for a large scope of populations. The popularity of Buddhist temple cuisine is already famous across Korea and those interested in Buddhist ways of living however deserves more global attention, especially as such cuisines serve a purpose that transcends simple dietary habits. Buddhist principles and ideologies are reflected in the cuisines of Buddhist temples.
By refusing to include meat within the meal, Buddhist cuisines are representative for their teachings of respect for all objects, human and nonhuman. The subtle ways in which Korean Buddhist temples may not be obvious to all. However, the effectiveness in which such temples convey their teachings underline the importance of recognizing these institutions as places of valuable learning.
Korean Buddhist temples exemplify how institutions rooted in tradition have the potential and features needed to be recognized as institutions of learning. Their efforts to extensively preserve history all while incorporating modern perspectives and individuals to the Buddhist temple community through unconventional methods rival those of conventional, famed spaces of education, including the world’s foremost universities. Just like Bongeunsa temple, a space for quiet meditation and learning in the midst of the busy traffic of Seoul, Buddhist temples can serve as subtle but valuable institutions of learning in a world that is increasingly doubtful of the educational significance of religion.
By: Saeyoon Sim
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